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Portsmouth schools post strong 2024 RIDE ratings; Melville earns 5 stars
Summary
Rhode Island Department of Education results show three Portsmouth schools rated 4 stars and Melville earned a 5-star rating. School officials discussed the RIDE rules that set overall ratings by the lowest measure and next steps for improvement.
Dr. Viveiros presented the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) 2024 accountability results for Portsmouth on Jan. 14, reporting that Melville Elementary earned a 5‑star rating while Hathaway Elementary, Portsmouth Middle School and Portsmouth High School each earned an overall 4‑star rating.
RIDE uses three overarching measures — academic performance (achievement, growth, English‑language proficiency and science), student success (attendance, suspensions and related indicators) and college and career readiness (graduation rates, commissioner’s seal, and postsecondary success) — and assigns a 1–5 star rating to each measure. Dr. Viveiros noted the rules are “floor driven,” meaning a school’s overall rating cannot exceed its lowest measure. She said Melville achieved top marks across the measured categories and is one of roughly 20 schools statewide with a 5‑star rating.
The nut graf: The ratings reflect year‑over‑year progress for the district and highlight a technical feature of RIDE’s rules that produced debate at the meeting: Portsmouth High School received three 5‑star measures but a single 4‑star measure reduced its overall rating to 4 stars.
Committee members and administrators discussed the mechanics of the rating system. Committee member Fred Ferber questioned the rule, saying the outcome “doesn’t really make any sense” when multiple measures are high but one lower measure sets the overall rating. Dr. Viveiros and other committee members explained this is how RIDE’s rules are structured and that the district will continue to press RIDE where appropriate while focusing on local plans to raise the lower measure.
The presentation item closed with applause from the committee. Committee members said they will bring a recognition item for Melville to a future meeting.
Ending: The committee invited further questions and said the ratings will inform the district’s academic‑rigor goals and upcoming budget and program priorities.
