PROVIDENCE – School accountability during the 2023-24 academic year showed signs of improvement across the state, according to the R.I. Department of Education’s annual “Report Card” accountability and improvement results released late Tuesday.
However, it was mostly status quo for the state’s largest public school district – with one noticeable year-to-year upswing.
Once again, RICE released its star rating system that outlines each public municipal and charter schools’ performance in compliance with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act. The ratings range from 1-star for “lowest performing” to 5-star for “highest performing,” and based on achievement in math, science and English language arts, English language proficiency, graduation rates and success in limiting absenteeism and/or suspensions of students from school.
Additionally, RIDE included for the first time this year results for students earning a “Seal of Biliteracy” that will factor into star ratings beginning in 2025. The seal, RIDE says, recognizes students who demonstrate multilingual competence, and can earn college credit at the University of Rhode Island, Rhode Island College and the Community College of Rhode Island. Fifty-nine schools statewide received seal points, per RIDE’s data.
“The accountability system shines a light on areas of strength and where improvement is needed,” R.I. Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green said in a statement. “This system helps our schools, districts, and state take meaningful steps to ensure all students have the opportunity to succeed. RIDE will continue to work closely with school leaders to ensure districts can better meet student needs and improve outcomes.”
According to the data, 176 out of the 306 K-12 public schools across Rhode Island received at least a 3-star rating, or about 58%, from the 2023-24 academic year – an improvement from 147 schools that received such ratings a year ago.
While the number of three-star schools statewide increased from 97 in the 2022-23 academic year to 124 this past academic year, there was a slight year-to-year drop in the number of five-star schools. The 2023-24 academic year saw 20 schools receiving five-star ratings, per RIDE’s data, compared with 23 from the previous school year.
Therefore, fewer schools across the Ocean State – 130 – were rated two stars or less than from the two previous academic years, according to RIDE.
Within the Providence Public School District, still under state intervention for up to another three years, just eight of the 37 schools rated showed any change in their star ratings. But, seven of those schools – including Leviton Dual Language School, Asa Messer Elementary School, Frank D. Spaziano Elementary School, Mary E. Fogarty Elementary School, William B. Cooley Sr. High School and West Broadway Middle School – saw their star ratings improve.
Classical High School, the focal point that
drew the ire of many school officials over the rating’s validity last year, saw its star rating drastically improve from a “2” last year to now a “4.” Classical, after receiving only a single point out of a possible four in the English language proficiency a year ago, now received the maximum four points.
High student absentee rates within PPSD schools still remain an issue. About 38% of the schools had student absentee rates of 40% or higher, with still about 1 in 3 having absentee rates of 50% or higher.
Two PPSD schools – Leviton Dual Language School and Vartan Gregorian Elementary School – did see absentee rates of less than 20%, according to RIDE’s data.
The full accountability data
can be viewed here.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on X at @James_Bessette.