RIDE Places 2 EG Schools In "Warning" Category

The tidal wave of statistics on schools released by the state Department of Education last week shows two of East Greenwich's schools – EGHS and Meadowbrook Farms – achieved "warning" status, the fourth classification out of a seven-tier system. 

East Greenwich High School scored a total of 67 points out of 100; Meadowbrook scored a total of 53.5 points.

The classifications reflect data on everything from student proficiency and graduation rates to growth year-over-year and gaps between groups of students. (You'll find the full list at the bottom of this article.)

EGHS got into trouble over what RIDE calls "gap closures," the gap between students with disabilities and english language learners and all students and the gap between students of color and all students. EGHS scored 24 out of 30 points in the 2011-12 school year. It scored 12 out of 30 this past year. 

"That's where East Greenwich High School did not do well," said RIDE spokesman Elliot Krieger. That category must answer the question, "Is the school serving all students?"

For Meadowbrook Farms, the problem was a failure to show "growth," something measured only in grades K through 8 and defined by RIDE as "Are all students making progress?"

MFS scored 7.5 out of a possible 25 points, down from 13.3 points last year, which was enough to kick it into the warning classification.

The other EG schools break down this way: Frenchtown earned a "typical" classification with 59 points out of 100; Hanaford earned a "leading" classification with 76.8 points, Eldredge earned a "leading" classification with 75 points; and Cole Middle School earned a "typical" classification with 66.8 points.

None of EG's six schools earned RIDE's highest classification, "commended." The classifications, highest to lowest, are commended, leading, typical, warning, focus, priority.

As warning schools, EGHS and Meadowbrook are expected to "come up with a school improvement plan to address that problem," said Krieger.

"I have met with the leadership team to look at strategies going forward," said Victor Mercurio, superintendent of schools. "It looks like at the high school we did not have the appropriate achievement gain in our special needs subgroup so we’re working on that piece. At Meadowbrook, it looks like we had students at reading levels that may have been slightly lower than their predecessors which could have had an impact in both reading and mathematic achievement from one year to the next," he said. "We're working on it."

“Our accountability system, which the U.S. Department of Education approved last year, provides us with a snapshot that shows where our schools excel and where our schools need resources and support,” said Deborah A. Gist, Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education, in a press release.

Click here for a list of school classifications from around the state. 

Click here for a fact sheet on the system, known as the Rhode Island Accountability System.

Here are the areas RIDE considers when arriving at its classifications:

·         Proficiency: How many students have attained proficiency or better?

·         Distinction: How many students have attained distinction?

·         Participation: How many students take the state assessments?

·         Gap-closing: Is the school serving all students, including those with disabilities and English Learners?

·         Progress: Is the school approaching its 2017 targets?

·         Growth (K-8): Are all students making progress?

·         Improvement (high schools): Is the school improving annually?

·         Graduation (high schools): Is the school reaching its graduation-rate goals?