English results tend to fall, while mathematics results remain unchanged

PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island (WPRI) — Rhode Island elementary and middle school students’ standardized test scores declined or remained unchanged this year, according to statewide testing data released Friday.

Test results from the Rhode Island Comprehensive Assessment System showed that 30.8% of public school students in third through eighth grades met or exceeded expectations on the English language arts portion of the test. That was 2.3 percentage points less than in the previous year.

The results also showed that 30% of students met or exceeded expectations in mathematics, which represents no change from the previous year.

R.I. Department of Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green acknowledged that standardized test scores are still not where they should be and said other states are in the same situation.

“We knew it was going to be up and down,” Infante-Green told reporters Thursday. “We’ve actually seen a smaller decline in some of our colleagues in our other states. But you know, it’s disappointing.”

Students in Providence, whose schools have been under state control since 2019, saw slight increases. ELA skills improved from 15.1% to 15.3%, while math skills improved from 13% to 14.7%.

“It’s actually good news,” Infante-Green said. “We hope that some of the investments made actually work.”

Infante-Green emphasized that the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted learning, increased chronic absenteeism nationwide and exacerbated a mental health crisis.

“We knew this was happening before, but this made it worse,” Infante-Green said. “The assessment results you will see today reflect these challenges.”

The education commissioner, whose contract was recently extended, told reporters that this is a challenging time for educators, students and parents and that there is a “direct link” to student performance and absenteeism.

“We can’t suppress the people who are trying to get the work done, but we can encourage parents, families and business owners to make sure they all participate and bring their children,” Infante-Green said. “Everyone in schools is at their limits. I really need to understand it because it’s a different time.”

On average, chronically absent students performed worse than their non-chronically absent peers by 18 percentage points in ELA and 21.2 percentage points in math.

Last fall, Gov. Dan McKee and his administration announced new efforts and incentives to combat chronic absenteeism in Rhode Island public schools. Students are considered chronically absent if they miss 18 or more days of school per year.

“But these kids aren’t just missing 18 days,” Infante-Green added. “You’re gone for 20 or 30 days.”

In Rhode Island, 24.7% of students – about one in four – were chronically absent in the 2023-24 school year.

The education commissioner noted that there has been a cultural shift regarding the importance of being in school, but also that it is not just a Rhode Island issue.

“It creates a new feeling that they can take a vacation while school is in session,” she said.

Still, the number of absences represents a decrease of about four percentage points from last year (28.9%) and a decrease of almost 10 percentage points from the 2021-22 school year, when 34.1% of students statewide were chronically absent.

At the same time, RIDE reported that participation in ELA and math RICAS exams continued to trend upwards for 2024, with rates exceeding 98%.

According to RIDE, several schools have “significantly improved” in reducing chronic absenteeism by at least 5 percentage points and increased both ELA and math scores by at least 5 points:

• Aquidneck School (Middletown)

• Asa Messer Elementary School (Providence)

• Block Island School (New Shoreham)

• Henry J. Winters School (Pawtucket)

• Melville Primary School (Portsmouth)

• Reservoir Avenue School (Providence)

How about multilingual learners and students with different abilities?

Rhode Island has the fifth-highest overall percentage of multilingual learners (MLLs) in the country and the highest percentage in New England, according to RIDE.

The data showed that MLL test results remained unchanged.

In comparison, students who recently exited MLL status perform better on ELA and math assessments than students who were never identified as MLLs.

Infante-Green called it a “bright spot” in the statewide results.

“If they get the support, I have to tell you they will hit the ground running and outperform everyone else,” the education commissioner said.

Over the last five years, Rhode Island also saw a nearly 2.5% increase in students with disabilities, with nearly one in five students in the 2023-24 school year compared to one in six in the 2019-20 school year.

RIDE said it is investing in fundamentals of math training and will release a so-called DAS Blueprint in the fall to “support strategic improvements.”

How does RI compare to Massachusetts?

Data showed that Rhode Island is further narrowing the performance gap with nearby Massachusetts, which administers a similar test called MCAS.

Compared to 2018, the ELA achievement gap between Rhode Island and Massachusetts has narrowed from 17 percentage points to 8, while the math achievement gap has narrowed from 20 points to 11.

SAT results were also released

10th and 11th grade students take the PSAT and SAT, respectively.

SAT scores in ELA and math fell, although state officials said it was unclear how much of the decline was due to changes in test design and how much was based on ability.

“It’s a more accurate test,” Infante-Green said. “It will give us more accurate information.”

Infante-Green noted that RIDE recently received a $40 million federal grant, the largest in the agency’s history, to be used to improve literacy outcomes.

Alexandra Leslie ([email protected]) is a Target 12 investigative reporter who covers Providence for 12 News, among other areas. Connect with her Twitter and on Facebook.

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