On Monday, January 13, the primary business of the first meeting of 2025 for the Bristol Warren Regional School Committee was the presentation of the district schools’ report cards, a Rhode …
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On Monday, January 13, the primary business of the first meeting of 2025 for the Bristol Warren Regional School Committee was the presentation of the district schools’ report cards, a Rhode Island Department of Education tool for qualifying each school and district in the state.
Each school is given stars, ranging from 1 to 5, based on points earned in a series of metrics, including student quality and success, and student achievement and growth. It’s an accountability system used to evaluate progress as well as identify schools that might need additional support and attention.
Student quality is measured via academic performance over 2 years, including RICAS and SAT test scores as well as year over year growth in these areas. Note that results can vary widely in achievement versus growth and vice versa, even within the same academic discipline, from school to school.
Student success is measured by such metrics as student and teacher chronic absenteeism, suspension rates, students who have exceeded expectations, college and career readiness, graduation rates, post-secondary credits, and aptitude in more than one language.
A school’s overall star rating is based on the lowest-ranked metric.
According to Assistant Superintendent Diane Sanna, the Bristol Warren Regional School District has shown district-wide growth in English Language Arts, the number of high school students receiving post-secondary credits, and decreased suspension rates.
Reporting for Hugh Cole School, which received 3 stars, principal Colin Grimsey noted that the school posted high scores in English language proficiency and student quality and student success. “We have lots to celebrate, but we still have a long way to go,” said Grimsey, noting that the school’s RICAS scored are not as strong as he would like them to be. On the plus side, he also noted that math and science proficiency and growth are strong, and chronic absenteeism has dropped dramatically. “We are very proud of our English language proficiency score,” he said.
With Principal Keith Swist unavailable, Sanna delivered the Guiteras report.
Given 3 stars, Guiteras performed well with reduced chronic absenteeism, a reduced suspension rate, and strong math expectations; growth in English language arts was a weak point.
Colt Andrews also received 3 stars. “We have glows and grows,” said Principal Deborah Kearns. “I’m really excited about our attendance, we’ve shown a 13% decrease in chronic absenteeism,” she said. The suspension rate at Colt Andrews is also down, and the school has shown growth in English language arts, math, and science proficiency. Writing, particularly as tested on the RICAS test, is a weakness, and Kearns said that the school is taking steps to address that.
With 5 stars, the biggest weak spot at the Rockwell School is low growth in achievement in English language arts and math, as the student body already exceeds expectations in those categories, according to Principal Tara McAuliffe. The school scored a perfect 12 of a possible 12 points on the school quality and student success metric.
Of the district as a whole, it was noted that writing is mentioned repeatedly as a weak spot among students. According to Sanna, the district has a plan in motion that will be focusing on teacher training and professional development in that area, to try to help raise that measurement.
KMS trending in the right direction
Kickemuit Middle School scored 2 points on their report card — discouraging, but with much room for hope. “There’s a lot of orange on that screen (indicating substandard results) but this is going to be the last year for that,” said KMS principal Dennis Morrell. Areas in need of improvement include English language proficiency, teacher chronic absenteeism, and the suspension rate. Morrell noted that KMS has seen a significant increase in students from around the world needing support as English language learners, impacting their English proficiency scores.
“We have fewer students showing low growth in math and ELA (English language arts),” said Morrell. “We are making incremental progress, but it is not as fast as I would like.”
Chronic absenteeism among students is significantly improved, and the school only missed the mark for an acceptable suspension rate by .2 percentage points. “We are so close,” said Morrell, who also noted that 99 percent of teachers responded to a recent survey about morale, which is up in every category.
It’s a far cry from this time six years ago, when teachers orchestrated a “sick out” in protest over student behavior.
“The improvement is noticeable, anyone who enters your building knows that,” said School Committee Vice-Chair Nicky Piper. “I’m sorry the data does not reflect that.”
Committee member Carly Reich concurred. “The difference is night and day. You are at that tipping point and I’m really excited to see the numbers next year.”
Mt. Hope on solid ground
“I am very pleased, we have 4 stars,” said Mt. Hope High School Principal Michelle King. “We have improved with all indicators; when you look at that it shows a holistic improvement.”
Everything, from the high graduation rate and student success, to the dropping suspension rate bodes well for the future. Growth in English language arts was the best in the state, and the high school scored 4th in the state for science proficiency. Areas of concern include math proficiency and chronic absenteeism for both teachers and students.
In all, the Committee was pleased with the reports. “This is something we should be really proud of,” said Reich. “Congratulations to all our schools — we have made incredible progress.”
“We are in a cycle of continuous improvement,” said Sanna. “We are moving in the right direction.”
The complete school and district report cards are available on the Rhode Island Department of Education website at https://ride.ri.gov.