85% of state’s students meet federal targets

The latest results from the state’s 250 elementary and middle schools show that 171 schools or 68 percent tested as “high performing,” up from 62 percent last year, according to a report released last week by the R.I. Department of Education.
Thirty-nine schools, or 16 percent of the total, were awarded the designation of Regents’ Commended Schools for their exceptional performance or improvement in English and mathematics.
“We have classified schools in Rhode Island for six years and during that time, we have worked intensively with schools making insufficient progress,” Peter McWalters, the state commissioner of elementary and secondary education, said in a statement.
Statewide, the tests of mathematics, reading and writing administered last October showed improvements of 4 percentage points in reading and 3 percentage points in mathematics. Additionally, 213 schools or 85 percent met all of the targets of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, compared with only 70 percent last year.
Thirty-six schools, having missed targets for multiple years, will face “some form of sanction, such as providing parents the option to choose another school, offering supplemental education services or undergoing restructuring,” the department said. But only 14 are new to the sanctions list, while 12 met their targets this year and are halfway to qualifying for removal from the list. READ MORE

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