Washington+Oak+Elementary+School+Fall+2011


 * Amanda Pac**

**Washington Oak Elementary School** 801 Read Schoolhouse Road Coventry, Rhode Island 02816 Phone: (401) 397-1976 **"Responsible, Safe, Respectful"**  **Mission Statement: ** //“Washington Oak School is united in achieving academic excellence. We believe that all children are capable of becoming successful life-long learners.” // **Introduction** Washington Oak Elementary School is located in Coventry, Rhode Island, which is a small town within the Kent County. It is one of the five elementary schools located in the Coventry School District and it is bordered by Cranston, East and West Greenwich, West Warwick, and Sterling, CT. It is a public school for families enrolling their children in prekindergarten, kindergarten, and grades first through fifth and it serves approximately 677 students. The administration consists of about 45 members and teachers including a group of them that are specialized in unified learning. The students are divided into classrooms of roughly 11 students per teacher. School begins at 8:55 and ends by 3:30 for grades 1-5. There is also a.m. and p.m. kindergarten and pre-k which have irreglar starting and ending times than other grades. Washington Oak's principal, Dr. Donna Raptakis, and superintendent, Michael Convery, are determined to help guide the students towards a bright, successful academic future and provide a healthy and comforting learning environment. Not only does this school have a mission statement, but a vision statement as well. It states, //"Washington Oak School provides opportunities for all students to ea////rn skills, acquire knowledge, and develop character within a rich, diverse, and nurturing learning environment//." They believe education begins at home and encourage a strong relationship between family and school. They hold the community accountable for the personal growth of every child and their academic achievement. The staff and teachers have developed a program called Positive Behaviors and Supports which they have recently included in their TEACH program. Research has shown that communities involved in PBIS has improved school-wide behavior. Washington Oak created TEACH to represent five essential elements; Tolerance, enthusiasm, achievement, citizenship, and hard work. The staff works together to strongly reinforce these behaviors. Students are rewarded through this program, giving them them confidence to be "responsible, safe, and respectful". Washington Oak has also implemented a plan that can be accessed by anyone who desires. This plan features educational objectives for the establishment. This context statement is provided to inform families and parents who are interested in enrolling their child at Washington Oak Elementary School. **Community Background** Coventry as a whole is an affluent community. During the year 2000, the median household income was estimated to be $51,987, which is almost $10,000 higher compared to Rhode Island at about $42,090. In addition, the median family income of Coventry ($50,046) is lower than the state ($52,781) income, but not by much. Correspondingly, Kent County has a per capita income ($21,587) almost equivalent to Rhode Island's per capita income ($21,688). Even though this is the average, a plethora of families are well below the poverty level of Rhode Island. The number of families below poverty level in Coventry (6,620,945) exceeds the average of families from the state (23,708) by a massive amount. With Rhode Island ranked as the 17th richest state in the United States, Coventry is a proficiently average town.

**Income/Poverty Data Table**


 * <  ||< **Coventry** ||< **Rhode Island** ||
 * < **Median household income** ||< **$51,987** ||< **$42,090** ||
 * < **Median family income** ||< **$50,046** ||< **$52,781** ||
 * < **Per capita income** ||< **$21,587** ||< **$21,688** ||
 * < **Families below poverty level** ||< **6,620,945** ||< **23,608** ||

The population of Coventry has approximately 8,389 children out of 247,822 in Rhode Island. Coventry is a considerably diverse community. The majority of Rhode Island and Coventry consist of those with a white or Hispanic race/ethnicity. There are 155,219 people who are white in this town out of 856,869 total in Rhode Island. There are 2,405 Black or African Americans compared to 60,189 total in the state. While 30,457 people in Rhode Island are Asian, only 3,378 people are in this town. American Indian or Alaska native rank the lowest population in Coventry with only 437 people while in the state there are 14,394. Surprisingly, the percent of children raised in a single-parent family (19%) was high compared to the overall average of Rhode Island (30%). **Race/Ethnicity Data Table** ||< **Coventry** ||< **Rhode Island** ||
 * < **White** ||< **155,219** ||< **856,869** ||
 * < **Black/African Americans** ||< **2,405** ||< **60,189** ||
 * < **Asian** ||< **3,378** ||< **30,457** ||
 * < **Hispanic** ||< **5,309** ||< **130,655** ||
 * < **American Indian or Alaska native** ||< **437** ||< **14,394** ||

According to the research I found, the Coventry District scored higher on the New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) than the state average scores. Children from Rhode Island that receive public education are required to take the NECAP assessment every year to observe their abilities in math, reading, writing and science. NECAP is only administered to specific grades and depending on the subject. Math and reading are given to grades 3 through 8 and grade 11. Writing is taken by fifth, eighth, and eleventh graders and science is taken by grades 4, 8, and 11. The NECAP assessments for the Coventry District for third grade math was 77% and quite higher the the state which is 62%. The fourth grade scored an average of 74% on their math exams while the states estimated average was a low 63%. Furthermore, the average score for fifth grade math was 76% and is relatively higher than the state average of 62%. In addition, the reading scores for all three grades were adequately higher than the states. Compared to the state average of 71% for third grade reading, Coventry had an average of 84%. The fourth grade reading average for the state was low (68%) while Coventry had an average that was 10% higher (78%). Similarly, the average for fifth grade reading was 73% for the state and Coventry scored 11% higher with an average of 84%. The fourth grade is required to take the science NECAP assessment and surprisingly, the state average was extremely low. Rhode Island scored approximately 43% and Coventry had an estimated 56% average for their science skills. Lastly, there is still room for improvement in writing abilities for those children in fifth grade. This town scored an average of 74% which was not much higher than the state average of 59%. Although the average scores for the state are low, Coventry District is proficiently high.
 * District Summary **

__ **4th Grade Science NECAP Scores:** __ Graph from: http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/washington-oak-school

From the infoworks website, I found that Coventry's average score on the NECAP assessments are relatively high compared the state average, but low compared to Barrington. On the other hand, compared to the scores from Central Falls, Coventry scored rather high. For example, for fourth grade science the state average was 43% which is below proficiency while Coventry had an average of 56% which is more proficient. Although Coventry seemed to have decent average, Barrington overlooks it and the state with an average of 74%. I found that Central Falls is extremely below the proficiency level with a score of 22%. The reason for this could be the percent of teachers that are not highly qualified is higher than Rhode Island, Coventry, and Barrington. According to the federal definition, to meet the standards of a highly qualified teacher they must have a Bachelor's Degree, hold full state certification, and demonstrate subject matter competency in the core academic subjects by having a major. Approximately 6% of teachers are not highly qualified at Central Falls. Only 3% of teachers from Coventry, which is the state average as well, are not highly qualified. Barrington District has only 1% of low qualified teachers. The teacher-student ratio for Rhode Island is 1:11 while the ratio for Coventry is 1:12. Since the ratio is reasonably low, this allows the teachers to give more time and attention to assist students one on one. The students will obtain more within a smaller class. The average percent of students eligible for subsidized lunch in Rhode Island is 43% and relatively close, Coventry has 14%. Since Barrington is a wealthy town their percent is much lower than Central Falls, which is a town with more poverty. Only 4% of Barrington students are eligible compared to 81% of students from Central Falls. Overall, Coventry is at the average state level of proficiency in most areas.
 * School Analysis **

__**Students Eligible for Subsidized Lunch:**__ Retrieved from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/washington-oak-school

Washington Oak Elementary School is continuing its success to achieve their goals. Coventry remains at the average proficient level as research shows. The teachers are highly qualified and care about providing the best education for their students. Based on the NECAP scores, this school is doing proficiently well and their scores are relatively higher than the state averages. The reason for the high scores from this district is probably because the teachers only have about 11 children, which allows them to work with them individually. The student teacher ratio is vital because most children learn differently, so if the teacher has a small class they can attend to each child's needs.They focus on the relationship between home and school and the community as a whole. Washington Oak is a decent school for your child to go to. Overall, Coventry is a diverse town with a similar average household, family, and per capita income compared to the statewide average income. If you are looking for a successful school to enroll your child in, Washington Oak Elementary School would be a intelligent decision.
 * Conclusion **

**References**

//Infoworks Live. Washington Oak Elementary School// (2009-2010). Retrieved from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/washington-oak-school

//U.S. Census Bureau Fact Sheet//. (2005-2009). Retrieved from [|http://factfinder.census.gov]

//RI Kids Count: Indicators of Child Well-Being, Profile of Coventry, RI.// (2010). Retrieved from http://www.rikidscount.org/matriarch/documents/Coventry_2011.pdf

Washington Oak Elementary School Home Page. (2011). Retrieved from http://schools.coventryschools.net/wo/WOHomePage.asp?mode=P

Rubric

Introduction = REPLACEWITHSCORE/ 5 pts.
Constructive comments about report's introduction:
 * 5 - Intro provides an overview of the upcoming analysis, including what school/district/community is being analyzed, what aspects are being analyzed, and who the report is intended to inform. || 4 - Intro names the school/district/community and previews the scope of the report, but does not describe who the report is intended to inform. || 3 - Intro names the school/district/community but not much else. || 2 - Intro fails to name the school, district, and community. || 0 - No introduction section is apparent. ||

Organization = REPLACEWITHSCORE / 5 pts.
Strengths and constructive comments about report's organization:
 * 5 - Report includes an Introduction, a Conclusion, and sections for the School, District, and Community. Within each section, paragraphs logically group the information presented. || 4 - Report includes all of the sections mentioned previously, but does not break down information into paragraphs within each section. || 3 - Report is missing one of the sections. || 2 - Report is missing more than one section. || 0 - Report does not include any sections. ||

Mechanics = REPLACEWITHSCORE / 5 pts.

 * 5 - All information in the report is cited using APA styled- citations after the information and in a Reference section at the end of the report.

and

There are extremely few typos and misspelled words in the report. || 4 - Most information is cited using APA style.

and/or

There are a noticeable number of typos or misspellings. || 3 - Some citations in the References section are not in APA style, e.g. URLs are listed without the title of the website.

and/or

There are many typos, misspellings, or other writing errors. || 2 - Most of the report's information is not cited, or APA style was not used. || 0 - Report does not include a Reference section. || Strengths and constructive comments about report's organization:

Conclusion = REPLACEWITHSCORE / 5 pts.
Strengths and constructive comments about conclusion:
 * 5 - Conclusion reviews analysis of school, district and community and describes why findings should be important to reader. || 4 - Conclusion reviews analysis of school, district and community. || 3 - Conclusion does not refer back to report findings. || 0 - No conclusion section is apparent. ||

Creativity = REPLACEWITHSCORE / 5 pts.
Strengths and constructive comments about presentation:
 * 5 - Report is written in an engaging style. || 4 - Report has some interesting sections. || 3 - Report generally reports information without seemingly without purpose. ||

Thoroughness = REPLACEWITHSCORE /10 pts

 * 5 - Report includes at least ten different facts in each section (school, community, district) and

compares each figure with another relevant figure (e.g. state or national average) and

states whether or not the school is meeting NCLB standards. || 4 - Report includes at least eight different facts in each section and

compares most figures with relevant values and

states whether or not the school is meeting NCLB standards. || 3 - Report includes at least six different facts in each section and

compares some of the figures to other relevant figures || 2 - Report includes at least four different facts in each section and

compares some of the figures to other relevant figures. || 0 - Report includes less than four different facts for any section or

fails to compare any figures with other relevant figures. ||