RICAS Evaluation Overview 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which organization develops and administers the RICAS assessments for Rhode Island?
- Rhode Island Department of Education in partnership with Cognia (Correct answer)
- The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC)
- The Rhode Island Board of Regents independently
- College Board
Correct answer: Rhode Island Department of Education in partnership with Cognia
RICAS is developed by the Rhode Island Department of Education in collaboration with assessment vendors under state oversight.
Question 2: RICAS assessments are primarily aligned to which set of academic standards?
- Rhode Island Core Standards, which are based on the Common Core State Standards (Correct answer)
- Next Generation Science Standards only
- Rhode Island State Grade Level Expectations from 2005
- SAT Suite of Assessments benchmarks
Correct answer: Rhode Island Core Standards, which are based on the Common Core State Standards
RICAS measures student proficiency on the Rhode Island Core Standards, which are adapted from the Common Core State Standards.
Question 3: What does a student's RICAS scale score primarily indicate?
- The student's level of proficiency relative to grade-level standards (Correct answer)
- The student's percentile rank compared to a national sample
- The number of questions answered correctly on the test
- The student's predicted GPA in high school
Correct answer: The student's level of proficiency relative to grade-level standards
RICAS scale scores are criterion-referenced, showing how well a student meets Rhode Island's grade-level academic standards.
Question 4: How many performance levels are used to report RICAS results?
- 4 (Correct answer)
- 3
- 5
- 6
Correct answer: 4
RICAS uses four performance levels: Not Yet Meeting Expectations, Partially Meeting Expectations, Meeting Expectations, and Exceeding Expectations.
Question 5: Which RICAS performance level indicates a student is fully on track with grade-level standards?
- Meeting Expectations (Correct answer)
- Partially Meeting Expectations
- Approaching Standard
- Proficient Plus
Correct answer: Meeting Expectations
The 'Meeting Expectations' level means the student has demonstrated proficiency with grade-level Rhode Island Core Standards.
Question 6: Which statement best describes the purpose of RICAS results for classroom teachers?
- To identify instructional gaps and guide future teaching decisions (Correct answer)
- To determine whether a student is promoted to the next grade
- To calculate a teacher's annual performance bonus
- To replace formative assessments used during the school year
Correct answer: To identify instructional gaps and guide future teaching decisions
RICAS results provide summative data that teachers can use alongside other evidence to understand student learning needs.
Question 7: When are RICAS assessments typically administered during the school year?
- In the spring, toward the end of the academic year (Correct answer)
- In September, at the start of the academic year
- In January, at the midpoint of the academic year
- In October, shortly after the school year begins
Correct answer: In the spring, toward the end of the academic year
RICAS is a spring summative assessment designed to measure what students have learned throughout the academic year.
RICAS Evaluation Overview 2
Which organization develops and administers the RICAS assessments for Rhode Island?