Providence RICAS Scores Still Down From Pre-Pandemic

PROVIDENCE, RI — Newly released results from the spring 2022 RICAS exams show Providence students’ scores increased in math, but took a small dip in English.

The district's results were consistent with the statewide drop in English scores, indicating that it could take some time for Rhode Island students to recover from lost and disrupted learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

State Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green acknowledged there is room for improvement, but said it was good to see some districts exceed proficiency scores from before the pandemic.

"The 2022 RICAS results show that while a lot of work remains ahead to get our students back up to speed, Rhode Island is on its way to recovery," Infante-Green said in a statement.

According to the data, 13 percent of Providence students met or exceeded expectations on the English Language Arts exam, which marks a small decrease from last year, and a four percent dip from 2019.

In math, however, the numbers increased slightly. Just under 10 percent of grades 3-8 students are proficient in math, increasing three points from last year. However, the number is still down from pre-pandemic 2019.