PORTSMOUTH — While Portsmouth students' first crack at a new and widely debated test yielded better-than-average results, the district is hoping for improved scores in the next round.

On Tuesday, the R.I. Department of Education released scores for Rhode Island's first round of the PARCC — Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers — exams.

Portsmouth scored well above the state averages in both math and English/language arts (ELA), but behind some districts that the school system likes to compare itself to, such as Barrington and East Greenwich.

As a district, 48.5 percent of students tested in ELA scored a “4” or “5,” meaning they met or exceeded the established expectations. The state average is 35.8 percent.

In math, 43.6 percent of students in the district met or exceeded expectations, compared to the state average of 24.8 percent.

The highest-performing school in math was Hathaway Elementary (67 percent). The top school for ELA was Melville Elementary (59.4 percent).

Portsmouth High did reasonably well in ELA (54.8 percent) but posted math scores of only 33.1 percent.

“Definitely, we would like to have seen some better results, but we’re trying to keep in mind that it’s the first go-round and we’ll go from there,” said Thomas Kenworthy, assistant superintendent. “Obviously, we have to dive into the numbers, but I think nothing that we’re seeing so far is too shocking.”

Portsmouth High still fared far better in math than the other public high schools on Aquidneck Island. Only 7.1 percent of Rogers High School students met or exceeded expectations in math, and only 18.2 percent did at Middletown High School.

With the PARCC test, it’s easy to see how one district stacks up against others statewide, Mr. Kenworthy said. “As we dive in a little deeper, we’ll be comparing our numbers to other communities,” he said.

The number of students who participated in PARCC at the high school was significantly lower than in many districts, with only about half of pupils taking the test.

Mr. Kenworthy said the low turnout is a combination “of a few things.” The district knew in advance, based on last year’s testing, that a number of students would be opting out, he said. Also, some students, “for whatever reason,” didn’t complete the test, for which multiple sessions were required.

Assessment discussion Dec. 7

Mr. Kenworthy will present the PARCC results to the School Committee at its next meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 8.

The night before, however, members of the public are invited to join a discussion on “Assessment in the Portsmouth Public Schools.” That meeting will be held from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 7, at the middle school, 125 Jepson Lane.

District administrators will provide information on the purposes of assessment in each school. Mary Ann Snider, chief of educator excellence and instructional effectiveness at the R.I. Department of Education, will present the latest information about the PARCC assessment. Time will be allotted for questions and answers.

Portsmouth schools’ scores on PARCC

Following is a breakdown of the percentage of local students who scored a “4” or “5” on the recent PARCC exams. A “4” means the student met expectations, while a “5” indicates the student exceeded expectations.

Hathaway: 48.8 for ELA, 67.1 for math

Melville: 59.4 for ELA, 50.7 for math

Portsmouth Middle: 46.6 for ELA, 43.3 for math

Portsmouth High: 54.8 for ELA, 33.1 for math

District wide: 48.5 for ELA, 43.6 for math