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The City
A residential and industrial community located 18 miles north of Boston, Beverly is comprised of fifteen square miles of natural beauty, resources, parks, woodlands, beaches, stately homes, and a lively harbor along nine miles of Atlantic coastline. Founded in 1626, the City of Beverly is one of the oldest communities in the state. Residents describe their city as the birthplace of the United States Navy, noting that the first ship commissioned by the Navy first sailed from Beverly Harbor.
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Beverly residents have watched an interesting shift over the past 50 years. The City has changed from an industrial site with huge manufacturers like the United Shoe Machinery Corporation, to a bedroom community that is 85% residential which emphasizes its academic and cultural facilities more than the industrial parks that now house mixed computer and other high technology firms.
The City is the home of Endicott College, a four-year, private coed college, and Montserrat College of Art as well as the widely acclaimed North Shore Music Theatre, which brings in hordes of visitors to glittering Broadway-type productions. Intact in Beverly is the spacious echo of the past since the city is still the home of some of the most historic families in America on gracious estates in the northern portion of the community. Residents note the highly-respected hospital, new library, new senior center, municipal airport, the miles of beautiful beach, numerous commuter stops for public transportation, and the diverse sections of the community that offer everything from rural to urban.
The commitment of Beverly residents to the development of its children may be the most defining cultural aspect of this community. This is reflected in the public school system, as well as through the variety of recreational, athletic, social and cultural opportunities provided to children.
The Schools
The Beverly Public Schools provide education to approximately 4,500 students in preschool through grade twelve in six elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. During the past eight years the district has made special efforts to focus on student learning, thereby making significant improvements to our school district.
In September 2003, the newly renovated Centerville Elementary School opened, completing the ambitious six-year building initiative to renovate and construct new space for all of six of our elementary schools. We are now in the beginning stages of a construction/renovation project for our High School, a project that will result in an entirely new academic building combined with renovated spaces for the performing arts, field house, and cafeteria. The new Beverly High School will open in fall 2010.
Beverly’s schools offer reasonable class sizes, modern facilities, a standards-based curriculum and assessment model, programming for gifted and talented students, excellent fine arts programming, including our award winning music program, and an outstanding athletic program.
We believe that people associated with our district recognize these areas as indicators that our schools are substantially better places for students to be than they were seven years ago. In addition, people also recognize that we are committed to continuous improvement, that is, we are continually examining what we do in order to be better tomorrow than we are today.
When it comes to MCAS, our schools are in very good shape when we consider the performance of all of our students. Our achievement has regularly placed us at or above the state average, and we continue to show the steady progress that has been our goal. I am most impressed with the progress shown at the High School. Of all the tenth graders tested in 2007, 78% scored either advanced or proficient in English Language Arts, and 74% scored at those levels in Mathematics. For English Language Arts, that performance is 7% above the state average, and for Math it’s 5% higher than the state average. Beverly High School is one of a handful of high schools in the state to have demonstrated improvement on the MCAS for five (5) years in a row.
Other district highlights include:
- English Language Arts results for grades 3,4,5,6,8, and 10 exceed the state performance results. Students have exceeded the state average of advanced/proficient students by 3% in grade 3, 1% in grade 4, 2% in grade 5, 3% in grade 6, 1% in grade 8, and 7% in grade 10.
- The number of students scoring in the advanced/proficient level in English Language Arts has increased by 10% in grade 4, 8% in grade 5, and 3% in grade 6.
- Mathematics scores for students in grades 3,4,5, and 10 are signficiant. They exceed the number of students scoring at the advanced/proficient level in the state by 8% in grade 3, 4% in grade 4, 3% in grade 5, and 5% in grade 10.
- The percentage of students scoring in the advanced/proficient level in Mathematics has increased by 6% in grade 3, 5% in grade 4, 22% in grade 5, and 9% in grade 6.
- The percentage of sophomores (class of 2009) who achieved the competency determination (passed both tests ELA and Math) exceeded the state average by 2%.
For the Class of 2008, 89 Beverly High School seniors were notified that they were among the students statewide to receive the state’s John and Abigail Adams Scholarship. This scholarship is available to students whose MCAS performance puts them at the top 25 percent of their district. To be eligible, students must either score Advanced on one exam and Proficient on the other, or Advanced on both the English and the Math exams. Recipients of the Adams Scholarship are granted four years of free tuition at any Massachusetts state college or university.
In the Advanced Placement programs, 23 members of last year’s graduating class received AP Scholar Awards, another 8 received AP Scholar with Honors Awards, and one received an AP Scholar with Distinction Award.
Verbal and Math SAT scores continue to meet or exceed the state averages. Nearly 90% of our graduating seniors moved on to higher education in 2008, pursuing goals for which they were well prepared. Their success in gaining entrance to the colleges of their choice, some of them at the most competitive colleges in the country, is good evidence of the comprehensive program and quality instruction we provide for our students.
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