State Report Card:
Learning and Achievement

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Statewide Assessment Results

arrow View/download Assessment charts (PDF, 88KB)

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WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING AT

The bar graphs in the top two fields show the percentages of elementary-school and middle-school students, in each tested grade, who scored at each level on the Fall 2005, Fall 2006, and Fall 2007 state tests: the New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) tests in mathematics, reading, and writing.

The bars are placed along a horizontal line so that the percent that achieved proficiency (and proficiency with distinction) lies above the line and the percent that did not achieve proficiency lies below the line.

(Please note that the reports on Assessments and Disaggregations are the only reports in Information Works! 2008 that include data from the 2007-08 school year.)

The bar graphs in the bottom field show the percentages of high-school students who scored at each level on the Spring 2007 state tests: the New Standards Reference Examinations (NSRE) and the Alternate Assessment, for some students with disabilities.

The NSRE in mathematics contains three subtests:

  • Skills
  • Concepts
  • Problem Solving.

The NSRE in English Language Arts contains four subtests:

  • Reading: Basic Understanding
  • Reading: Analysis and Interpretation
  • Writing: Effectiveness
  • Writing: Conventions

The top two bands (the two bands above the white band) on the bars show the percentage of students who met or exceeded the state’s standard for proficiency on each subtest. The bottom band on the bars, labeled “no score” in the legend, shows the percentage of students who did not complete the testing.

The number below each bar indicates the percentage of all high-school students who met or exceeded the state standard.

Spring 2007 marked the last administration of the NSRE tests in Rhode Island high schools.

The SAT exam is not part of the Rhode Island assessment program. Students who so choose pay to take the tests to fulfill college-admissions requirements. The scores shown are only for seniors, representing the highest score each senior attained (some of which had been attained while they were still juniors). The participation rate is derived by taking the Fall 2006 enrollment divided by the number of seniors who have an SAT score.

WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR

The long-term goal is for all students to meet or exceed the standard in all tests—100 percent proficiency across the board. Like all other states, we are years away from reaching that goal.

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WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING AT

Assessments: High Schools, 2007-08

Page 2 of the Assessment charts shows the percentages of high-school students (Grade 11) in each school who attained proficiency or better on the Fall 2007 state tests: the New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) tests in mathematics, reading, and writing.

The table is sorted by percent of students who achieved proficiency in mathematics.

WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR

Fall 2007 marked the first administration of the NECAP tests at the high-school level. (They have been administered in the elementary and middle schools since 2005.)

The NECAP tests are the first to measure whether Rhode Island high-school students have reached proficiency on the Rhode Island high-school standards in English and mathematics (the Grade-Span Expectations). The same standards have been adopted by the two NECAP partner states, New Hampshire and Vermont, and the same tests were administered in those states.

The proficiency levels in the NECAP 2007 tests set new benchmarks by which to measure annual progress at the high-school level. You will note that the results on the mathematics test show a significant drop-off from the results of the New Standards Reference Exam, which was administered in previous years. (The results were similar across all three NECAP states.) These results indicate that that most high-school students are not meeting Rhode Island mathematics standards for high schools.

As part of the effort to improve student performance, Rhode Island educators must determine why this is so:

  • Lack of student access to the correct sequence of courses?
  • Courses that do not cover the correct contents?
  • Insufficient preparation or training in mathematics instruction?

Then, educators must take steps to rectify the problems.

The state standards (Grade-Span Expectations, or GSEs) on which the NECAP tests are based are posted on the RIDE Web site.

The long-term goal is for all students to meet or exceed the standard in all tests—100 percent proficiency across the board. Like all other states, Rhode Island is years away from reaching that goal.

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