The Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) released the latest Rhode Island Comprehensive Assessment System (RICAS) results on Friday, October 18, revealing a mixed performance for Newport Public Schools.
The district saw a decline in SAT English Language Arts (ELA) and SAT – Math proficiency while seeing an incline in RICAS – ELA, RICAS – Math, and Next Generation Science Assessment proficiency compared to the previous year.
RIDE does note that due to a change in the SAT test design in 2024, comparisons to previous years should be interpreted with caution.
Overall, 14.7% of Newport students met or exceeded expectations in ELA, up 2.5 percentage points from 2023. In mathematics, 13.6% of students were proficient, a slight 1.6 percentage point increase from last year.
Newport’s results fall below the state average, where 30.8% of students were proficient in ELA and 30.1% in math.
The district’s performance varied across grade levels and schools.
The district’s results reflect broader challenges faced by urban school systems across Rhode Island. Newport, classified as an urban district, continues to grapple with issues like chronic absenteeism and supporting a diverse student population.
Despite the challenges, there were some bright spots in the data. The district saw a slight increase in science proficiency, with 25.5% of students meeting expectations on the Next Generation Science Assessment, up from 20.5% last year.
The RICAS assessments, administered annually to grades 3-8 students, provide valuable data on student performance in core academic subjects. The results inform educational policies, allocate resources, and develop strategies to improve student outcomes.
Newport School Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermain provided What’sUpNewp with the following statement after reviewing the overall results;
I will be reviewing this with a deeper dive with my directors and the building principals in the next week. Looking at the scores now, I am pleased to see that there were some improvements overall. We still have a long way to go to improve these scores. I am hopeful that if we remain steadfast, implement the tools and training we all now have, we can continue to make strides towards greater proficiency for all students in Newport. Our entire school community is here to support our teachers and students-and will continue to make it a priority to be present in our classrooms to support our teaching staff. All of us will continue to participate in the professional learning opportunities available so we have the skills to grow each and every child in our system, and continue our focus on attendance and instruction. The more students attend school the more they are learning and achieving. I know we can do it. It is a year of change for all of us and together we can achieve great things.
Parents and community members interested in viewing detailed RICAS results for their local schools can access the information through the Rhode Island Department of Education’s website below.
- 2024 Assessment Results Presentation [PDF]
- 2024 Assessment Results Presentation [PPT]
- District Profiles [PDF]
