Johnston Schools Earn High Marks on State's 'Report Card'

The Rhode Island Department of Education gave all grades of "Typical" or "Leading," two of the top three classifications in its 2012 School Report Card.

In contrast to other districts, where 16 schools are on the Education Department's intervention list, as reported last week by the Providence Journal, Johnston's schools were noted for scoring near the state average in math and reading, and in some cases surpassing the Rhode Island statistics.

With schools ranked on a 100-point, six-category system, led elementary schools with a 71 overall score and earned the "Leading" classification. Sarah Dyer Barnes (60.33), Thornton (52.67) and Winsor Hill (52) all met the Department of Education's "Typical" guidelines.

Ferri Middle and Johnston High Schools also reached "Typical" status, with Ferri scoring 51.50 and the high school 59.83 out of 100.

Twenty-six schools met the "Commended," or top level, of achievement, including two each in Cranston and Scituate and one each in Providence, North Providence, and Smithfield.

The scores are determined by reviewing each school's measure of:

• "proficiency," meaning how many students meet state goals;
• "progress," or how students are in comparison with school-specific targets;
• "gap closure," or work to improve scores by students with disabilities or English learners;  
• "distinction," the number of students surpassing state goals;
• "growth," a measure of whether all elementary and middle school students are improving;
• and high school-specific statistics on graduation rate and student improvement.

scored higher on its target graduation rate — 81.9 percent — than the state goal of 75.2 percent for the class of 2011.

For complete test results, click the following links for:

• Johnston Elementary School scores
• Ferri Middle School scores
• Johnston High School scores