85% of Providence Students Not Meeting Expectations on Latest Statewide Test -- RI Leaders Speak Out

85% of Providence Students Not Meeting Expectations on Latest Statewide Test -- RI Leaders Speak Out

The Rhode Island Department of Education released the state's new RICAS student assessment scores for grades 3-8 on Thursday -- which showed that students statewide scored 17-20% lower than their Massachusetts counterparts -- and reaction was strong. 

"Rhode Islanders should be deeply concerned at the very alarming RICAS results. Especially, when you consider that if Rhode Island was a city in Massachusetts, the scores would place the Ocean State in the bottom 10% of the state," said Jim Vincent, President of the NAACP Providence Branch. "I strongly feel that scores 17% and 20% below our nearest neighbor mean that we are in an obvious crisis. To me, the results merely confirm what other studies (Annie B. Casey Foundation) already have shown -- we are not adequately educating our kids in Rhode Island."

In Providence, over 85% of students were only partially meeting -- or not meeting -- expectations for both math and English on the 2017-2018 Rhode Island Comprehensive Assessment System (RICAS) based on the Massachusetts assessment (MCAS). 

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"We need to take the blinders off and begin fixing the system, today," said Vincent. "We are in a crisis and I am screaming fire."

Nick Hemond, President of the Providence School Board, said that while the results are not where Providence "needs to be," that he saw signs of progress. 

"The RICAS test is among the most difficult test of its kind in the country. RICAS not only measures proficiency, but it measures student growth. Our initial review of the results indicates that many of our elementary schools showed high levels of student growth. This is good news for Providence," said Hemond. 

“That being said, Providence’s proficiency results are not where we want or need them to be. We’ve known that we have work to do, and these results confirm that. That is why the School Board has focused resources to work with the Superintendent and our teachers to build the foundation to improve academic performance," said Hemond. "We have outlined measurable goals in our strategic plan to improve academic achievement over the next four years."

Statewide Look

At the statewide level, reaction varied from those in the education -- and political -- worlds, from those who said a greater investment is needed, to those who said the very opposite.

Tim Duffy, Executive Director of the Rhode Island Association of School Committees, said that if Rhode Island wants Massachusetts' results, it needs to make Massachusetts' investments. 

"If we want to catch up to Massachusetts, then implement the reforms that Massachusetts put in place 25 years ago, high stakes testing, rigorous teacher and administrator evaluations, and meaningful site-based management. We need to address inadequate funding and reform the formula.  Governor Weld, over seven years, put $2 billion into state aide," said Duffy.

"Some of our biggest achievement gaps are with Latino and special education students," Duffy continued. "We fund these programs out of categorical funds that have been stagnant for years.  Funding for ELL is frozen at $2.7 million when the original obligation was $5 million. On special education, the State only reimburses districts when costs exceed 5 times their Core Instructional Amount and prorate the reimbursement because they only fund about a quarter of the program's cost."

Pat Ford with the Libertarian Party of Rhode Island, however, took a much different view. 

"Today marks the moment when Rhode Islanders can finally disabuse themselves of the rather quaint fiction that the very concept of a public education is fair, well-intentioned, or competently delivered. The latest round of standardized test scores are proof positive that public education in Rhode Island is an abject failure," said Ford. "State mandates, union monopolies on labor, an out of control 'culture of consultants' have led to a complete absence of innovation and competition in our educational system, destroying any chance of success for our students. Another generation has been lost to a system far more concerned with own financial welfare than managing even a feeble attempt to prepare our children for a challenging, competitive world."

"It is time to move away from the antiquated brick and mortar model of government managed, socialized education and towards a free-market model that embraces competition, enhancing opportunities for individualized curriculum as well as greater access to high-quality instruction," said Ford. "The economic racism that public education creates, marginalizing those unable to afford a private higher quality alternative, must end now."

New Approaches

A number of leading Rhode Islanders -- including a former administration head, a recent gubernatorial candidate and a top business owner -- all said that the system needs to change. 

"These test results are not surprising. We have known for years that our schools are underperforming. What is shocking is just how poorly some of our districts are performing, like Providence. Providence 3rd-8th graders scored 14% proficient in English language arts and 10% proficient in math. What we are doing educationally is not working; the educational status quo is hobbling a generation of students," said former gubernatorial candidate Ken Block.

"Rhode Island government should now be in crisis mode, putting together an action plan to raise the performance of our schools. This effort cannot afford to be handicapped by labor. Whatever we need to do needs to happen. The General Assembly should take whatever steps are necessary to clear the decks for a revamping of our public schools. Everything should be on the table from funding to governance structure to teacher certifications and minimum standards to public school alternatives," added Block. "As a society, we cannot afford to continue under-educating our young.  Remember – some of Rhode Island’s most disadvantaged students go to school at some of the state’s highest performing schools. It is possible to be successful at this mission."

VIBCO President and RI Commerce Corporation Treasurer Karl Wadensten -- who briefly ran for Lt. Governor and joined GoLocal News Editor Kate Nagle on LIVE this week for his views on leadership in the state - said that the state needs to take a look at what it is testing for. 

"From what I read, young people want to be experiential learners -- the whole world isn't rows and lines," said Wadensten. "I'm worried about our feeder pool but I'm concerned our young people can't show off their genius."

"We do need these types of assessments -- what are they assessing though -- is it being fulfilled and finding your genius? I don't know what they're assessing on -- is it the important stuff?" said Wadensten.

Wadensten spoke to conversations he has had with Governor Gina Raimondo about implementing LEAN manufacturing principles -- which is company uses -- in K-12 education

"It's about the team helping the people falling behind. When kids go to work-- you don't work in a vacuum you work as a team," said Wadensten. "It works.

Former Rhode Island Director of Administration Gary Sasse, who regularly appears on GoLocal's Business Monday, has consistently advocated for an educational bill of rights.

"The very dismal 2018 RICAS results, raise questions about accountability, and consequences if significant improvements in student performance are not made immediately," said Sasse. "Too many students have been attending failing school in Rhode Island for much too long. Hopefully the embarrassing performance gap with Massachusetts will give our elected leaders the political will to fix the problem."

"An educational accountability agenda requires that the Governor make improved education performance "job one" and not accept rationalization for students under achieving. Also parents need to have more leverage when their kids attend low performing schools. This requires making access to an adequate education an enforceable constitutional right. This change is essential to level the playing field for disadvantaged student."