Instructional
Equity
Providence
Instructional equity means that each student receives the opportunities and support they need to learn successfully.
All students deserve the opportunity to access high-quality education, regardless of factors such as economic status, geographic location, race and ethnicity, and English language fluency. However, both national research and the lived experiences of students have shown that this doesn’t always occur. Also, even when access to desired courses exists, students may not have the supports that they need to be successful.
In Providence, our SCORE Community Research Team was particularly interested in measures that show:
The extent to which students have access to advanced and diverse course offerings across Providence public high schools;
The extent to which Multilingual learners have access to a range of courses, and the supports to help them succeed;
How students are assigned to Providence high schools.
See below for more information about the SCORE Instructional Equity goals and indicators, and click on the links to see available indicator data!
The SCORE Instructional Equity indicators are separated into three goal areas that focus on access to high-quality instruction:
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Providence students deserve access to advanced and diverse course offerings, regardless of their socioeconomic status, geographic location, race, religion, cultural or political preferences, or any other factor.
The indicators in this goal focus on ensuring that all students in all Providence schools have access to high-quality course offerings in areas including advanced placement (AP); science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); career and technical education (CTE); enrichment; and arts education.
| Number | Indicator |
|---|---|
| 1 | Current high school course offerings, by school. | 2 | % of students reporting they are happy with how much time they spend in specials or enrichment classes. |
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School districts have an obligation to identify and support students who need language support in school. The proportion of Multilingual Learners (MLLs) in Providence Public Schools has almost doubled in the last 10 years, reaching nearly 40% in 2024.
The indicators in this goal area focus on measuring what kinds of academic experiences and supports are available for MLLs and students receiving special education services to ensure that they are receiving the education they deserve.
| Number | Indicator |
|---|---|
| 3 | % of Multilingual learners, by school. |
| 4 | # and % of students enrolled in special education programs, by school. | 5 | # and ratio of Multilingual Learner certified teachers, by school. | 6 | % of Multilingual Learners enrolled in AP courses |
| 7 | % of Multilingual Learners who feel a sense of belonging and inclusion. |
| 8 | % of Multilingual Learners who feel like they have been excluded from academic, co-curricular, or cultural experiences in school because of language. |
| 9 | % of Multilingual Learners that agree the courses they want to take are available to them. |
| 10 | % of Multilingual Learners that agree they have the supports they need to succeed in the courses they want to take. |
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In addition to course access, Providence students also deserve access to the school of their choice, regardless of race, language, special education status, or neighborhood.
The indicators in this section aim to measure how the district assigns students to schools.
| Number | Goal |
|---|---|
| 11 | % of students accepted into their first choice high school. | 12 | # and % of students who receive a passing score on the Classical High School entrance exam. |
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Currently, the active indicator links represent data that is publicly available (i.e., enrollment data and SurveyWorks climate survey). However, in many cases, our community-identified indicators differ from those that are publicly available. We are working to request data that the school district collects but is not yet made public. As new data and visualizations are ready, we will add them to the SCOREcard.
Additionally, some of what community members have asked to be measured in the SCOREcard is, to the best of our knowledge, not currently being collected In these cases, this SCOREcard represents a call to action for the school system, in partnership with community organizations, to collect data in areas that matter to the community, and to make it publicly accessible. As we get access to more data, more indicators will be populated and our SCOREcard will be stronger.