Secondary FAQs
How are the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) connected to post-secondary preparation?
Currently, 25% of the nation’s students entering four-year colleges will need to take part in remedial courses.1 The Community College of Rhode Island further estimates that 70- 75% of recent high school graduates will need to take remedial courses.2 These remedial courses come at a high cost to Rhode Island students, contribute to increased student loan debt, and are even tied to significantly lower graduation rates—2012 research from Complete College America estimates that, of those students entering remedial studies, “fewer than 1 in 10 graduate from community colleges within three years and little more than a third complete bachelor’s degrees in six years.”3 The CCSS aim to combat the need for remedial course work, decreasing college costs for Rhode Island students and setting students up for success in continuing education environments. The CCSS ensure that students throughout Rhode Island and the nation all have access to the same achievement goals and the supporting skills and knowledge to reach these goals, no matter where they were born, what neighborhood they live in, or what school they attend. Careers now require more and different skills than in the past. The CCSS mark an evolution to help Rhode Island students acquire the core academic knowledge and skills needed to succeed in college, careers, and the demands of the current economy.
How are the CCSS connected to post-secondary opportunities?
AP, PSAT, SAT and ACT assessments in the areas of mathematics and English Language Arts have been aligned to the Common Core Standards. Since Barrington High School incorporates the standards into curriculum, Barrington High Schools students will be prepared for these measures.
Are the CCSS the Barrington Curriculum?
No, Rhode Island educators still maintain control of how they will design their own instruction in order to meet the diverse needs of their student population. Teachers in Barrington have collaborated on the development of curriculum and the selection of resources to support the curriculum. As with the Grade Span Expectations and the Grade Level Expectations (GSEs/GLEs), Barrington has aligned curriculum objectives to the standards. The standards are only the minimum foundation of the curriculum. Curriculum will continue to be initiated, designed, and developed by Barrington; and instruction will continue to be initiated at the school and classroom level.
Is the CCSS a top-down curriculum?
No, the CCSS are standards not curriculum. Barrington teachers continue to work on the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of the curriculum. Barrington has created opportunities for teacher leadership in curriculum called “Curriculum Point People.” This group of talented teachers works closely with their grade level teams on strategies for implementation, receives feedback for change, and creates solutions for improvement. The curriculum is truly a living document created and led by the Barrington educators.
Do the CCSS require all teachers to teach the same without creativity?
No, The CCSS clarifies the main skills and goals we want to provide Rhode Island students; it does not dictate how students will learn these skills or mandate use of specific curricula, lessons, or texts. Teachers still maintain ownership of their classroom instruction and the ability to creatively design and deliver instruction within their classrooms.
In Barrington, the inclusion of technology integration into the curriculum is one small example of creativity in design and implementation. Students and teachers across the district are engaged in creative lessons that require students to create, critically think, collaborate and communicate using 21st Century Skills.
Barrington Public Schools values the use of research-based instructional strategies in the classroom. To that end, the standards do not dictate how teachers teach. Educators work collaboratively to develop unit plans that incorporate research-based, high yield instructional strategies from the work of Robert Marzano and John Hattie. The curriculum development process builds strongly upon the research of Rick DuFour and Michael Fullan as it relates to professional learning communities and systems improvement. Following the TPACK model, teachers incorporate technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge into each unit. Units of study build upon the research of Grant Wiggins' and Jay McTighe's work Understanding by Design.
How have the writing rubrics changed?
Barrington High School has moved to a five point rubric. The rubrics were updated to align to the new standards and shift from a persuasive essay to argumentative essay. Students who score a 3 continue to be marked as proficient; however, there is now a clearer span of secure proficiency through proficiency with distinction. The use of a five point rubric, allows teachers to provide more specificity in their feedback to students.
Has the senior project rubric changed?
Barrington High School’s senior project committee has opted to allow students to submit two different formats for senior project, an argumentative paper or an informational paper. Students are now given greater choice in the format of paper best suited for their individual project. The rubric used to score the senior project paper is the same rubric being used to score papers in the academic classrooms, providing students multiple opportunities to learn the framework of the rubric.
Have teachers been provided with professional development?
Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) adopted the Common Core State Standards in 2010. Since then, RIDE has provided the state’s educators and schools with extensive opportunities to learn about and practice with the standards and interact with the standards through their professional learning communities and networks. Rhode Island educators and students have been preparing for the transition to the CCSS for over four years. In addition to professional development opportunities provided by RIDE, Barrington has afforded teachers training at the grade, department, school and district level over the course of the four years of implementation. Most recently, teachers have been provided with instructional coaching on the math workshop model, types of writing, and mathematical practices.
How will students in Rhode Island perform on the Partnership for Assessment of College and Career Readiness (PARCC)?
Educational agencies throughout the country have acknowledged that student test scores will likely take an initial dip. Rhode Island is no exception; this dip will not be cause for alarm or indicative of students’ “backsliding.” As always, these test scores provide context, not conclusions, and will just be one of many data points that parents and educators can use to inform larger, more comprehensive conversations about student achievement and student learning.
Can students opt out of the PARCC Assessment?
Students are able to opt out of the field assessment (Spring 2014) only. PARCC is the accountability assessment adopted by the state of Rhode Island. As a result, it is required that all eligible public school students be assessed using this tool commencing the spring of 2015. Public school students currently eligible for the Alternate Assessment will continue to be assessed under the Alternate Assessment System. For students taking the PARCC, accommodations are available. For a complete description of available accommodations for English as a Second Language students, students with special needs and students with 504 Plans, see the PARCC Accommodation Manual.
What grades will be assessed with the PARCC?
Students in grades 3-11 in English Language Arts and students in grades 3 through Algebra II in mathematics will be assessed annually with the PARCC beginning in March of 2015.
NEW Will Juniors be double tested during the 2014 2015 school year in PARCC and NECAP?
No. The Juniors in the class of 2016 will only take NECAP. They are the last and only class taking NECAP reading, math and writing during the 2014-2015 school year. NECAP science will continue to be administered to grades 5,8 and 11.
Will PARCC be a diploma or graduation requirement?
RIDE has not issued a decision about the PARCC being used as a diploma or graduation requirement. At this time, the Class of 2016 is the last class required to pass the (New England Comprehensive Assessment Program) NECAP with a minimum score of 2 on both the math and English Language Arts assessments during their junior year. To view a complete outline of the Rhode Island diploma requirements, visit the RIDE website.
Are Barrington teachers evaluated solely on student performance on the state assessments?
No, the teacher evaluation tool does not currently include student growth on the state assessment. This may change in the future. Currently, teachers are evaluated on assessments created at the school level, observations, and professional practice. Multiple data points are considered for each teacher, and the use of multiple data points, observation, and professional practice will not change even if the state assessment does.
1 Rhode Island Kids Count. (June 2013). Rhode Island Kids Count Issue Brief: Improving college access and completion in Rhode Island.
2 Ibid.
3 Complete College America. (2012). Remediation: Higher education's bridge to nowhere. 3
Currently, 25% of the nation’s students entering four-year colleges will need to take part in remedial courses.1 The Community College of Rhode Island further estimates that 70- 75% of recent high school graduates will need to take remedial courses.2 These remedial courses come at a high cost to Rhode Island students, contribute to increased student loan debt, and are even tied to significantly lower graduation rates—2012 research from Complete College America estimates that, of those students entering remedial studies, “fewer than 1 in 10 graduate from community colleges within three years and little more than a third complete bachelor’s degrees in six years.”3 The CCSS aim to combat the need for remedial course work, decreasing college costs for Rhode Island students and setting students up for success in continuing education environments. The CCSS ensure that students throughout Rhode Island and the nation all have access to the same achievement goals and the supporting skills and knowledge to reach these goals, no matter where they were born, what neighborhood they live in, or what school they attend. Careers now require more and different skills than in the past. The CCSS mark an evolution to help Rhode Island students acquire the core academic knowledge and skills needed to succeed in college, careers, and the demands of the current economy.
How are the CCSS connected to post-secondary opportunities?
AP, PSAT, SAT and ACT assessments in the areas of mathematics and English Language Arts have been aligned to the Common Core Standards. Since Barrington High School incorporates the standards into curriculum, Barrington High Schools students will be prepared for these measures.
Are the CCSS the Barrington Curriculum?
No, Rhode Island educators still maintain control of how they will design their own instruction in order to meet the diverse needs of their student population. Teachers in Barrington have collaborated on the development of curriculum and the selection of resources to support the curriculum. As with the Grade Span Expectations and the Grade Level Expectations (GSEs/GLEs), Barrington has aligned curriculum objectives to the standards. The standards are only the minimum foundation of the curriculum. Curriculum will continue to be initiated, designed, and developed by Barrington; and instruction will continue to be initiated at the school and classroom level.
Is the CCSS a top-down curriculum?
No, the CCSS are standards not curriculum. Barrington teachers continue to work on the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of the curriculum. Barrington has created opportunities for teacher leadership in curriculum called “Curriculum Point People.” This group of talented teachers works closely with their grade level teams on strategies for implementation, receives feedback for change, and creates solutions for improvement. The curriculum is truly a living document created and led by the Barrington educators.
Do the CCSS require all teachers to teach the same without creativity?
No, The CCSS clarifies the main skills and goals we want to provide Rhode Island students; it does not dictate how students will learn these skills or mandate use of specific curricula, lessons, or texts. Teachers still maintain ownership of their classroom instruction and the ability to creatively design and deliver instruction within their classrooms.
In Barrington, the inclusion of technology integration into the curriculum is one small example of creativity in design and implementation. Students and teachers across the district are engaged in creative lessons that require students to create, critically think, collaborate and communicate using 21st Century Skills.
Barrington Public Schools values the use of research-based instructional strategies in the classroom. To that end, the standards do not dictate how teachers teach. Educators work collaboratively to develop unit plans that incorporate research-based, high yield instructional strategies from the work of Robert Marzano and John Hattie. The curriculum development process builds strongly upon the research of Rick DuFour and Michael Fullan as it relates to professional learning communities and systems improvement. Following the TPACK model, teachers incorporate technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge into each unit. Units of study build upon the research of Grant Wiggins' and Jay McTighe's work Understanding by Design.
How have the writing rubrics changed?
Barrington High School has moved to a five point rubric. The rubrics were updated to align to the new standards and shift from a persuasive essay to argumentative essay. Students who score a 3 continue to be marked as proficient; however, there is now a clearer span of secure proficiency through proficiency with distinction. The use of a five point rubric, allows teachers to provide more specificity in their feedback to students.
Has the senior project rubric changed?
Barrington High School’s senior project committee has opted to allow students to submit two different formats for senior project, an argumentative paper or an informational paper. Students are now given greater choice in the format of paper best suited for their individual project. The rubric used to score the senior project paper is the same rubric being used to score papers in the academic classrooms, providing students multiple opportunities to learn the framework of the rubric.
Have teachers been provided with professional development?
Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) adopted the Common Core State Standards in 2010. Since then, RIDE has provided the state’s educators and schools with extensive opportunities to learn about and practice with the standards and interact with the standards through their professional learning communities and networks. Rhode Island educators and students have been preparing for the transition to the CCSS for over four years. In addition to professional development opportunities provided by RIDE, Barrington has afforded teachers training at the grade, department, school and district level over the course of the four years of implementation. Most recently, teachers have been provided with instructional coaching on the math workshop model, types of writing, and mathematical practices.
How will students in Rhode Island perform on the Partnership for Assessment of College and Career Readiness (PARCC)?
Educational agencies throughout the country have acknowledged that student test scores will likely take an initial dip. Rhode Island is no exception; this dip will not be cause for alarm or indicative of students’ “backsliding.” As always, these test scores provide context, not conclusions, and will just be one of many data points that parents and educators can use to inform larger, more comprehensive conversations about student achievement and student learning.
Can students opt out of the PARCC Assessment?
Students are able to opt out of the field assessment (Spring 2014) only. PARCC is the accountability assessment adopted by the state of Rhode Island. As a result, it is required that all eligible public school students be assessed using this tool commencing the spring of 2015. Public school students currently eligible for the Alternate Assessment will continue to be assessed under the Alternate Assessment System. For students taking the PARCC, accommodations are available. For a complete description of available accommodations for English as a Second Language students, students with special needs and students with 504 Plans, see the PARCC Accommodation Manual.
What grades will be assessed with the PARCC?
Students in grades 3-11 in English Language Arts and students in grades 3 through Algebra II in mathematics will be assessed annually with the PARCC beginning in March of 2015.
NEW Will Juniors be double tested during the 2014 2015 school year in PARCC and NECAP?
No. The Juniors in the class of 2016 will only take NECAP. They are the last and only class taking NECAP reading, math and writing during the 2014-2015 school year. NECAP science will continue to be administered to grades 5,8 and 11.
Will PARCC be a diploma or graduation requirement?
RIDE has not issued a decision about the PARCC being used as a diploma or graduation requirement. At this time, the Class of 2016 is the last class required to pass the (New England Comprehensive Assessment Program) NECAP with a minimum score of 2 on both the math and English Language Arts assessments during their junior year. To view a complete outline of the Rhode Island diploma requirements, visit the RIDE website.
Are Barrington teachers evaluated solely on student performance on the state assessments?
No, the teacher evaluation tool does not currently include student growth on the state assessment. This may change in the future. Currently, teachers are evaluated on assessments created at the school level, observations, and professional practice. Multiple data points are considered for each teacher, and the use of multiple data points, observation, and professional practice will not change even if the state assessment does.
1 Rhode Island Kids Count. (June 2013). Rhode Island Kids Count Issue Brief: Improving college access and completion in Rhode Island.
2 Ibid.
3 Complete College America. (2012). Remediation: Higher education's bridge to nowhere. 3