NEW: RIDE Commissioner Wagner Stepping Down to Join Brown’s Annenberg Institute

NEW: RIDE Commissioner Wagner Stepping Down to Join Brown’s Annenberg Institute

“I have been fortunate to work with an incredible team of people over the last three and a half years. Together, we have been able to create exciting new opportunities for students, to better support and invest in our teachers, and to distribute leadership so that each of us can understand the role we play in improving schools,” said Wagner.

HIs last day in office is expected to be April 26.

“Ken came to Rhode Island at a time when our most important education stakeholders felt disconnected from one another, and the state lacked a clear understanding of the road ahead. Through a thoughtful approach to elevate student voices, empower families, and collaborate with educators, Ken brought stakeholders to the table to work together in meaningful ways. Ken helped us all to understand the levers we need to push on to improve teaching and learning, and his leadership positioned us to move forward on a long-term, comprehensive education strategy,” said Governor Gina Raimondo.

RI Students Performed 17-20% Worse Than MA on New Assessments—See RI District Rankings

In November, the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) released performance results for students in grades 3 through 8 on the Rhode Island Comprehensive Assessment System (RICAS) -- and on average, Rhode Island scored 17 percentage points lower than Massachusetts in ELA and 20 percentage points lower in mathematics, according to RIDE. 

RICAS is the Rhode Island administration of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) -- an no Rhode Island district scored within the top 10 percent of Massachusetts communities.

Wagner as Commissioner

Wagner came to Rhode Island in August of 2015.

According to RIDE, under Wagner's leadership, the department took on a comprehensive statewide facilities assessment that led to a $250 million bond referendum to invest in Rhode island's schools.

The agency has also tripled enrollment in statewide pre-K and is a part of Governor Raimondo’s proposal for universal pre-K expansion.

Rhode Island completed its ESSA Plan and overhauled its system of assessments during Wagner’s tenure, now providing free PSAT and SAT for all students.

---

2017-2018 RICAS Math Rankings for "Meeting or Exceeding Expectations"

#48

Central Falls

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

6.9%

#47

Highlander

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

9.54%

#46

Providence

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

10.3%

#45

Woonsocket

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

11.45%

#44

Segue Institute for Learning

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

13.25%

#43

Southside Charter

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

13.64%

#42

Beacon Charter

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

14.73%

#41

West Warwick

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

15.98%

#40

Pawtucket

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

17.21%

#39

Burrillville

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

17.48%

#38

Newport

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

19.39%

#37

Paul Cuffee Charter School

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

19.84

#36

North Providence

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

20.7%

#35

The Hope Academy

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

22.22%

#34

Johnston

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

22.3%

#33

International Charter School

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

22.55%

#32

Cranston

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

22.89%

#31

East Providence

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

25.42%

#30

Foster

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

25.68%

#29

Warwick

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

26.72%

#28

Coventry

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

29.05%

#27

Foster-Glocester

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

29.26%

#26

Scituate

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

32.32%

#25

Learning Community

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

33.06%

#24

Westerly

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

33.15%

#23

Middletown

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

34.51%

#22

Tiverton

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

34.6%

#21

Smithfield

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

38.65%

#20

Bristol-Warren

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

39.5%

#19

New Shoreham

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

40.48%

#18

Lincoln

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

41.81%

#17

Blackstone Valley Prep Mayoral Academy

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

42.21%

#16

North Smithfield

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

44.46%

#15

Chariho

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

44.85%

#14

Narragansett

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

45.58%

#13

Little Compton

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

46.01%

#12

South Kingstown 

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

46.32%

#11

Exeter-West Greenwich

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

46.92%

#10

Portsmouth

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

47.33%

#9

North Kingstown

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

47.46%

#8

Compass School

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

49.15%

#7

Cumberland

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

49.88%

#6

Glocester

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

50.7%

#5

East Greenwich

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

53.43%

#4

Achievement First

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

55.77%

#3

Jamestown

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

60%

#2

Barrington 

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

60.6%

#1

Kingston Hill

Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations:

67.01%