Rhode Island Releases 2026 RICAS Scores: About a Third of Students in Grades 3-8 Meet Expectations
Rhode Island on October 20 released its 2026 Rhode Island Comprehensive Assessment System (RICAS) results: among students in grades three through eight statewide, 33% met or exceeded expectations in English language arts and roughly 32% did so in math, both figures largely unchanged from last year. RICAS is Rhode Island's state standardized assessment, with results released by the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE).
Gov. Dan McKee has set a goal for Rhode Island students to match Massachusetts' performance by 2030. While the gap between the two states has narrowed this year, Ocean State Media reported that much of the change is due to declining scores in Massachusetts rather than significant improvements in Rhode Island.
John Papay, director of the Annenberg Institute at Brown University, said the gap has closed because Massachusetts students have been doing worse over time while Rhode Island students have stayed about the same, which is not the way anyone would want to close the gap. He also pointed to questions about cell phones, SI use, and changing reading habits, while stressing that classroom instruction remains key, and he raised questions about whether Providence's school board is prepared to oversee the district following seven years of state intervention. (GSM, based on Ocean State Media reporting and RIDE data)
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 4.0，作者 Frank Schulenburg（罗得岛州议会大厦，Providence）
