standardized testing

Students to Gist: We’re Sorry

Elisabeth Harrison — Thu, 30 May 2013 13:44:54 +0000

Members of the student advocacy group Providence Student Union have issued an apology to Rhode Island Education Commissioner Deborah Gist for making comments about her reputation. The students said they regretted the tone of a press release that said they planned to mourn the “expected ‘death’ of Commissioner Gist’s reputation.”

The comments came after Gist refused the group’s invitation of a public debate about the state’s use of standardized test scores. The Providence Student Union called it a mistake to make the issue personal.

Meeting the Challenge of Standardized Testing

Elisabeth Harrison — Thu, 23 May 2013 13:04:23 +0000

As Rhode Island grapples with high school diplomas tied to test scores, Massachusetts students have faced a similar requirement for a decade. Rhode Island Public Radio's Elisabeth Harrison visited Attleboro High School to find out how high-stakes testing has changed what’s being taught.

As RI Rolls Out Common Core, Are New Science Standards Next?

Elisabeth Harrison — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:44:59 +0000

Rhode Island is one of 26 states that have promised to consider new science guidelines known as the Next Generation Science Standards. The standards were developed by the same organization that created the Common Core, a group of national standards many states including Rhode Island are now adopting for Math and English.

Class Notes: A Quick Look at the Stories that Made News This Week in Education

Elisabeth Harrison — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 14:06:50 +0000

RI highest in reading scores for 11th graders in New England

Elisabeth Harrison — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 12:42:42 +0000

Rhode Island has released test scores that show 73 percent of public school students are proficient in reading and just 57 percent are proficient in Math. The numbers were relatively flat compared to previous years, so for more analysis we turned to State Education Commissioner Deborah Gist. She spoke with Rhode Island Public Radio’s Education Reporter Elisabeth Harrison.

Do you have insight or expertise on this topic? Please email us, we'd like to hear from you. news@ripr.org

NECAP scores expected Friday

Elisabeth Harrison — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 13:46:25 +0000

State education officials plan to announce results from the latest round of state-wide standardized testing, unless a blizzard gets in the way. The Department of Education says Governor Lincoln Chafee and Education Commissioner Deborah Gist will release the numbers at the statehouse on Friday morning.

If the weather cooperates, we will soon know just how many high school juniors are at risk for not graduating, under a new state rule that requires a score of two or better on the New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) exam.

Good news, bad news for public schools

Elisabeth Harrison — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 14:09:22 +0000

The good news this week is that American students stack up better against their international counterparts, if socio-economic background is taken into account. Edweek has a good roundup of the new study by the Stanford Graduate School of Education and the Economic Policy Institute.