BLACKSTONE ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL INC

THE CENTRAL PURPOSE OF BLACKSTONE ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL IS TO DEVELOP HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WHO GRADUATE EQUIPPED TO BE PROBLEM SOLVERS IN THEIR OWN LIVES. THEY MUST BE ABLE TO POSITIVELY INFLUENCE THEIR IMMEDIATE ENVIRONMENT AS WELL AS THE LARGER COMMUNITY. COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT AND COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT ARE KEY THEMES AT BACS. IN ORDER TO REACH THESE GOALS, THEY MUST BE PROFICIENT IN KEY ACADEMIC SKILLS, BUT ALSO BE ABLE TO APPLY THEIR LEARNING IN EVERYDAY SITUATIONS. DURING THE LAST SCHOOL YEAR, THE FACULTY AND STAFF WERE LASER FOCUSED ON COMPLETING A PROFICIENCY BASED ASSESSMENT AND GRADING SYSTEM THAT HAD BEEN DEVELOPED OVER SEVERAL YEARS BUT WAS JUST BEING FULLY IMPLEMENT. THIS CHANGE MEANS THAT ALL LEARNERS ARE NOW ASSESSED PRIMARILY ON WHAT THEY CAN DEMONSTRATE, THEY KNOW AND CAN APPLY. THE NEW SYSTEM DOES NOT GIVE STUDENTS A LETTER GRADE BUT A NUMBER REPRESENTATIVE OF MEETING /EXCEEDING STANDARD OR APPROACHING OR NOT MEETING STANDARD. THE SYSTEM HAS BEEN BUILT TO BE FULLY TRANSPARENT, SO THAT STUDENTS, PARENTS AND SUPPORTING STAFF MEMBERS CAN CLEARLY UNDERSTAND WHERE A STUDENT STANDS AT ANY GIVEN TIME AND WHAT THEY NEED TO DO TO MEET PROFICIENCY. IT IS OUR ON-GOING GOAL TO CONTINUE TO EVALUATE AND IMPROVE THE ASSESSMENT SYSTEM. HOWEVER, DEPARTMENT AND PROFESSIONAL LEARNING GROUP FEEDBACK INDICATES THAT TEACHERS ARE NOW MORE ALIGNED THAN EVER IN THEIR APPROACH TO CURRICULUM, ASSESSMENT AND IN JUDGING THE RIGOR OF STUDENT WORK. THIS INITIATIVE WAS IN ITS FINAL YEAR OF FUNDING SUPPORT BY THE BARR FOUNDATION.THE BARR FUNDING WAS ALSO SUPPLEMENTING THE SCHOOL'S ACCESS TO A CONSULTING COORDINATOR COURTNEY JACOBS WHO SHEPARADED THE LAUNCH OF PROFICIENCY BASED GRADING, THE PARTICIPATION OF 100 STUDENTS IN A BLACKSTONE FOCUSED LEADERSHIP SUMMIT AND A WELL-ATTENDED SERIES OF SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT TEAM MEETINGS THAT PROVIDED A DIVERSITY OF PERSPECTIVES AND IDEAS FOR OUR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN. A GRANT FROM THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ALLOWED US TO CONTINUE SUPPORT OF A MATH COACH AND A FIVE-YEAR LITERACY IMPROVEMENT GRANT WAS WON FOR THE FOLLOWING SCHOOL YEAR. THESE PIECES OF SUPPORT WERE CRUCIAL AT A TIME WHEN GENEROUS COVID-ERA ESSA FUNDING WAS COMING TO AN END AND THE SCHOOL WAS HAVING TO DOWNSIZE SUPPLEMENTAL STAFF SUPPORT TO STUDENTS. THE SCHOOL ALSO CONTINUED TO IMPROVE OUR STUDENT'S INVOLVEMENT IN COMMUNITY POST-COVID BY GETTING STUDENTS INTERESTED AND SKILLFUL IN SOLVING COMMUNITY PROBLEMS. THIS WAS DONE BOTH THROUGH COURSEWORK AND REQUIRED SOCIAL ACTION PROJECTS SUCH AS SERVICE-LEARNING PROJECTS JUNIOR YEAR AND SENIOR RESEARCH PAPERS AND SOCIAL ACTION PROJECTS SENIOR YEAR. DESPITE THIS BEING THE FIRST YEAR WHEN ALL OF THE COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES REQUIRING STANDARDIZED TEST SCORES FOR COLLEGE ADMISSION PRE-COVID, RETURNED TO THAT REQUIREDMENT, THE CLASS OF 2025 WERE ADMITTED TO A NUMBER OF HIGHLY COMPETITIVE COLLEGES INCLUDING YALE UNIVERSITY, FOR THE CLASS OF 2024 INCLUDED A NUMBER OF VERY COMPETITIVE COLLEGES INCLUDING BOSTON COLLEGE, BOSTON UNIVERSITY, BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY, CLARK UNIVERSITY, , PROVIDENCE COLLEGE, AND YALE UNIVERSITY TO NAME A FEW. OVER 80% OF THE GRADUATING CLASS ATTENDED A TWO- OR FOUR-YEAR COLLEGE IN THE FALL OF 2025. NEARLY ALL MEMBERS OF THE GRADUATING CLASS WERE FIRST IN THEIR FAMILY TO ATTEND COLLEGE SOME STUDENTS WILL ATTEND THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF RI FOR TWO YEARS AS ALL STUDENTS IN RHODE ISLAND ARE NOW GIVEN FREE TUITION FOR THE FIRST TWO YEARS THERE. MOST STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO ATTEND FOUR-YEAR COLLEGES DUE TO A COMBINATION OF MERIT SCHOLARSHIPS AND NEED-BASED AID. EIGHT STUDENTS COMPLETED A PRE-APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM WITH THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND GENERAL DYNAMICS WHICH ENABLED ALL OF THEM TO GO ON TO HIGH PAYING POSITIONS AT ELECTRIC BOAT. BLACKSTONE HAD THE 2ND HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS STATEWIDE COMPLETING THE PROGRAM. FINALLY, BLACKSTONE ACADEMY HAD THE THIRD HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF GRADUATING SENIORS IN THE STATE QUALIFY FOR A SEAL OF BILITERACY, ESTABLISHING THEIR PROFICIENCY IN BOTH ENGLISH AND ANOTHER LANGUAGE. BACS STUDENTS REPRESENTED THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF LOW-INCOME STUDENTS IN A SCHOOL TO EARN THIS CREDENTIAL.