RI RICAS Scores Drop Below 2019 Levels — Five Things to Know
Thursday, October 28, 2021
RIDE on Thursday announced the results of the 2021 RICAS scores -- which fell off from 2019. Graph: RIDE
The standardized test measures English Language Arts (ELA) and Math proficiency for grades 3-8 — and RIDE pointed to the impact that the COVID pandemic had on results.
In 2021, only a third (33.19%) of students tested met or exceeded expectations in ELA, and only 20% met or exceeded expectations in math.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTIn 2019, 38% of students had met or exceeded expectations in ELA — and nearly 30% had met that benchmark in math.
RICAS RESULTS: SEARCH INDIVIDUAL SCHOOL AND DISTRICT RESULTS HERE
“COVID-19 impacted most aspects of education last school year, making it more critical to assess student performance and identify needs and priority areas,” said RIDE. “Despited exemplary efforts by scholars leaders to keep students in school, learning disruptions occurred during the year that led to hybrid/distance learning and reduced instructional time.”
RIDE said that in 2021, “Unlike most states, RI administered its full assessment to better gauge the effects of the pandemic on student learning. Like most states, RI did not administer state assessments in 2020 due to the pandemic.”
Five Things to Know
1. Fewer students participated in state assessments, “especially those already facing extraordinary barriers to participation and some student groups were over/under represented,” said RIDE.
2. According to RIDE, “RI isn’t an outlier — Massachusetts also lost ground due to the pandemic; MA suffered a steeper drop in mathematics scores and slightly less in ELA scores.”
3. 27% of RI students who were mostly in-person were proficient on RICAS math vs. 13% of students who were mostly virtual.
4. 39% of RI students who were mostly in-person were proficient on RICAS ELA vs 26% of students who were mostly virtual.
5. 48% of students tested are prepared for college literacy; 26% tested are prepared for college math.
“What we are looking at here is a new baseline for our students, and by working together, we are going to be able to raise it,” said Governor Dan McKee. “We must take this opportunity to not only improve in the short term, but to look ahead to how we can build a stronger, more resilient education system over the coming decade. We are going to work with families and educators across the state to make sure every child gets the excellent education they deserve.”
“The results of the 2021 RICAS are a clear call to action: our students’ learning was disrupted by COVID-19, and we must meet this moment by focusing our energy on the implementation of a strategic, unified plan to meet their needs,” said Rhode Island Commissioner of Education Angélica Infante-Green. “Like communities across the country, we knew that our students were impacted by the pandemic, and we are deeply grateful to the educators, school leaders, and parents who have worked to keep them engaged. RIDE, along with our Learning, Equity & Accelerated Pathways Task Force, has spent the last year planning ways to address the effects of this disruption to student learning and we are looking forward to building new and better community-led systems of education.”
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