Gov. Lincoln Chafee Friday stood by the plan requiring high school seniors score “partial proficient” on the NECAP standardized test in order to graduate, despite a declaration from Providence Supt. Susan Lusi that the requirement was “unfair.”
“I think she’s wrong on this,” said Chafee. “We’re going to be flexible as we implement this program. We just want high standards coming out of our high school.”
He was in East Greenwich to speak at the monthly meeting of town and city managers at 1149 Restaurant.
According to the R.I. Dept. of Education, 1,800 seniors are at risk of not graduating this year.
Lusi, who lives in East Greenwich, testified Wednesday before the General Assembly’s Health, Education and Welfare Committee. In Providence, 605 seniors are in danger of not graduating, 515 of those specifically because of the NECAP requirement.
“I have concluded that the way NECAP is administered disadvantages the very students in our state who are already the most disadvantaged — those who are poor and those who have special learning needs…,” Lusi said, according to the Providence Journal.
She cited Rhode Island’s relatively brief preparation period of four years before implementing the requirement, as opposed to Massachusetts’ ten years of preparation. She also questioned the timing, since the NECAP is being replace by a new test in 2015.
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Interesting how the idea that Massachusetts spent ten years and provided a fully funded formula to help get teachers trained before the test counted went right over Chafee’s head. I guess the state has no responsibility here, just the students and the teachers.