Barrington+High+School

District: Barrington School: Barrington High School Author: Rachel Steyert = Barrington High School =

Introduction
Barrington High School is a school for grades 9-12, and is located at 220 Lincoln Avenue, Barrington RI. The school performs very well academically, with high proficiency rates in math and English, high SAT scores, and high AP grades and participation. However, while they exceed all No Child Left Behind standards, statistics gathered from teachers suggest that the curriculum may need some improvement, and should have more emphasis on learning than testing. The community is mostly upper class and not very diverse, with a large majority of residents being white. A survey of the students reveals some safety issues, but the student body is still relatively healthy compared to the rest of the state. The school seems to work hard at keeping families and the community involved with the education of their children. I hope that this report will be informative to anyone interested in the educational experience at Barrington High School, be they an educator, parent, or student.

Demographics
Barrington is not a diverse area ethnically nor economically. The town is 96.4% white, 0.7% African American, 1.8% Asian, and 1.1% Latino. The make up of the student body of Barrington High School is similar to the make up of the town: 95.2% White, 3.2% Asian, 0.9% African American, and 0.6% Latino. The current average grade size is approximately 280 students. The community is also very well off economically. The median family income is $84,657, higher than the state median of $71,081 and much higher than the national median of $50,046. The percentage of families below the poverty line is a mere 3%, lower than the state average of 3.4% and the national average of 9.2%. This contributes to the success of the students, as they are taken care for and able to focus on school work. In 2000, 11% of children were living in single parent households, compared to 30% state-wide. This also may be a factor in student achievement, as a stable home environment puts less stress on students.

Learning and Achievement
Barrington High School is a very high achieving school, with high proficiency rates, SAT scores, and AP scores and participation. In 2008, 64% of 11th grade students were proficient in math, 91% in reading, and 60% in writing. In 2009, these numbers increased to 71%, 94%, and 76%, respectively. Also, 11% of students were proficient with distinction in math, 58% in reading, and 16% in writing. All of these results are substantially higher than state numbers. In 2009, only 27% of Rhode Island students were proficient in math, 69% in reading, and 41% in writing. 72% of non-poverty students reached proficiency in math, as did 94% in reading. White students yielded almost identical results, as did both male and female students and non-English-language learners. It is noteworthy that there were not enough students of other ethnic backgrounds, migrants, or English-language learners to make a statistic. There are not enough students in poverty to make a statistic. This is especially notable because, for some categories, only 10 students were required to make a statistic. 32% of disabled students tested proficient in math, while 65% reached proficiency in reading. 76% of students without disabilities reached proficiency in math, as did 98% in reading. The index scores of all student types in both math and English language arts exceeded the 2008 state target. The school has a 91.2% graduation rate, far exceeding the state average of 79.2% of students.

SAT scores in all categories are higher than both the state and national average. The average scores in mathematics is 591 (state: 487, national: 510), in reading is 556 (state: 483, national: 497), and in writing is 559 (state: 479, national: 488). 92% of seniors took the SAT, compared to 57% in the state and 39% nationally.

89% of seniors took and AP exam in 2009, the highest percentage of any Rhode Island school. 84% of these students scored at college-level mastery. That's 210 students taking 365 exams, with 306 of those exams being passed at college-level mastery. In Rhode Island as a whole, only 22% of students took an AP exam, and 60% of those students achieved mastery. This combined with their high SAT scores most likely makes Barrington High School students attractive to colleges.

According to the the school's 2008 School Report Card, Barrington High School has excelled above and beyond No Child Left Behind Standards, outperforming both the district and state statistics in English and Mathematics. The school exceeds the target of 95% participation rates for both Math and English Language Arts, with 99.3% participation in Math and 99.7% participation in English Language Arts. This can be compared to the the district's 99.3% participation in English and 99% participation in Math, as well as the state's 97.8% participation in English and 97.6% participation in Math. The school's statistics are even more impressive scoring-wise, with 95.5% of students testing proficient in English and 87.2% proficient in Math. Both of these greatly exceed the target scores of 75% and 63.2% proficiency rates in English and Math respectively. Again, these scores outperform the district's average of 95.3% proficient in English and 87.1% in Math, and greatly exceeds the state's numbers, with 85.2% proficient in English and a mere 66.3% proficient in Math.

Despite their high achievement on tests, weekly activities reported by teachers shows that perhaps there are areas in which the curriculum could be improved. On a weekly basis, 47% of teachers examine students' work to guide instruction, 40% of students receive instruction in writing skills, 47% of instructional material relates to students' interests (though this is according to the teachers. It would be interesting to get the opinion of the student body on this statistic), 24% of students revise their reports and papers, 21% of students provide feedback to one another, and 52% of students are taught problem solving and decision making. It would help to improve the curriculum if the amount of time spent revising and giving feedback was closer to the amount of time spent writing. Feedback and revision helps students to see what areas of their writing need improvement and what they can do to improve those areas. This is an important skill for these students to develop, as it will help them to better communicate their ideas in various situations they may encounter in their lives. Also, encouraging students to give each other feedback will encourage them to think more critically of their own writing.

Safe and Supportive Environment/Health
A look into student reports about safety reveal some surprising results. The high achieving Barrington High School may not be quite as safe as one might imagine. In a student survey, 68% of students reported that they feel they can talk to a teacher/staff member about academic issues most of the time, and 16% said they feel they can talk to them about personal or family problems all or most of the time. 12% of students reported that not getting along with teachers is a moderate to very big hassle, 23% report being robbed at least once in school, 8% state being teased or bothered by other students is a moderate to very big hassle, and 22% claim that someone in school has tried to sell them drugs at least once. That's over one in five students reporting having been robbed or offered drugs at least once. Regardless of the safety issues, the students at Barrington High School seem to be relatively healthy. Statistics involving drug/alcohol use, daily sleep, and weight problems are all close to or below state statistics. About 18% of students say they have smoked at least one day, compared to 22% statewide. Alcohol use is about half as much as in the state of Rhode Island as a whole, with only a little over 20% of Barrington students reporting having drank alcohol at least once. Statistics for sleep are identical to the state average, with almost 70% of students getting 7 hours or less of sleep each night (though this is still an important issue as it greatly affects focus, performance, and health). They eat breakfast more often than the average Rhode Island student, with only a little over 30% of students saying that they only eat breakfast two days or fewer in a week, while 50% do in the state. Only 6% of students have no regular doctor or nurse, compared to 12% of all Rhode Island high school students.

Engaging Familes and Community
Based on reports from teachers and parents alike, Barrington High School appears to be focused on keeping families and the community involved in the education of their children. Almost 100% of parents agree that the community supports this school, compared to about 90% statewide. More than 80% of teachers say they are satisfied with the extent to which parents and the community are supportive of the school and its program, a significantly higher number than the statewide percentage of less than 30%. Less than 30% of students report being home unsupervised form 3 or more hours a day or 3 or more days a week, compared to slightly over 30% statewide. 50% of teacher agree that parental involvement in school governance is essential to effective education. Statewide statistics are about the same. 20% of parents report that the school does a good job contacting them if their child does something well/improves, 40% report being contacted if their child is having a problem, almost 70% say the school responds to their concerns and requests within a reasonable time, over 20% have parent-teacher conferences, and 40% are asked to volunteer at the school, compared to statewide statistics of 30%, 50%, 50%, almost 60%, and 30%. Almost 90% of teachers agree that other teachers on their team or grade level maintain positive relationships with students' parents, compared to less than 80% statewide. Almost 100% agree that two-way communication between home and school is essential to effective education, compare to 85% statewide. This is an important attitude for teachers to have, as it shows that teachers are willing to work with parents to meet each child's individual needs.

Conclusion
Barrington High School performs incredibly well all forms of standardized testing and AP exams, and greatly exceeds No Child Left Behind Standards. Despite a few concerning statistics, the school still seems to create a relatively safe learning environment. The school also does an excellent job keeping families and the community involved, according to parents and teachers alike. Still, in such a homogeneous, upper-class society, it's much easier for children to excel, as a lack of challenges/issues at home allows students to better focus on their school work. Despite the school's glowing achievement, the data still leaves some questions unanswered: Is the curriculum focused on testing or learning? It's easy for students to do well on standardized testing when what they're being taught is centered around those tests, but that doesn't mean they're learning the skills they need for college (and ultimately their future careers/life). This is possibly the most important question an educator can ask. After all, what is the function of education but to help children expand the realm of their knowledge and prepare them for their futures? It would have been interesting to have some insight from the student body on whether or not they think what they are learning is relevant. Also, what about the student groups (different races, children in poverty, etc) of which there were too few students for a statistic to be formed? How different are their test scores from the norm? Do they struggle any more than the average student? It would be interesting to know what unique challenges these students face, as it could help the school better lead them towards success. Regardless of these unanswered questions, Barrington High School appears to be an excellent school with a safe and supportive community, working together to push students to succeed.