Education

NECAP, the standardized test that’s become a requirement for high school graduation in Rhode Island, may be harder than most people think. A majority of adults who took a portion of the math test last weekend failed to make the grade.

The results of a mock standardized test given to politicians and community leaders will be released Tuesday afternoon.  The math test was administered Saturday by a student group which opposes the test known as NECAP or the New England Common Assessment Program.

The chairwoman of the state Board of Education is blasting the adult test takers for participating in what she calls a “publicity stunt.”  Eva Marie Mancuso says if the adults had a hard time with it it’s because they weren’t prepared, as students are.

The University of Rhode Island says it’s seeing a record number of applications for the Fall 2013 semester.  University officials believe their marketing efforts are paying off.

Close to 21,000 students have applied for admission to URI for next fall.  Roughly 75 percent will be admitted so that the university has its desired freshman class of 3,100 even after students who have been admitted decide to go elsewhere.

URI Admissions Dean Cynthia Bonn believes the interest in attending URI is a direct result of their outreach efforts.

A group of Providence students is asking prominent Rhode Islanders to take the standardized test known as the NECAP this weekend, as they work to demonstrate why it should not be used as a graduation requirement.

"We hope to lend a deeper perspective to debate about the new high stakes testing graduation requirement," says 16-year-old Classical High School student Cauldierre McKay, a member of the Providence Student Union. The group has been pushing state officials to reconsider their policy on graduation requirements that go into effect for the class of 2014.