Superintendent: Barbour district posts broad test participation and measurable gains, highlights subgroup improvements

BARBOUR, R.I. — Superintendent Mayfield told the Barbour School Committee on Nov. 18 that the district’s assessment results show both high participation and measurable gains, and he framed the data as part of a broader story about student growth and curriculum implementation.

“We had 99% of our students this year participate in PSAT and SAT testing,” Mayfield said, a rate he contrasted with the statewide average of 96%. He said the high participation reinforces interpretation of proficiency and growth results.

Mayfield reported that district proficiency in grades 3–8 ELA rose to about 29% from 25% the year before, and that math proficiency climbed to roughly 27.1% from 23%. He said those changes represented gains larger than statewide averages and singled out large year-to-year increases in grades 4 and 6 across both subjects.

“Grade 6 went up 15%,” Mayfield said, and he described the increases as evidence that multi-year curriculum work and targeted instruction are producing results. He also highlighted a 10-percentage-point jump in 11th-grade science proficiency, saying it rose from 17% to 27% while the share of students at the lowest performance level dropped markedly.

Mayfield emphasized student growth as well as raw proficiency. He described the state growth index used to track individual student improvement and said roughly two-thirds of students in grades 4–8 made at least typical growth: “65% of our students made at least typical growth” in ELA and “67%” in math, he said.

The superintendent pointed to subgroup gains the district described as significant: students with individualized education programs (IEPs) improved about 10 percentage points on PSAT ELA proficiency; economically disadvantaged students improved about 15 points on PSAT math; students experiencing homelessness improved roughly 20 points on PSAT math and ELA; and Hispanic students showed a roughly 24-point increase in ELA on SAT measures.

Mayfield credited the gains to several coordinated strategies: multi-year adoption of high-quality ELA and math curricula, updates to K–5 math materials (an upgraded Eureka curriculum), targeted use of Bronco Focus Hour at the high school with Khan Academy resources, a districtwide assessment system for monitoring progress, and consistent intervention protocols backed by professional learning.

He outlined the district’s science curriculum rollout: middle-school modules (OpenSciEd) are in implementation; elementary modules are scheduled to be rolled out by February 2026; high-school adoption is pending state approvals and expected to follow.

On accountability, Mayfield said the state’s report-card system aggregates 14 indicators and noted two strong areas for the district — postsecondary-success measures and low teacher chronic absenteeism — even as the high school’s overall star rating fell from three stars to two this year because of one metric. “We missed the cutoff for the 3-star rating by a cohort of, like, between 5 and 10 children,” he said, prompting committee questions about whether a single metric should determine an overall rating.

Committee members praised teachers and administrators and asked for continued focus on the areas identified for targeted improvement. Mayfield said administrators and teachers will continue progress monitoring, professional learning and curriculum alignment to build on the gains.

The committee took no formal action on the presentation itself; Mayfield concluded his remarks and the meeting proceeded to routine business.