Portsmouth High School (PHS) was in the spotlight at a State-house news conference this afternoon, as Governor Donald Carcieri and education Commissioner Deborah Gist released the results of this year's New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) science tests.

According to a press release from the RI Department of Education (RIDE), PHS improved by 9 points and had the highest proficiency level (52%) of all 11th-graders in the state, more than twice the state average (20.5%). NECAP science scores improved slightly across the state at all levels tested (4th, 8th, and 11th), with an average improvement of 3.6 points over last year, but the overall proficiency level — which averaged 28.8% — is obviously still a concern, officials said.

“While we are trending in the right direction, we still have a lot of work to do," said Governor Carcieri in prepared remarks. "Our levels of performance clearly need to be much higher."

“There are places making the kinds of gains that we need to see, and that’s encouraging,” said Gist. “Thanks to some of our ongoing initiatives to improve science instruction, we will continue to see improvements."

Portsmouth High was also acknowledged for its participation in the Physics First program (a new curriculum based on guided inquiry with a focus on atomic and molecular physics) and its involvement in the RI-TEST program (which provides educators with professional development in using technology-enhanced investigations) through a National Science Foundation grant.

For a complete report on the 2010 NECAP science scores, visit the RIDE
Web site, at: http://www.ride.ri.gov/assessment/Results.aspx

Editorial note: Yep, this one's from a press release.