Barrington Schools' Scores Glow on 'District Report' Night

Thursday night’s School Committee meeting was very special to Chairman Patrick Guida.

It was the annual District Report Night. And Guida said he was pleased that at least one member of the news media was on hand to report the results to the community because typical attendance at School Committee meetings is around a dozen people.

“It’s a very important event,” said Guida, because it paints a picture through leading test scores of where the Barrington schools stand in comparison to other districts – and that picture is very pretty.

Superintendent Robert McIntyre described the District Report as “a comprehensive view of scores that wraps all the data into one night that brings the School Committee up to date.”

Scores come from the New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP), the SATs for college admissions, and Advanced Placement (AP) tests. And for the first time this year, said McIntyre, the administration compared Barrington High School to the top 25 public high schools in Massachusetts.

According to the District Report, Barrington ranks first overall in Rhode Island in NECAP scores and second only to East Greenwich in SAT scores.

Barrington High School’s SAT scores would rank it 16th in Massachusetts in reading and writing and 13th in math, according to data put together by Boston Magazine in September, 2010, said McIntyre.

“It’s a good barometer of where we stand,” said Guida. “We’ve very competitive with these schools.”

Of course, Barrington is most proud of its #1 NECAP rank in Rhode Island for students considered proficient with distinction and proficient. Only Classical ranks higher in reading (98 to 95 percent). Only East Greenwich ranks higher in writing (80 to 74 percent). Barrington beats out East Greenwich in math (74 to 68 percent).

Barrington’s combined scores put it on top.

Barrington schools, therefore, far exceed RI proficiency levels in reading, math, and writing. The high school’s verbal, writing and math SAT scores also far exceed state and national averages.

High school students who take the AP courses and tests also are showing “steady improvement,” McIntyre said.

Scores average in the high 3s or 4s on a scale of 1-5 for most tests.

“We do very well,” said McIntyre. “We’d like to do better.”