In today’s educational climate, there have been many strides made in changing standards of achievement for America’s students: the new SAT, Common Core Standards, the PARCC assessment, among many others. However, for most students, the real standard of achievement boils down to a single factor: college acceptances.

For Becton Regional High School, this standard of achievement has been met and exceeded. Not only has the school bolstered a nearly 10% increase in graduation rate– surpassing the state average of 89%– but students have also demonstrated their level of success by the caliber of the colleges they’ve been accepted to. Being accepted to prestigious schools such as Fordham University, Marist College, Rutgers University, The College of New Jersey, West Virginia University, Drexel University, Pennsylvania State University, New York University, Wesleyan College, Manhattan College, among many others, indicates that Becton graduates have what it takes to attend some of the most elite colleges in the country.

Although there were many academic reinforcements in this effort, there have also been many other motivating factors for students as well. Math teacher Michele Ferris has a tradition of encouraging Becton students to reach for their college dreams and celebrate their accomplishments. On Ferris’ classroom wall, she endorses a huge display of college materials (posters, apparel, flags, etc.) from every college that every student has been accepted to during the school year. She states: “I started the college wall as another way to reach out to students. By showing an interest in them it developed more mutual respect between myself and them.  The biggest outcome was more motivation.  Even underclassmen stop off to see who was accepted and where the seniors are committing to. All college materials were brought in by the students themselves.” This sense of pride and accomplishment in Becton’s graduates resonates with students, staff, and administrators alike and creates a common goal for the entire school.

The growing success of Becton’s students comes to no surprise when considering the recent improvements made to the school. Last year, the high school switched over to a flexible rotate- drop schedule, allowing more class time for students to learn as well as allowing students to take more classes and electives to grow their academic interests. The new schedule has allowed the school to offer many new, career-centered electives such as Web Page Design, Entrepreneurship, International Business, Marketing in the 21^st Century, Forensics, and Criminal Justice.. Following the approximately $30 million renovation in 2013, the school also boasts state of the art labs and media equipment, aiding in student growth and productivity. Principal Dario Sforza best states why the environment at Becton has made such a huge impact on college acceptances:

“Although it is exciting to see the list of exceptional colleges and universities our students are being accepted to, it is certainly not a surprise. Becton students are not only intelligent, but are also extremely hardworking and motivated by the positive culture and learning environment that has been established here at Becton Regional High School. We hope to continue to capitalize on all the positive growth and continue to offer our students a progressive 21^st century curricula that caters to their individual learning needs.”

It is clear that although the school certainly demonstrates impressive changes on paper, the structural changes of the school are accompanied by a new mindset for students and staff, fostering a collaborative spirit focused on student-centered learning.

By looking at the list of college acceptances, it is clear that students have already reaped the benefits of the school’s new offerings, but Becton is not stopping here. The school is determined to continue to move forward and is even looking to pilot a 1:1 initiative, giving students access to personal laptops that will enhance their class time productivity and research-based study. By cultivating college and career readiness opportunities for its students, it is clear that Becton is working hard to give students the tools they need to succeed in college. Although students have already proven that they can get into nationally-revered colleges and universities, the growing school culture will unquestionably ensure a bright future for all Becton graduates.

For full list of college acceptance, please see below:

Springfield College (Mass)

Albright College

Alvernia University

Anna Maria College

Appalachian State University

Arcadia University

Barry University (Fla)

Bentley University

Bergen Community College

Berkeley College

Bloomfield College

Bloomsburg University of PA

Boston University

Brevard College

Cabrini College

Caldwell University

Cazenovia College

Centenary College

Coastal Carolina University

College of Mount St. Vincent

College of St. Rose

CUNY Hunter College

CUNY John Jay College

Curry College

Daytona State College

Delaware Valley University

Dominican College

Drew University

Drexel University

Duquesne University

East Stroudsburg University of PA

Emory University

Endicott College

Fairleigh Dickinson University

Felician College

Flagler College (Fla)

Florida Gulf Coast University

Florida Institute of Technology

Florida International University

Fordham University

Gannon University

Georgian Court University

High Point University

Hobart & William Smith College

Hofstra University

Howard University

Husson University (Maine)

Indian River State College

Indiana University of PA

Iona College

Ithaca College

Kean College

King’s College

Kutztown University of PA

Lasell College

Lehigh University

LIU Brooklyn

LIU Post

Loyola University-Maryland

Lynchburg College

Manhattan College

Marist College

Marywood University

Mass College of Pharmacy

Mercy College (NY)

Mercyhurst University

Merrimack College

Monmouth University

Montclair State University

Moravian College

Mount Ida College

Mount Saint Mary’s University

New England College

New Hampshire University

New Jersey City University

New Jersey Institute of Technology

New York University

Ohio State University

Pace University NYC

Pace University- Westchester, NY

Pennsylvania State University

Pratt University

Quinnipiac University

Ramapo College of New Jersey

Rider University

Rochester Institute of Technology

Roger Williams University

Rowan University

Rutgers University- N. Brunswick

Rutgers University- Camden

Rutgers University- Newark

Sacred Heart University

Saint Peter’s University

San Diego State College

School of Visual Arts- NYC

Seton Hall University

St. John’s University

St. Peter’s College

St. Thomas University (Fla)

Stevens Institute of Technology

Stockton University

Stonehill College

SUNY Alfred

SUNY Delhi

SUNY Stony Brook

Susquehanna University

Syracuse University

Temple University

The Art Institute of Austin

The College of New Jersey

Towson University

Trinity College

University of Alabama

University of Albany

University of Bridgeport

University of Buffalo

University of Connecticut

University of Delaware

University of Hartford

University of Maine

University of Maryland-College Park

University of Massachusetts- Amherst

University of Massachusetts- Boston

University of New Hampshire at Durham

University of New Haven

University of Rhode Island

University of Scranton

University of South Carolina at Beufort

University of South Florida

University of Southern California: San Diego

University of Tampa

University of Tennessee

University of the Sciences

University of Connecticut

Vaughn College (Fla)

Wentworth Institute of Technology

Wesley College (Delaware)

Wesleyan College

West Chester University of PA

West Virginia University

Western Connecticut State University

Western New England University

Wilkes University

William Paterson University

York College