R.I. students improve test scores for second consecutive year

PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island elementary and middle school students showed improvement in reading, writing and math scores on a statewide standardized test for the second consecutive year, state education officials announced last week.
In the New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) tests taken in October by students in grades 3 to 8, 65 percent of Rhode Island students were deemed proficient in reading, an increase of 3 percent; 54 percent were proficient in math, up 1 percent; and 48 percent were proficient in writing, up 1 percent.
“I am particularly pleased that these improvements in test scores are seen across the whole state, including our urban school districts,” said Robert G. Flanders Jr., chairman of the R.I. Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary Education.
Over the three-year span when the tests have been administered, Rhode Island students have gained 6 percentage points in reading and 4 points in mathematics, according to the R.I. Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Writing scores have declined by 3 points, though the Rhode Island scores have matched or surpassed writing scores in New Hampshire and Vermont, the department said. (READ MORE)