Barrington students continue to outperform their peers across the state when it comes to standardized testing. 

The recent round of RICAS test results showed Barrington students were tops in Rhode Island in both math and English language arts. 

As a district, Barrington outperformed the state average in the RICAS math and language arts test by more than 30 points each. Barrington Schools also outperformed all other school districts in the state in the RICAS math and language results; the district outperformed all other K-12 districts in the science (NGSA) scores; and the district’s SAT scores were better than every other district in Rhode Island. 

Barrington Superintendent of Schools Michael Messore was happy to share the continued strong results. 

“Our students work very hard. Our teachers work very hard,” Messore said. 

Barrington Middle School students showed improvements on the RICAS math and language assessments. A year ago, 72.2 percent of BMS students met or exceeded the expectations on the RICAS language arts assessment. That number increased to 73.6 percent this year. 

With the RICAS math assessment, the percent of Barrington Middle School students meeting or exceeding expectations rose from 61.7 to 63.5. 

The scores at Hampden Meadows School also improved. A year ago, 58 percent of HMS students met or exceeded the expectations on the RICAS language arts assessment. That number increased to 64.2 percent this year. 

Sowams School saw a dramatic increase in its RICAS math assessment scores. Last year, 67.1 percent of Sowams students met or exceeded expectations. This year, that figure jumped to 78.2 percent. 

Some local schools saw drops on the RICAS assessments. Nayatt School, which continues to be one of the top-performing schools in the state, dropped from 75.5 percent meeting or exceeding expectations on the RICAS math assessments to 71.6 percent. There was a drop of 2 percentage points for Nayatt on the RICAS language assessment. 

Primrose Hill also saw a drop. On the RICAS math assessment, Primrose Hill went from 68.8 percent to 46.2 percent. That school also dropped from 60.3 percent meeting or exceeding expectations on the RICAS language assessment to 54.4 percent.

Messore said district officials will dig deeper into the assessment data and address the areas in need of improvement. He said it was just a few years ago when Sowams saw a dip in their scores, but officials quickly addressed the issues and saw the Sowams scores rise. 

In a press release to the district, Messore applauded the progress made this year and will use the assessment results to identify areas for improvement, address achievement gaps in performance, and provide all students with the tools needed to excel. 

“Beyond test scores, Barrington Public Schools will continue to create opportunities for our students to grow in their demonstration and application of real-world learning through deep learning, project-based learning, and service learning,” Messore wrote. “We will continue to support our students’ social-emotional well-being as well as encourage our students’ development as ethical, global citizens.”