PARCC test results show need for improvement

KEN WAGNER, state commissioner of elementary and secondary education, said the PARCC test result scores show need for improvement. On the right is Gov. Gina M. Raimondo.  / PBN FILE PHOTO/PATRICIA DADDONA
KEN WAGNER, state commissioner of elementary and secondary education, said the PARCC test result scores show need for improvement. On the right is Gov. Gina M. Raimondo. / PBN FILE PHOTO/PATRICIA DADDONA

PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island’s results are in for the PARCC, standardized testing that replaces the NECAP, and show room for improvement, according to Ken Wagner, commissioner of elementary and secondary education.
The assessments for the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, which were administered in the spring, show about 36 percent of students in grades 3 through 10 are meeting expectations in English language arts. About 25 percent of students are meeting expectations in mathematics, Wagner said.
PARCC replaces the New England Common Assessment Program, also known as NECAP.
Approximately 75,000 students participated in the PARCC assessments, with about 80 percent doing so on a computer, Wagner said.
“The 2015 PARCC assessments results provide another data point telling the same story – we have a lot of opportunity for improvement and success,” Barbara S. Cottam, Board of Education chairwoman, said. “We now must provide all students with access to high-quality learning opportunities, from childhood through adulthood.”
Wagner said steps the R.I. Department of Education will take to improve future performance include investing in teachers through preparation programs and professional development; empowering principals to lead; ensuring every student has access to rigorous coursework; and partnering with parents and families.
More information on the PARCC results, including a score report with information by school and by school district, is available on the RIDE website, at www.ride.ri.gov.
Eight other states – Arkansas, Colorado, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico and Ohio, plus the District of Columbia – administered PARCC assessments.

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