RICAS: Portsmouth, state are playing catchup to Mass. schools

District will map out plan for improvement

Jim McGaw
Posted 12/12/18

PORTSMOUTH — Rhode Island public schools have some catching up to do before they can compare favorably to Massachusetts on student assessments, school officials lamented during …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Register to post events


If you'd like to post an event to our calendar, you can create a free account by clicking here.

Note that free accounts do not have access to our subscriber-only content.

Day pass subscribers

Are you a day pass subscriber who needs to log in? Click here to continue.


RICAS: Portsmouth, state are playing catchup to Mass. schools

District will map out plan for improvement

Posted

PORTSMOUTH — Rhode Island public schools have some catching up to do before they can compare favorably to Massachusetts on student assessments, school officials lamented during Tuesday’s night’s School Committee meeting.

Last week the R.I. Department of Education (RIDE) released performance results from the 2017-2018 academic year for students in grades 3-8 on the new Rhode Island Comprehensive Assessment System, or RICAS. (High school students’ academic performance are assessed using the PSAT and SAT.) 

RICAS is the Rhode Island version of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS), which has been in place since 1998. Portsmouth schools previously used the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) assessment tool.

In the English language arts (ELA) assessment on RICAS, 50.3 percent of Portsmouth students either met or exceeded expectations, compared to the statewide average of 33.7 percent. In math, 47.3 percent of students either met or exceeded expectations, compared to 27.5 percent statewide.

Across the board, however, Rhode Island scores averaged 17 percentage points lower than Massachusetts in ELA and 20 percentage points lower in mathematics, according to Assistant Superintendent Thomas Kenworthy, who presented an overview Tuesday of the local district’s performance on RISCA.

The basic reason for that, Mr. Kenworthy said, is that Massachusetts schools have been using the same, and more rigorous, standards over the past two decades while Portsmouth has utilized several different performance assessments over that time. The Bay State’s curriculum often exceeds Common Core standards in each grade level, he said.

“Massachusetts has stuck to this more rigorous set of expectations,” he said.

The next step for the local district will be to break down the assessment data, target areas of improvement, identify areas where the Massachusetts’ frameworks are more rigorous than Common Core and make the needed adjustments to the curriculum and assessment practices, he said.

“We are well above the Rhode Island state average. That being said, there is still a lot of work for us to do in the years going forward,” Mr. Kenworthy said. “The context is there now, and we have the tools … for the next steps we need to take.”

“Our children breathe the same air and eat the same food,” but Rhode Island students still have significantly has lower assessment results than those in Massachusetts, said committee member Allen Shers.

The fault, however, does not lie with Portsmouth’s educational system, said Mr. Shers, who blamed the actions of state education officials and a school aid funding formula that is woefully unfair to Portsmouth and some other districts.

He suggested a meeting with principals, teachers and administrators to plan a course of action to improve assessment results over the next four years. “We need a new path,” Mr. Shers said.

Committee Vice Chairman Frederick Faerber III suggested the local district should pay attention to what Seekonk schools are doing, since they posted the best MCAS scores in the Massachusetts.

Good news

There were certainly some positive things to take away from Portsmouth’s performance on the RICAS, Mr. Kenworthy said.

In the ELA component, both Hathaway and Melville schools showed improvement compared to last year’s PARCC scores and exceeded both the Rhode Island and Massachusetts state averages, he said. In addition, Hathaway’s average growth from 2017 to 2018 was 64 percent, which is better than typical, Mr. Kenworthy said.

In math, the district’s proficiency was the sixth highest in the state, while Melville improved over its PARCC performance and exceeded the state average for both Rhode Island and Massachusetts, he said.

Hathaway’s average growth in its math performance from 2017 to 2018 was 63 percent, while Melville’s was 76 percent — both better than typical, the assistant superintendent said.

Most impressively, grade 7 students at Portsmouth Middle School posted the highest math scores at that grade level — 64 percent proficiency — in the state, Mr. Kenworthy said.

Portsmouth School Department, RICAS

2024 by East Bay Media Group

Barrington · Bristol · East Providence · Little Compton · Portsmouth · Tiverton · Warren · Westport
Meet our staff
MIKE REGO

Mike Rego has worked at East Bay Newspapers since 2001, helping the company launch The Westport Shorelines. He soon after became a Sports Editor, spending the next 10-plus years in that role before taking over as editor of The East Providence Post in February of 2012. To contact Mike about The Post or to submit information, suggest story ideas or photo opportunities, etc. in East Providence, email mrego@eastbaymediagroup.com.