Low PARCC test scores shock schools

By Kelcy Dolan
Posted 11/19/15

The Rhode Island school community is hanging its head low after Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Ken Wagner released the PARCC test results Tuesday afternoon.

The Partnership for …

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Low PARCC test scores shock schools

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The Rhode Island school community is hanging its head low after Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Ken Wagner released the PARCC test results Tuesday afternoon.

The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARRC) tests were administered for the first time in the spring of this year. The new test measures a student’s proficiency in meeting common core standards, in both math and English language arts, which were introduced in Rhode Island in 2010.

Across Rhode Island nearly 75,000 students from 283 schools in grades 3 through 10 took the PARCC tests with only about 36 percent of students meeting expectation in English language arts and only 25 percent in mathematics.

Although educational leaders statewide and in Warwick admit that there are variables to take into account for scores, the overwhelming concern is that the scores are even lower than expected.

“The PARCC results released today are disappointing but not surprising,” Governor Gina Raimondo said. “Too many of our children do not have the skills they need to succeed in today’s economy. Our kids deserve better. Improving our schools is essential to turning our economy around.”

Wagner said that the results are consistent with results from other markers, such as the SAT and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), as well as with other states throughout the country following common core standards; “they tell us what we already know; we still have work to do.”

More than 5,500 Warwick students took the PARCC with 31.8 percent of students proving proficient in English and 21.8 percent in math, lower than both state averages.

“With any new standardized test there is an implementation dip and it takes several years for it to take hold and for schools to see results. We saw the same thing happen with the NECAP,” Warwick Public Schools Superintendent Philip Thornton said. “That being said, I am not satisfied at where Warwick is starting out.”

Thornton’s previous district, Cumberland, faired slightly better than Warwick.

In English, 42.2 percent of Cumberland students who took the test were proficient and 36.7 percent in math.

Thornton said, though, that Cumberland is a much smaller district than Warwick, and had a different representative sample and the two districts can’t be compared one to one.

Moving forward, Thornton said there needs to be protocol put in place to regularly talk about this sort of data to make “real time changes.”

At each individual school level, scores tended to decrease as students aged, elementary students seeing better scores overall than middle and high school students.

There was a dramatic drop in math scores after middle school, Warwick seeing only 5.4 percent of high school students meeting expectations in math.

Because common core standards were implemented only five years ago, Steven Ruscito, director of secondary education, explained that some of the drop off in high school test scores is due to the late introduction in schooling. High school students have only had these standards for a portion of their educational careers, and may not have “foundational pieces” they would have, had these standards been put in place earlier in their education.

“This is not some anomaly for Warwick,” he said. “This establishes a baseline, there’s no need to panic.”

Wagner had a similar sentiment that not only was it a new test on a new format, but they were also different standards to measure. He said the PARCC test is not “comparable” to previous tests. These results provide a completely new starting point and as a state “we can’t look backward.”

PARCC doesn’t test solely on content like previous standardized tests, but also problem solving and critical thinking, concepts that do not have a singular discipline; students can’t simply “regurgitate” information and do well.

Wagner said the NECAP may have actually “masked” some of the issues that are now being brought to light with PARCC results.

“The results are not what we would have hoped for, but keep in mind this is not an indication of failure on students, teachers schools or the tests themselves. This should be a call to action,” Wagner said, “but this is not about blame. We won’t produce better schools by blaming one another.”

In Ruscito’s opinion, the results don’t reflect the community and the resources put into schools. Concerning Warwick, he cites the teacher contract, which he says inhibits open conversations with teachers and collectively working to better educate students. As it is now, he said, it’s a “top down” system where administrators give directives and there’s “no buy in” from teachers.

Going forward Ruscito said, “There should be no finger pointing and a monster commitment that kids are ready for the next stage in their lives.”

He feels the relationship between the union and the administration has to change for the system to work effectively. Last week, after unsuccessful efforts at mediating a contract, the department filed for arbitration. The teacher contract expired in August and teachers are basically following “work to rule” based on the former contract.

Ruscito doesn’t doubt that teachers or students are making the effort. The objective, he said, is for the performance and outcome to reflect those efforts.

Lynn Dambruch, director of elementary education, said Warwick has “excellent teachers,” but the district is still in transition. She said with the release of results not only schools, but the district as a whole needs to have “vertical conversation” in which every grade level is in communication with one another about how students will progress to each standard.

Dambruch said, “I see these scores as an opportunity for us to move forward, to talk about what training and support we need to put in place, for teacher and student success. This is our responsibility.”

On the state level, in the coming months, Wagner said on Tuesday that he and the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) would be looking to invest further in teachers with more preparation and professional development programs, “empowering principles,” as well as partnering with parents and families.

Over the next few weeks, the overall and individual PARCC results will be distributed to not only the parents of students who took the test, but also those who did not.

“This will help parents understand where their children may be struggling and what their strengths are,” Wagner said.

This way parents can be better advocates for their children and better partners to their teachers.

“There are no shiny, brand new answers,” Wagner said. “We have to stay focused for the future of our state.”

For more information and official results on the PARCC test visit, www.ride.ri.gov/InstructionAssessment/Assessment/AssessmentResults.aspx.

Comments

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  • Justanidiot

    Lets throw piles more money at the school district. Maybe some of it will stick and scores will improve. Even if they don't, the poor, underpaid teachers will be able to get a raise. It isn't their fault your kids are such morons.

    Thursday, November 19, 2015 Report this

  • Justanidiot

    More teachers were going to comment here but they couldn't do the math to prove they were human.

    Friday, November 20, 2015 Report this

  • RISchadenfreude

    This was predicted- especially when you "teach to the test" and do little else. Students are learning fewer and fewer useful skills, and Common Core is just going to make things worse. RI has been trailing in test results on a national level, and will continue to do so as long as they stay on the same course of NEA- & Union-approved curriculae. New generations of unintelligent drones are just what the government wants- they don't know they're being manipulated.

    Friday, November 20, 2015 Report this

  • jackiemama63

    If they were "teaching to the test" wouldn't the scores be higher? Since "teaching to the test" implies the students are being taught nothing but what they need to know for the test? Maybe the problem is that many of the kids and adults did not take the test seriously. With all the "back and forth" as to the validity of the tests, it's no wonder the students did not do well. Why is it Massachusetts managed to score 60% proficient overall? It was their first time using the PARCC, at least that is my understanding, and they did very well....compared to Rhode Island. We've known since 2009 that these tests were going to be used, why is it that our students weren't prepared? NECAP was also an epic failure, and according to popular opinion, the schools "taught to the test" in that instance as well. I do believe, we spend too much time on assessments and that hinders the time the teachers have to teach material relevant to the student's education. They don't have enough time to thoroughly instruct the students in the different areas of the curriculum, because the students are being given "assessments." It is endless. My daughter spoke before the school committee last winter and listed every assessment she had participated in, and every assessment she was going to be participating in for the remainder of the school year. It was an eyeopener. It was (and is) her contention that we cannot expect students to be ready for post-secondary school, and employment when the fundamentals of education are not being taught. She is 14.

    Friday, November 20, 2015 Report this

  • TessEckel

    So shocking!!!!!! OOOOOOO

    Its already been determined that there is no evidence to support that PARCC tests are assessiing anything that matters. On the contrary, there has been lots of evidence that indicates the PARCC results are completely inaccurate in determining any actual factors that may impact the intelligence or abilities of students. PARCC tests were only a money making scam. Didn't anyone at this newspaper do research on current information? I guess the taxpayers in Warwick are cool with accepting outdated, irrelevant information on facts and what really matters in the world.

    Perhaps the next article should be based on truth, which is even more controversial, such as: "Warwick Public Schools waste taxpayer money on irrelevant testing practices". Now, that would get people to read your paper, for sure!

    On a positive note, this story is very creative. Good job, Warwick Beacon! The charts and numbers really do add pizzazz (aka false credibility) to the story line. Makes the uneducated taxpayers really believe this stuff might actually mean something.

    Cheers

    Saturday, November 21, 2015 Report this

  • TessEckel

    So shocking!!!!!! OOOOOOO

    Its already been determined that there is no evidence to support that PARCC tests are assessing anything that matters in real life. On the contrary, there has been lots of evidence to indicate the PARCC results are completely inaccurate in determining any actual factors that may impact the intelligence or actual abilities of students. PARCC tests were only a money making scam. Didn't anyone at this newspaper do research on current information? I guess the taxpayers in Warwick are cool with accepting outdated, irrelevant information on facts and what really matters in the world.

    Perhaps the next article should be based on truth, which is even more controversial, such as: "Warwick Public Schools waste taxpayer money on irrelevant testing practices". Now, that would get people to read your paper, for sure!

    On a positive note, this story is very creative. Good job, Warwick Beacon! The charts and numbers really do add pizzazz (aka false credibility) to the story line. Makes the uneducated taxpayers really believe this stuff might actually mean something.

    Cheers

    Saturday, November 21, 2015 Report this

  • danfire

    Time to fire more of the old guard. Scores have been falling the past 3 years under Mr.Mullin's son leadership. Mullins son was only hired because his Daddy was at the top and wanted him to have a nice high paying job. No one else would have hired him for a 6 figure salary with only a few years in the classroom. Ship him out and save some money Dr.Thorton that way the school committee can hire another lawyer.

    Saturday, November 21, 2015 Report this

  • TessEckel

    I'm sure the solution (that's just been approved by the Warwick School committee) about creating an exploratory courses, at the junior high level, about "DJ mixing", will definitely solve the problem of low PARCC test scores. Parents and taxpayers, what do you think about that?

    Saturday, November 21, 2015 Report this

  • Longjonsilver

    Yes looking into the newly released "Exploratory" Junior High classes should be la priority! Who was on this curriculum committee? Have the names ever been released?

    As a parent of 2 grown Warwick school graduates it was the business, and tech ed classes that enabled my fellas to develop interests and skills that lead to successful job choices. They were better able to see the reason to sit through a science class, or a math class when they were able to apply those concepts in accounting, home economics, manufacturing or graphics. The application of concepts in real world scenarios is a must for students! I was able to see the projected schedule that was released yesterday and am appalled that music, art time are reduced and the "fluff" classes offered instead of Technology related pre engineering classes. Isn't STEM the thing now? Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. And the classes should be taught by qualified individuals. What department is teaching these classes? Are they graded? What is required? The PARCC SCORES ARE LOW BECAUSE STUDENTS DO NOT PARTICIPATE IN ENOUGH CRITICAL THINKING AND PROBLEM SOLVING! When my children had to research and design solutions in their Drafting class and Tech classes they made connections. these connections lead them to successful careers in the engineering fields. Isn't this what this country needs, engineers? So why aren't we preparing our cities children for 21st century jobs? This world needs more problem solvers! The public should call upon the school committee and the administration and demand something better for their tax dollars and their children!

    Saturday, November 21, 2015 Report this

  • HerbTokerman

    Perhaps schools should focus on teaching skills that actually help in the workplace.

    In large, most of what's taught to our kids is completely useless in real life.

    "New Math" only makes the situation worse by penalizing kids for coming to their own conclusions and logic to solve a problem.

    If you get the correct answer but aren't a sheep and do so based on your own logic rather than following "the systems" way of thinking then it's marked wrong.

    Monday, November 23, 2015 Report this

  • Justanidiot

    Why are schools shocked by the low scores?

    They know the kids.

    They know the system.

    They know the teachers.

    They know the test.

    The only way I would have been shocked is if the scores were any higher than they were.

    Tuesday, November 24, 2015 Report this

  • JohnStark

    As a function of spending $18,000 per pupil, Warwick's public high school students have attained the following:

    1. 52.9% do not meet basic literacy expectations.

    2. 71% (71%!!) do not meet basic math expectations.

    Warwick continues to churn out a disproportionate number of semi-literate, frequently unemployable students in need of remedial instruction prior to entering even community college. This is not the fault of the test, but rather a reality that has been developing in the Warwick public schools for the better part of two decades. The few well-educated married couples who do move to Warwick do not send their children within a mile of the public high schools, resulting in a shrinking pie of low achievers taught by entitled unionists that embrace mediocrity. Of course, there are exceptions. But not many.

    Tuesday, November 24, 2015 Report this

  • Justanidiot

    John Stark,

    Even sadder, if you take out the grade school, and middle school scores, our high schools have apparent student bodies of morons.

    Tuesday, November 24, 2015 Report this