State's NECAP Scores Improve, North Kingstown Remains Steady

Though statewide scores show improvements, North Kingstown's numbers remain steady, according to standardized test scores released today.

Students across Rhode Island made some gains in mathematics and reading in last fall's New England Common Assessment Program's testing, but just one-third of high school students are proficient in math, and the achievement gap between the state average and minority students remains “unacceptably high.”

Governor Lincoln Chafee and Education Commissioner Deborah Gist emphasized gains at the high school level while acknowledging the lack of improvement at the elementary and middle school level and the low levels of achievement in math.

“I am gratified at the positive progress reflected in these scores,” Chafee said. “At the same time though, I am acutely aware of the need for continued efforts to improve our education system.”

North Kingstown's scores remained nearly identical to last year's, aside from a slight drop in writing proficiency among 11th graders.

Proficiency levels in reading among 11th graders statewide improved three percentage points between 2009 and 2010 to 76 percent proficient. The four-year graduation rate increased by one point to 76 percent. Proficiency in math among high-schoolers increased by six percentage points over 2009, but those gains raised the level in math to just 33 percent, and 38 percent were “substantially below proficient” in math, which would put them below the minimum requirements for high school graduation.

Elementary and middle school students saw little or no improvement across the board. At the elementary level, 71 percent of Rhode Island students are proficient in reading and 61 percent are proficient in math. Middle school students scored 70 percent and 57 percent, respectively.

“I am very pleased with the significant improvements in our high-school scores, and we now need to see this kind of progress at every grade level,” Gist said. “But the news is not all good.”

In addition to the high school math scores, Gist said she is particularly concerned with the achievement gaps among minority and low-income students. Average proficiency levels among black, Hispanic and economically disadvantaged students are 15 points lower than the statewide average.

“This must change,” Gist said. “We need to tackle the belief that all students can be successful. We will not accept excuses for our students not achieving, because we know they can. Closing the achievement gap is an explicit goal.”

Gist said improving education across the board involves collaboration among teachers, administrators and parents. The state must improve educator effectiveness, she said, by assigning teachers based on student needs, increasing professional development and implementing a comprehensive teacher evaluation system.

“When students have highly effective teachers, students can make gains,” Gist said. “But we can not do it alone. We need every Rhode Islander involved.”

And that includes those holding the purse strings. Chafee indicated a willingness to restore state aid to cities and towns for education that the previous administration had cut, but acknowledged the difficulty of doing so in a still-struggling economy.

“So often it is the resources,” Chafee said about improvements in education. “I want to make sure I address that in the coming budget if I can. No doubt this is a challenge. But if we can get the economy going, I hope to restore funding.”

How likely does the governor think it is to increase education aid in the coming budget? “Optimistic is not the right word,” he said.

The NECAP assessments measure progress in reading and mathematics among students in grades 3 through 8 and in grade 11. They also measure proficiency in writing in fifth- and eighth-graders. Rhode Island joins Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont in administering the only multi-state testing program in the country.

To view this year's NECAP scores, check here.