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Warwick Schools Assess PSAT, SAT Scores, Plan

[CREDIT: File Photo] Warwick Veterans Jr. High School at 2401 W Shore Road.
[SOURCE: RIDE] Warwick 2019 SAT scores compared to Cranston, and the statewide average.
[SOURCE: RIDE] Warwick 2019 SAT scores compared to Cranston, and the statewide average.

WARWICK, RI – Recent PSAT (grades 9-10) and SAT (grades 11-12) results show Warwick students and teachers have some room for improvement, the Warwick School Committee learned Tuesday night at Warwick Veterans Middle School on West Shore Road.

SAT ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS SCORES

In Warwick, out of 623 students tested, 308, or 49.4 percent, are not meeting expectations in English language arts, while 315, or 50.5 percent, meet or exceed expectations, according to the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE).

In neighboring Cranston, with population and median income (81,202 people and $64,282 annually) similar to Warwick (80,871 people and $62,803 annually), out of 773 students tested, 50.9 percent are not meeting expectations, while 49.09 meet or exceed expectations.

Statewide, 49.49 percent of students did not meet English language arts expectations, while 50.51 percent met or exceeded expectations.

SAT MATH SCORES

In Warwick, out of 622 students tested, 465, or 74.76 percent, did not meet expectations in math, while 157, or 25.24 percent, met or exceeded expectations.

For Cranston, out of 696 students tested, 76.17 percent did not meet expectations in math, while 23.84 percent met or exceeded expectations.

Statewide, 57.99 percent of students did not meet English language arts expectations, while 31.16 percent met or exceeded expectations.

Wendy Amelotte, director of curriculum, instruction, assessment, and MTSS, said the district would work to improve scores by offering new math materials, math professional development, and aligning assessment practices.

“I am excited about where we are going,” she said.

[SOURCE: RIDE] Warwick 2019 PSAT scores compared to Cranston, and the statewide average.
[SOURCE: RIDE] Warwick 2019 PSAT scores compared to Cranston, and the statewide average.

PSAT ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS SCORES

In Warwick, out of 478 students tested, 37.57 percent did not meet expectations in English, while 62.43 percent met or exceeded expectations.

For Cranston, out of 778 students tested, 36.21 percent did not meet expectations in English, while 63.80 percent met or exceeded expectations.

Statewide, 39.95 percent of students did not meet English language arts expectations, while 60.06 percent met or exceeded expectations.

PSAT MATH SCORES

In Warwick, out of 532 students tested, 71.67 percent did not meet expectations in Math, while 28.33 percent met or exceeded expectations.

For Cranston, out of 777 students tested, 68.85 percent did not meet expectations in math, while 31.15 percent met or exceeded expectations.

Statewide, 68.98 percent of students did not meet English language arts expectations, while 31.02 percent met or exceeded expectations.

ADVANCED PLACEMENT SCORES

Amelotte said for advanced placement (AP) courses, students at Toll Gate High School had a 52 percent success rate in 2019, an increase from 48.8 percent in 2018. Pilgrim High School had a 36.1 percent success rate in 2019 compared to a 44 percent success rate in 2018.

There was a 65 percent success rate in English at Toll Gate and an 83.3 percent success rate in Biology at Pilgrim High School. Toll Gate had a 76.5 percent success rate in European history. Those figures exceed the state and global average.

Darlene Netcoh, president of the Warwick Teachers Union, said she believes the SATs are “culturally biased” and “written to confuse” students.

“They are not good tests to determine proficiency,” Netcoh said.

Click the link below to view the entire Warwick SAT and PSAT powerpoint presentation:

Warwick SAT:PSAT Presentation

Joe Siegel
Author: Joe Siegel

Joe Siegel is a regular contributing writer for WarwickPost.com. His reporting has appeared in The Sun Chronicle in Attleboro and EDGE.

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