RICAS Assessments

The 2018 Test Coordinator Handbook (pdf) contains snapshots of each assessment in the Rhode Island Statewide Assessment Program. It includes dates, contact information, and other important details about each assessment being administered in Rhode Island during the 2017-18 school year.

The RICAS Resource Center (ricas.pearsonsupport.com) includes access to student practice tests, technology requirements, test administration manuals, online training modules, and released test items.

• RICAS Test Coordinator Manual (PDF)
  NOTE: It was previously communicated that PCPA forms should be completed separately for ELA and Mathematics; however, Rhode Island schools are required to complete the PCPA only once. The deadline for completing the combined ELA and Mathematics PCPA is May 30. Errors regarding PCPA dates on pages 55 and 62 of the Test Coordinator’s Manual (TCM) have been corrected.
• RICAS Test Security Requirements (PDF)
• RICAS Test Irregularity Form Use this form to document and report any testing irregularities in your school or district.

Access iServices through the RICAS Service Center to accomplish the tasks below. You must have your login and password. Please contact the RICAS Help Desk if you do not have a login or password.

• Order Additional Materials
• Principal's Certification
• UPS Pickup Request
• Reporting

Medical Exemptions: Please use the guidance and information found here to submit medical exemptions.

In-person half day RICAS School & District Test Coordinator Training Sessions were held in February, 2018. Further in-person training sessions are not scheduled. The presentation used during these sessions is posted below.

• February, 2018 in-person Test Coordinator training presentation: ​RICAS Test Coordinator Training

Online Training Modules can be found at the Pearson support site. Presentation slides are posted below.

• Student Registration/Personal Needs Profile (PPT)
• Infrastructure Trial for Technology Coordinators (PPT)
• Infrastructure Trial for Test Coordinators and Test Administrators (PPT)
• Creating Sessions (PPT)
• Sessions Management (PPT)

2018-19 RICAS Accommodations Information Coming Soon!

NEW: Graphic Organizers for RICAS ELA and Supplemental Mathematics Reference Sheets for 2018-19 are posted below.

RICAS Accommodations and Accessibility Features Manual contains all of the information on allowable accommodations for students with disabilities and English Learners and accessibility features for all students. It also includes references for the SR/PNP file. Updated 2.20.2018 (ordering Braille materials).

RICAS Student Registration and Personal Needs Profile Guide (pdf) contains all of the directions for working in PearsonAccessNext (PAN) to update accommodations for RICAS testing.

RICAS Assistive Technology Guide (pdf) contains a list of all assistive technology programs and devices that are and are not supported by TestNav8.

Bilingual Dictionaries and Glossaries for English Learner Students (pdf) contains a list of bilingual dictionaries and glossaries that current and former English Learner students may use on RICAS assessments.

NOTE: Please ensure that students use the bilingual dictionaries/glossaries regularly during instruction throughout the school year. Bilingual dictionaries should not be given to a student on the day of testing. For approved bilingual dictionaries/glossaries for other state assessments, such as the PSAT10 or SAT School Day, please that test's specific web page. As a rule, bilingual dictionaries and glossaries may not contain any pictures, or definitions; only word-to-word dictionaries and glossaries are permitted.

Graphic Organizers, Checklists, and Supplemental Reference Sheets. The approved graphic organizers, checklists, and supplemental reference sheets listed below are for use by students with disabilities in grades 3-8 who have the Pre-approved Graphic Organizer or Supplemental Reference Sheet accommodation (A9, page 14, RICAS Accommodations and Accessibility Features Manual) listed in their IEP or 504 Plan. RICE encourages educators to familiarize any student who will be using these reference sheets or graphic organizers with these tools during instruction throughout the school year since students using these tools should be comfortable using them during RICAS testing. 

NOTE: Only the approved organizers and supplemental reference sheets listed below may be used for ELA and/or mathematics RICAS tests by students who meet the criteria of the A9 accommodation listed above. While text or graphics may not be added, it is permissible to remove text or graphics to suit the needs of the student.

NOTE about using pre-approved graphic organizers and reference sheets during testing and instruction: These graphic organizers and reference sheets may be helpful to students without disabilities. If appropriate, educators may use these graphic organizers and reference sheets during instruction for all students, not just students with disabilities. However, students without the A9 accommodation in their IEP or 504 Plan may not use the graphic organizers or reference sheets during RICAS testing. Educators should not feel the need to incorporate these graphic organizers or reference sheets into their instruction if they have others they use or feel they are not appropriate for their students.

English Language Arts Pre-Approved Graphic Organizers (updated 9.12.2018)

• Grades 3-4 Graphic Organizer Essay (docx)
• Grades 3-5 Graphic Organizer Short Response (docx)
• Grade 5 Graphic Organizer Narrative (docx)
• Grade 5 Graphic Organizer Essay (docx)
• Grades 6-8 Graphic Organizer Narrative (docx)
• Grades 6-8 Graphic Organizer Essay (docx)

Mathematics Supplemental Reference Sheets (updated 9.12.2018)

• Grade 3 Reference Sheet (docx)
• Grade 4 Reference Sheet (docx)
• Grade 5 Reference Sheet (docx)
• Grade 6 Reference Sheet (docx)
• Grade 7 Reference Sheet (docx)
• Grade 8 Reference Sheet (docx)

The 2018 Student Registration and Personal Needs Profile (SR/PNP) (pdf) instructions and file layout document will show schools how to update student information and accommodations. Information on Accommodations for RICAS can be found in the Accommodations for Students with Disabilities and English Learners tab on this web page.

NOTE: RIDE will upload the student registration file on behalf of all LEAs. Please ensure that all student information in the Enrollment Census and the Special Education Census is accurate and up-to-date to ensure clean, accurate student rosters.

The English Language Arts Test Design (pdf) document describes the design of the RICAS ELA tests. Test design documents were updated 11.28.2017 to reflect new testing times.

• RICAS Parent Flyer (updated 4.2018) (pdf)

The RICAS English Language Arts/Literacy Informational Session webinar reviewed test design information including item types; the percentage of points allotted to reporting categories for each grade; and RICAS achievement levels. Also highlighted are released items and other resources available through the RICAS Resource Center.

• View the recorded webinar
• RICAS ELA/Literacy Informational Session Presentation (ppt)
• RICAS ELA/Literacy Informational Session Q&A (pdf)

The RICAS assessments are based on the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework which is strongly aligned with Rhode Island's English Language Arts/Literacy standards: the Common Core State Standards. You can access the Massachusetts' Curriculum Frameworks documents here: www.doe.mass.edu/frameworks.

• ELA Quick Reference Guides (QRGs) to the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks
• RICAS ELA Assessment Tables articulate the alignment between the CCSS standards and the RICAS assessment. This document supports educators as they deepen their understanding of the standards and implications for instruction. Clarifications and differences are noted within the 2017 RICAS column.  Students are expected to meet each year’s grade-specific standards while retaining and further developing skills and understandings mastered in preceding grades; therefore, the assessment tables are provided for grades K-8. 
  • RICAS ELA Assessment Tables (docx)
  • RICAS ELA Assessment Tables (pdf)

RICAS Student Tutorial and Practice Tests can be accessed here: ricas.pearsonsupport.com

RICAS Released ELA Items can be accessed here: ricas.pearsonsupport.com/released-items

• RICAS Sample Student Work can be found here: www.doe.mass/edu/mcas/student/2017
• Writing Standards in Action Project provides samples of student work that demonstrates grade-level expectations. The samples are annotated by educators to support student instruction in writing by showing how student writing meets or exceeds the standard. These writing samples are another source of student writing to help calibrate student expectations by grade level. The Massachusetts' Curriculum Frameworks documents refer to the Writing Standards in Action Project samples.

ELA Rubrics: The rubrics below will be used to assess the various types of students writing for the RICAS assessment.

• Grades 3-4: Short Response Rubric (pdf)
• Grades 3-5: Essay Rubric (pdf)
• Grades 6-8: Essay Rubric (pdf)

The RICAS Achievement Level Descriptors (pdf)document contains all of the achievement level descriptions for all grade levels.

The Mathematics Test Design (pdf) document describes the design of the RICAS mathematics tests. Test design documents were updated 11.28.2017 to reflect new testing times.

• RICAS Parent Flyer (updated 4.2018) (pdf)

The RICAS Mathematics Informational Session webinar reviewed test design information including item types; the percentage of points allotted to reporting categories for each grade; the calculator policy; and RICAS achievement levels. Also highlighted are released items and other resources available through the RICAS Resource Center. 

• View the recorded webinar
• RICAS Mathematics Informational Session Presentation (ppt)

Mathematics Test Design and Fact Sheets by Grade: The documents below describe the 2018 RICAS test designs for Mathematics and English Language Arts for grades 3 – 8. They also include information on item types, calculator use, and links to RICAS resources. Fact Sheets were updated 11.30.2017 to reflect new testing times.

• Grade 3 Fact Sheet (pdf)
• Grade 4 Fact Sheet (pdf)
• Grade 5 Fact Sheet (pdf)
• Grade 6 Fact Sheet (pdf)
• Grade 7 Fact Sheet (pdf)
• Grade 8 Fact Sheet (pdf)

Mathematics Reference Sheets by Grade: The reference sheets below are for all students to use during the RICAS mathematics tests. Mathematics Reference Sheets for students who are eligible for the Supplemental Reference Sheet accommodation A9 (page 14 in the RICAS Accommodations and Accessibility Features Manual) can be found on the Accommodations for Students with Disabilities and English Learners tab on this web page.

• Grade 5 Mathematics Reference Sheet (pdf)
• Grade 6 Mathematics Reference Sheet (pdf)
• Grade 7 Mathematics Reference Sheet (pdf)
• Grade 8 Mathematics Reference Sheet (pdf)

RICAS Assessment Tables and Achievement Level Descriptors: Supplemental assessment tables provide information for specific standards in terms of assessment. Achievement level descriptors are summaries of the knowledge and skills students demonstrate for the different levels of proficiency on RICAS.

• Grade 3 RICAS Assessment Table and Achievement Level Descriptors (pdf)
• Grade 4 RICAS Assessment Table and Achievement Level Descriptors (pdf)
• Grade 5 RICAS Assessment Table and Achievement Level Descriptors (pdf)
• Grade 6 RICAS Assessment Table and Achievement Level Descriptors (pdf)
• Grade 7 RICAS Assessment Table and Achievement Level Descriptors (pdf)
• Grade 8 RICAS Assessment Table and Achievement Level Descriptors (pdf)

RICAS Calculator Policy (pdf)

Below is a chart, by grade level, of the calculator types available to students on session 2 only of the RICAS mathematics tests for the computer- and paper-based tests. Please keep in mind that:

• Any 7th or 8th grade student may use one of the handheld calculators listed below instead of the calculator embedded in TestNav (no accommodation is necessary). However, at a minimum, 7th and 8th grade students should have sole access to a 5-function calculator.
• Non-calculator sessions of any RICAS mathematics tests: unless a student has the accommodation SA4: Calculation device or other mathematics tool for the non-calculator session of the mathematics test*, no calculators are provided in TestNav and no handheld calculators should be made available.

*This accommodation is a Special Access accommodation. The student must meet specific criteria in order to receive this accommodation. See page 17 in the RICAS Accessibility and Accommodations Manual for more information (click on the Accommodations tab on this web page).

Technical Skills for Students (pdf) outlines the skills students should be familiar with in order to navigate and use TestNav confidently. Please ensure that students have time to use these skills on the practice tests before testing begins.

RICAS Service Center: Contact the RICAS Service Center with questions on the RICAS Resource Center website, PearsonAccess^Next, passwords, and questions about the SR/PNP:

Telephone: 855-222-8936 (Monday - Friday; 7:00am - 5:00pm)

Email: ricasservicecenter@measuredprogress.org

Fax: 603-749-5108

RICAS Resource Center: ricas.pearsonsupport.com Use this site to access PearsonAccess^Next in order to submit the SR/PNP. Training modules, manuals, practice tests, and other materials to support test administration can be found here also.