Kingston+Hill+2013



__ Kingston Hill Academy __ By: Rebecca Bevacqua

Kingston Hill Academy (KHA) is a public charter school located in Saunderstown, Rhode Island. Being a public charter school means that there is no additional tuition to attend the institution. In 2001, the school opened with 40 Kindergarten students and today, the school has grown to about 180 students throughout kindergarten to fifth grade. KHA is chartered for up to 260 students, Kindergarten through Eighth grade and is exploring the opportunity of expanding to accommodate middle school students.
 * __ Introduction: __**

In order to be enrolled in KHA, students must win the "lottery system", as mandated by Rhode Island state law. A public lottery, held in accordance with RIDE (Board of Regents of the Rhode Island Department of Education) guidelines, is conducted each spring to fill all positions available. Families who are then selected in the lottery will be contacted and asked about their interest. If interested, they will be asked to complete the enrollment forms.

KHA is operated under a charter granted by RIDE and follows RIDE regulations, assessment and teaching standards and all other requirements mandated for traditional public schools in Rhode Island. Teachers and teacher assistants are certified by the State of Rhode Island and meet highly qualified status under No Child Left Behind. KHA has a 185-day school year; and the daily hours are 8:40 AM to 3:10 PM. Meals, including breakfast and lunch, are available to students and transportation is provided by the sending school district and there is no charge to the family if the family lives within the KHA bussing region.

Overall, this report on KHA will focus on different aspects of schooling, including student demographics, funding, and assessments. (“WELCOME TO KINGSTON HILL ACADEMY - A K-5 Public Charter School,” n.d.)

**__Student Demographics:__** In general, KHA meets the average statistics of student demographics. KHA is almost even when it comes to a boy-girl ratio of 41.5:56.1 (2.4% chose not to disclose information). In Rhode Island, the ethnicity rates are: 81.4% white, 5.7% black, 0.1 Native American/ Pacific Islander, and 3.3% more than one race. KHA reflects these numbers by its own ethnicity rates: 94.7% white, 2.6% black, 2.6% Native American/Pacific Islander, and 5.3% more than one race. (“Kingston Hill Academy,” n.d.)

__**Mission**__: "Kingston Hill Academy (KHA) is dedicated to providing students with the opportunity for an inclusive, individualized, and challenging curriculum that supports them to reach their full potential" (“WELCOME TO KINGSTON HILL ACADEMY - A K-5 Public Charter School,” n.d.)

__**Typical Day (directly from the KHU Website):**__ • At the start of each day, morning greetings are delivered by fifth grade students. Following announcements, the students participate in relaxation exercises then many classes hold morning meetings to discuss the agenda for the day. • Classes are team-taught (teacher and teacher assistant) • Hands-on science kits are integrated in daily curricula • Multi-sensory learning techniques through art integration • Cross grade-level cooperative learning experiences, such as chorus, drama, karate, etc. • Physical education/health classes (full time nurse) • Spanish Integration • Offers a full time kindergarten. • After School Enrichment programs provide activities such as sports, drama, garden art, etc. • At other times, students are grouped by interest levels. For example, each Friday, students get together for ELPs (Exploratory Learning Programs). Students get to rank their top choices for a six-week class taught by a teacher or consultant. Classes have included specialized sciences, creative writing, music, gardening, mural painting, digital technology, furniture refurbishment, puppetry, tumbling, and many others. • Technology is currently being upgraded with new computers and Smart Boards in the classrooms. School wide behavior plan. [|Behavior Plan] (“WELCOME TO KINGSTON HILL ACADEMY - A K-5 Public Charter School,” n.d.)

**Teaching Evaluation:** KHA, in addition to Rhode Island as a whole, has highly qualified teachers. In Rhode Island, 3% of teachers statewide are not highly qualified; however, at Kingston Hill Academy, 6% are not highly qualified. Although KHA has a higher percentage of non-highly qualified teachers, students react positively when reacting to their teachers and the environment they set up. When students were asked about their teachers and the efficiency of the class, they responded with positive assurances that teachers were effective. Students stated that teachers were giving them direction, intellectually stimulating work, explanation, manageable classwork and homework, opportunities, and an inviting classroom space. Overall, the teachers at KHA are highly qualified and every classroom is stimulating and inviting for students. (“Kingston Hill Academy,” n.d.) __**Family Support:**__ Support at home is vital in a student's success. Encouragement from parents gives a child motivation that helps him/her succeed. At the Kingston Hill Academy, parents seem to be very supportive. Students responded that their parents are eager to know what their child is doing in school (92.3% at Kingston Hill Academy, and 94.8% statewide). In addition, 100% of Kingston Hill students and 99.5% of Rhode Island students said that their parents want them to get good grades. Parents not only focus on school presently, but the future of their children. 85% of Kingston Hill Academy parents talk to their child about jobs they may want in the future, 86.5% of Rhode Island parents do as well. 87.5% of Kingston Hill parents and 86.5% of Rhode Island parents talk to their children about going to college. In conclusion, parents not only show their support by talking to their child(ren), but they also get involved in the Board of Trustees to have a more hands on experience in their child's education. (“Kingston Hill Academy,” n.d.) __**Board of Trustees:**__ The Board of Trustees is a key element in Kingston Hill Academy. KHA has a board of trustees that meets throughout the school year to facilitate the planning and development of the school. The Board of Trustees consists of parents, members from the sponsor organization (Groden Center), special and general education professionals, community partners, university faculty, and parents of general and special education students. This board monitors KHA teachers, students, and programs. (“WELCOME TO KINGSTON HILL ACADEMY - A K-5 Public Charter School,” n.d.)

__**Funding:**__ Kingston Hill Academy is very well funded. This allows for proper facilities and materials for students. Students report that they have adequate desks, enough books for everyone, and an attractive school. KHA give students a place to be proud to attend and learn in. Relatedly, attendance rates for KHA is slightly above the statewide percentage; students are attending school 96% in comparison to 95% statewide. More drastically, chronic absenteeism is much lower for KHA than it is statewide (KHA is only 3% while statewide, it is 17%). (“Kingston Hill Academy,” n.d.)


 * ** Funding and Resources ** || Year  ||  This District  ||
 * District Property Value per Student || FY2009  ||  $ 1,010,258.47  ||
 * District Tax Rate per $1000.00 || FY2009  ||  $ 13.97  ||
 * District Per Pupil Expenditure || FY2009  ||  $ 13,700  ||
 * District Property Tax Capacity || FY2009  ||  $ 157  ||
 * District Tax Effort || FY2009  ||  $ 77  ||
 * District Median Family Income || FY2009  ||  $ 69,559  ||

(“Kingston Hill Academy,” n.d.)
 * ** Attendance ** || Year  ||  This School  ||  Statewide  ||
 * Attendance Rate (Elementary Schools) || 2011-12  ||  96 %  ||  95 %  ||
 * Chronic Absenteeism || 2011-12  ||  3 %  ||  17 %  ||

__**Assessments:**__ KHA has two assessments for students: Lexia and Symphony Mathis. Lexia is a technology-based system that is a component of the reading curriculum. It provides structured practice on essential reading skills such as phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. It's a program to advance foundational reading development for students of all abilities, pre-K through grade 4, and accelerate reading development for at-risk students in grades 4–12. Symphony Mathis is a web-enabled program that helps students understand at a conceptual level. Students move at their own pace and learn how math works. For more information: [|Lexia] and [|Symphony Math] (“WELCOME TO KINGSTON HILL ACADEMY - A K-5 Public Charter School,” n.d.)

In addition to the Lexia and the Symphony Mathia, The New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) is administered to all third, fourth and fifth grade students each fall. This test is an assessment of student aptitude in the areas of Language Arts (Reading and Writing) and Mathematics. A science NECAP is administered to fourth graders each spring. As shown in the table below, KHA is well above the proficiency rates in every grade and subject according to the state proficiency. (“Kingston Hill Academy,” n.d.)

(“Kingston Hill Academy,” n.d.)
 * NECAP Assessments || Year  ||  % Proficient School  ||  % Proficient State  ||
 * 3rd Grade Math || 2012-13  ||  78 %  ||  60 %  ||
 * 3rd Grade Reading || 2012-13  ||  88 %  ||  70 %  ||
 * 4th Grade Math || 2012-13  ||  86 %  ||  65 %  ||
 * 4th Grade Reading || 2012-13  ||  88 %  ||  69 %  ||
 * 4th Grade Science || 2011-12  ||  76 %  ||  45 %  ||
 * 5th Grade Math || 2012-13  ||  95 %  ||  62 %  ||
 * 5th Grade Reading || 2012-13  ||  100 %  ||  72 %  ||
 * 5th Grade Writing || 2012-13  ||  90 %  ||  59 %  ||

Kingston Hill Academy is an excellent school for students. Parents in Rhode Island should be aware of this charter school. It is well above the academic achievement levels of the state. KHA has highly qualified and caring teachers, a nurturing community, and sufficient funding.KHA is rated the number two charter school in the state by Go Local Prov.com with a 97.5% rating. In other words, KHA is ahead of 23 other charter schools (“WELCOME TO KINGSTON HILL ACADEMY - A K-5 Public Charter School,” n.d.). In addition to being recognized as a top chart school, students students seem to enjoy attending Kingston Hill Academy based on survey feedback. Overall, Kingston Hill is a great school for students and the school plans on expanding in the future to accommodate more children. __**Citations:**__ Kingston Hill Academy. (n.d.). //InfoWorks!// Retrieved from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/kingston-hill-academy WELCOME TO KINGSTON HILL ACADEMY - A K-5 Public Charter School. (n.d.). Retrieved December 3, 2013, from http://kingstonhill.org/drupal/
 * __Conclusion:__**