Underwood+Elementary+School+Fall+2011

  **William J. Underwood**  **Elementary School**   **Newport, RI**   **By Jordyn Cetnar**



**As a staff member of Underwood Elementary School, every teacher wants each** **child to be successful and we pledge to be responsible for this success by:** Creating a classroom that is welcoming and an inviting place to learn Providing parents with ongoing communication about classroom and school-wide activities Keeping parents/guardians informed about their child’s progress Recognizing the unique gift that each child brings to the classroom Sharing with students that each child can be academically successful =__Introduction__=

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Located in the beautiful Newport, Rhode Island William J. Underwood elementary school is a gem in this historic town. Newport attracts many people with its charm and is an amazing place to live. Besides all the beauty and history, people are attracted to Newport because of their impressive school system. When researching the school I found this quote on the district page, and I believe it perfectly summarizes this district,"Newport School District is set among the vast evergreens of Northeast Washington and is bordered by the beautiful Pend Oreille River. Only 40 minutes from Spokane, the school district has a small town feel with a big time promise: to meet the needs of all students to help each of them become a successful and participating individual in school and in life." Underwood Elementary school is no exception to that. Under the leadership of Dr. Kimberly Townsend the small school strives. They have shown constant improvements in their standardized test scores, and and continuing to make improvements. The purpose of this context statement is to inform parents and guardians interested in sending their children to Newport for a great education. I believe parents should be fully informed to make an extremely important decision that will impact their children's future. =====

=__**Community Background**__= The racial make up of Newport is mostly dominated by the white Race, as shown in the chart below. According to RI Kids Count Census Newport is home to 5,199 children under the age of 18.
 * Newport** is a city on Aquidneck Islandin in Newport County, Rhode Island about 30 miles south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War College, the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, and a major United States Navy training center. Newport is a fairly wealthy town. It is a very popular vacation spot for wealthy people, with several summer houses. Summer business stimulates the Newport economy.The median income for a household in the city was $35,669, and the median income for a family was $54,116. Males had a median income of $37,780 versus $27,492 for females.
 * ~ RACE ||> Number ||> Percent ||
 * ~ Total population ||> 82,888 ||> 100.0 ||
 * ~ One race ||> 80,409 ||> 97.0 ||
 * ~ White ||> 74,729 ||> 90.2 ||
 * ~ Black or African American ||> 2,864 ||> 3.5 ||
 * ~ American Indian and Alaska Native ||> 315 ||> 0.4 ||
 * ~ American Indian, specified [1] ||> 199 ||> 0.2 ||
 * ~ Alaska Native, specified [1] ||> 1 ||> 0.0 ||
 * ~ Both American Indian and Alaska Native, specified [1] ||> 0 ||> 0.0 ||
 * ~ American Indian or Alaska Native, not specified ||> 115 ||> 0.1 ||
 * ~ Asian ||> 1,288 ||> 1.6 ||

=__District Summary__= For students in grades 3,4,5 and 8 the New England Assessment Program Testing (NECAP) are administered every year. This tests children in science, math, writing, and reading. Since the majority of the testing is done in the elementary schools a great stress is put on teachers, especially in Underwood, to have children succeed in this test. The Newport school district is an average ranking district when speaking of test scores. Below is a chart that shows the district in comparison to the state. Although it isn't higher than the state numbers it is still proficient. One of the perks of the Newport School District is the student to teacher ratio. It is 1:8 compared to the State wide 1:11.This is great for students and it really gives them a personal relationship with teachers. The following chart gives a lot of information on the type of money that goes into our students. The district is invested in the students futures, and provides adequate funding for that to happen.

__School Analysis__
With just 195 students and 26 teachers William J. Underwood is a small school. But small schools produce big things. Smaller schools give students more one on one instruction, and smaller class sizes. Test scores show that this really does help children succeed. Underwood's NECAP scores are way higher than the states as shown in diagrams below. Those diagrams truly show how great of a school Underwood is. They are truly impressive with the percent of students achieving. This also has a lot to do with the student to teacher ratio, and the type of teacher hired. Underwood also has a 1:8 teacher to student ratio, and only highers extremely certified teachers. Newport as a whole is not a very diverse community, as I mentioned earlier, but for a small school it has its share of diversity. They include everyone and as shown in the chart below the ethnic diversity is absolutely growing.

__Conclusion__
After researching the Newport school district, and more specifically the William J. Underwood Elementary school I have learned a lot. Sending your children to this school would be an amazing decision. It is an extremely high performing school, and a school that stands above the rest. With caring teachers, small class sizes, and a district that is dedicated to excellence, you can not go wrong choosing to educate your children here.

=__References__= Children Population: http://www.rikidscount.org/matriarch/MultiPiecePage.asp_Q_PageID_E_464_A_PageName_E_dataindicators

District and School Test Scores: http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/william-j-underwood-school

= __Rubric__ =

Introduction = 4/ 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 = 5 / 5 pts.
Strengths and constructive comments about report's organization: great organization, very easy to follow, great charts and visuals.
 * 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 = 5/ 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: No noticeable typos, or grammar issues.

Conclusion = 4/ 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 = 5 / 5 pts.
Strengths and constructive comments about presentation: Exciting to read and learn. Great colors and very interesting.
 * 5 - Report is written in an engaging style. || 4 - Report has some interesting sections. || 3 - Report generally reports information without seemingly without purpose. ||

Thoroughness = 8 /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. ||