Student Achievement Test Scores a Mixed Bag of Good Results

Barrington students’ achievement test scores continue to lead Rhode Island even though they show some slippage over the past five years. And the scores show a particular weakness in writing that needs to be addressed, especially with high-stakes testing kicking in.

Superintendent Michael Messore and Paula Dillon, director of curriculum, made a PowerPoint presentation to the School Committee Thursday night that pointed out where the students stand compared to other districts and “where we are in high-stakes testing.” 

The information they presented on “District Report Night” looked at New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP), Student Achievement Test (SAT) and Advanced Placement (AP) scores. The presentation will be posted on the home page of the school website for a couple of weeks before it is moved to the School Committee pages, said Dillon.

NECAP scores showed the slippage in math, reading and writing results in almost all grades since 2008 even though the scores still top the state.

“The SAT scores remain in the same scoring areas,” said Messore, which are still “well above Rhode Island and national averages.” 

The AP results show that Barrington has the second highest number of students taking the tests and their scores still rank them in the top three in Rhode Island, Messore said.

An analysis of all the results therefore, indicates that Barrington students are well-prepared for high-stakes testing -- one of the requirements for graduation starting next year.  But the administration is still concerned about the recebt slippage, said the superintendent, and is responding by doing the following: 

• Making all decisions aligned with the data.
• Increasing professional development for teachers in writing from grades K-12 because there does not appear to be enough writing across the curriculum.
• Providing math intervention at the high school where it is indicated by the data.
• Providing additional math support in all grades through skills tutors, summer school support, focusing on key math concepts and providing more professional development.
• Focusing on all genres of writing, particularly more informal forms.

Responses to the test scores by a somewhat somber School Committee focused primarily on other ways to better assess the results.

School Committee Vice Chair Kate Brody asked the administration to provide additional information on the growth in scores by students. 

“Are we seeing growth over time?” she asked. “Are we seeing more students go from proficient to proficient with distinction?”

Brody was referring to the NECAP scores.

School Committee Chair Robert Shea Jr. suggested looking at the scores “to determine if the same patterns of error are being made.” That would seem to be an area that could be corrected by professional development, he said.

School Committee member Paula Dominguez asked the administrators to take a somewhat different look at the NECAP scores in the elementary schools, where double-digit declines at two schools since 2008 showed up this year.