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Washington Oak preschool earns BrightStars five‑star rating; district notes state rule changes
Summary
Coventry Public Schools staff told the school committee that Washington Oak’s integrated preschool and state pre‑K program received a five‑star BrightStars rating during an unannounced ECCRRS visit; the district said new state rules will raise future BrightStars expectations.
Washington Oak’s preschool program received a five‑star rating from Rhode Island’s BrightStars early‑childhood quality system, the Coventry School Committee heard on Dec. 12.
Assistant special education director Allison Roby and preschool staff told the committee that BrightStars uses an on‑site evaluation tool (ECCRRS) with multiple subscales and unannounced visits. Sarah Bogdan described the rating as rigorous: "a 5 stars is the, highest rating that you can get from Bright Stars," and said the evaluators stayed for the program’s full classroom period to assess learning environment, staff–child interactions, ratios and family engagement.
Roby and presenters outlined the program’s history: the district first applied to BrightStars in 2014, received state pre‑K classrooms and grants to improve quality, achieved three stars in 2015 and first earned five stars at Washington Oak in 2018. After a BrightStars pause during the COVID period, the district reapplied and received five stars for Washington Oak again in June 2024.
District staff said BrightStars review covers documentation (including early‑learning standards and assessment files) and an unannounced, multi‑hour ECCRRS visit. The report showed an overall ECCRRS score of 5.65 with areas identified for continued improvement; Roby said the district will prepare quality‑improvement plans to raise subscales closer to the ECCRRS maximum.
Committee members praised the program. Member Cody Riedell said the process “forces everybody to be equally prepared,” and Member Amanda Carlo asked how the district would publicize the recognition; Cowart said the district uses newsletters, social media and the annual budget book and will add items to a district "brag" web page.
Staff also told the committee that BrightStars is changing how public‑school programs will be evaluated separately from childcare providers, with higher professional‑development expectations set to take effect in June 2025; the district said Washington Oak’s rating attaches to the building and will be valid for three years.
"We just recently earned 5 stars from Bright Stars," Bogdan said. "There were only 14 other public school systems in locations throughout the state that got this 5 star rating at this point."
