RICAS Results Paint Grim Picture Of RI Education

RHODE ISLAND — Rhode Island students, namely kids in grades 3 to 8, are behind their northern neighbors in math and English language arts (ELA), according to recent testing. The first year of the Rhode Island Comprehensive Assessment System (RICAS), 2017-2018, revealed a 17 percent and 20 percent disparity in math and ELA scores, respectively, between Rhode Island students and Massachusetts students.

“Through RICAS, we now have a true apples-to-apples comparison of how we perform compared to Massachusetts, the gold standard for education in America and beyond,” said Ken Wagner, Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education.

“This partnership provides meaningful information for families, educators, and the public, giving us a clear and common sense path forward to improve teaching and learning in Rhode Island schools," Wagner said, according to the Rhode Island Department of Education.

Here's how Rhode Island students scored in the 2017-2018 testing:

English Language Arts proficiency:

• Third Grade: 40 percent
• Fourth Grade: 38 percent
• Fifth Grade: 37 percent
• Sixth Grade: 34 percent
• Seventh Grade: 24 percent
• Eighth Grade: 28 percent

Mathematics proficiency:

• Third Grade: 35 percent
• Fourth Grade: 27 percent
• Fifth Grade: 27 percent
• Sixth Grade: 25 percent
• Seventh Grade: 27 percent
• Eighth Grade: 23 percent

The testing also says students with disabilities, low income and English learners, according to the Department of Education.

Regardless of scores, Rhode Island education officials have been working to boost opportunity for students throughout the state. In the past few years, they've tripled enrollment in state-funded pre-K classrooms, integrated computer science into all schools, increased the number of career education programs by 56 percent and more, they said.

(For more news and information like this, subscribe to the Cranston Patch for free. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here. Don't forget to like us on Facebook!)

Photo credit: Shutterstock