Interpreting NECAP Scores

New England Common Assessment Program scores were released this week at a visit to Globe Park Elementary by Governor Lincoln Chafee and the Commissioner of Education Deborah Gist. Improvements at Globe were acknowledged, but how well did the rest of the city schools perform?

Statistical data from eleven schools (including Beacon Charter School) is available at the NECAP website, but for a quick rundown of where Woonsocket is making progress in education and where we're falling behind, we've sifted through the results.

Globe Park Elementary students have, indeed, made steady forward progress for the past several years, but Bernon Heights students have also shown impressive improvement between the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 school years. Students at Bernon showed a 12% gain in proficiency in mathematics and 8% gain in reading. Bernon Heights, in fact, shows some of the best overall scores in the Woonsocket public school system with 78% of students testing at or above proficiency in reading and 71% in math.  

Students at Citizens Memorial Elementary also showed gains, with a 4% improvement in proficiency in both reading and math.

Beacon Charter School showed extraordinary gains in mathematics proficiency with a 37% improvement from the 2008-2009 school year. Test scores at Beacon showed a slight loss in reading proficiency, however with students testing at 7% less proficiency than last year. None of the students at Beacon tested substantially below proficiency in reading or writing this year, and overall 81% of Beacon students are considered proficient in reading. It should be noted, however, that only 43 students were enrolled in 11th grade at the school and therefore qualified for testing. 

In comparison, 386 students at Woonsocket High School took the test this year. WHS showed a 5% gain in math proficiency but less than 1% of students are consider "proficient with distinction" by NECAP standards.  The students overall were 6% less proficient in reading than they were last year. 

Results were nearly the same at the middle schools, Coleman Elementary, Leo Savoie  and Fifth Avenue Elementary.  For two consecutive years 53% of students at Fifth Avenue were below proficiency in reading and 62% were below in math.   

Pothier Elementary school students showed a 4% gain in reading proficiency and a 2% loss in mathematics.

For overall trends, Woonsocket elementary schools were rightfully acknowledged for their improvements as overall, Rhode Island did not see significant improvements at elementary schools statewide.

Principal George Nasuti of Bernon Heights could not be reached for comment on his reaction to the school's improvements at 11:30 this morning because he was eating lunch with his students. This article will be updated once we speak to him, but then, he may be busy continuing to work towards educating some of the brightest students in the city.