NECAP, SAT results: Test scores mixed in Bristol Warren schools

Middle school science scores drop below state average, elementary scores impress; SAT scores up

By Patrick Luce
Posted 9/27/16

Mt. Hope High School students are well above their Rhode Island peers in SAT scores, and Bristol-Warren elementary students are excelling in science. 

However, middle school and high school …

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NECAP, SAT results: Test scores mixed in Bristol Warren schools

Middle school science scores drop below state average, elementary scores impress; SAT scores up

Posted

Mt. Hope High School students are well above their Rhode Island peers in SAT scores, and Bristol-Warren elementary students are excelling in science. 

However, middle school and high school students have declined in science, particularly at Kickemuit Middle School, according to the latest test scores.

The state Department of Education revealed the local school district’s mixed results Tuesday morning when it released the NECAP science and SAT test results for 2016. Statewide, third-grade students performed best on the science tests, with 41 percent scoring proficient (up 1 percentage point from 2015), followed by 10th grade students at 26 percent proficient (down 6 points form last year. Just 19 percent of students in 8th grade are proficient in science, according to the test results.

Bristol-Warren students followed the same pattern join the NECAP (New England Common Assessment Program), with elementary schools excelling on the science tests to the tune of 66.4 percent proficient, up 4.5 percentage points from last year and more than 20 points above the state average (see each elementary school’s numbers below). High school and middle school students, however, scored lower than 2015. At Mt. Hope High School, 34.6 percent of 10th graders scored proficient in science, down 2.4 points from last year, but still well ahead of the state average. At Kickemuit, however, 8th graders dropped more than 6 points to 17.2 percent proficient, two points less than the state average.

Bristol-Warren elementary school science NECAP proficiency scores include:

  • Rockwell School — 77.3 percent
  • Guiteras School — 75.4 percent
  • Colt Andrews School — 75 percent
  • Hugh Cole School — 56.3 percent

Science numbers down statewide

Statewide, science scores have declined each of the last four years, concerning Education Commissioner Ken Wagner, who noted the state is moving to a new science assessment test that more closely aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards Rhode Island adopted three years ago. Schools throughout the state are at various stages of implementing the new standards.

“We are disappointed in these science results, especially as we begin to focus on the important role science will play in growing areas of the Rhode Island economy such as health-care industries and information technology,” Commissioner Wagner said in a statement. “In light of these results, we plan to meet with district and school leadership and the science educators’ leadership team to discuss the current state of science instruction, our shared vision for science instruction in Rhode Island, and the tools and resources our educators need to make this vision a reality.”

Local SAT scores above state average

SAT scores statewide declined slightly, RIDE announced, but Mt. Hope students scored well above the state average in all three phases. The local students averaged a total score of 1,600 — 529 in reading, 534 in math and 537 in writing. Statewide averages for 2016 are 478, 478 and 465, respectively.

Mt. Hope students who took the PSAT also scored higher than the state average. Tenth graders in Bristol-Warren averaged a total score of 930 (464 in English; 466 in math); 11th graders averaged a total score of 1,022 (514 in English; 508 in math). Statewide averages for 10th graders are 917 (458 English, 458 math); for 11th graders, 960 (483 English, 477 math).

The state also released AP test numbers Tuesday, revealing that 130 Mt. Hope students took 216 AP tests, with 112 tests receiving a 3, 4 or 5 score necessary to qualify for college credit.

Bristol Warren Regional School District, RIDE, NECAP tests, SAT test

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