This past year JSEC focused it’s first redesign year on staying laser focused on purpose, planning, and progress! Not only did JSEC’s attendance #’s rise but so did the graduation rate. On July 8th, 2025, it was announced that JSEC’s Life Sciences Academy’s Graduation rate rose by 13%, which was the highest % not only in Providence but across the entire state of Rhode Island.
Administrators Mrs. Testa, Mr. Kiernan, & Suzanne Da Silva created an environment where teachers could do what they do best: Teach dynamic, innovative, interesting, and fun classes while students met curricular standards! Students liked and bought into the many new pathways JSEC offered and soared. Following a pathway gave student insights to hundreds of potential future career paths they could pursue. Project-based learning, student led conferences, junior project presentations, & jumpstart senior year dual enrollment courses at CCRI & New England Institute of Technology were just a part of what enhanced education @ JSEC.
The Redesign Plan was implemented and integrated into each department’s curricular framework which created a curiosity and love of learning by students. Higher attendance rates, improved grades, and passion and desire to use learning obtained @ JSEC to be cross-walked into the real world led most certainly led to the higher attendance resulting in graduation rates. Tutoring, credit recovery, unit recovery, and teachers and administrators focusing on each student meeting individual proficiency and sufficiency standards were key.
Congratulations to all but especially the JSEC 9th, 10th, 11th, & 12th grade students who made this happen. The JSEC family consists of our maintenance, teaching, administrative, support, guidance, nursing, secretarial, community partners, pathway providers, parents, and of course our amazing students who showed up each and every day to offer their best selves.
