Chariho+Middle+School+Fall+2012

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Chariho Middle School Wood River Junction, Rhode Island

Context Statement prepared by Meghan Weeden Introduction == = ==== The towns of Charlestown, Richmond, and Hopkinton make up the school district of Chariho. These three idyllic southern Rhode Island towns create a quiet, rural setting in which children and families thrive. As elementary students, children of Chariho have the benefit of small close-knit environments to learn in, as the district is home to four elementary schools. As they enter middle school in the fifth grade, all of these children come together on the Chariho campus, which will become their home until they graduate as high school seniors. The campus is nestled among turf fields and pine woods, creating a secluded environment for a learning community. The middle school, which houses grades five through eight, shares the campus with Chariho High School and the Chariho Career and Technical school, where students learn skills needed for trades directly out of high school. In the vision statement for the Chariho Middle School, it is emphasized that all students will be supported in their individual differences to ensure a solid background for life-long learning and success. In the context statement to follow, we will examine the academic and economic picture of the district of Chariho, and how it compares to the other school districts in the state of Rhode Island. This information is intended for parents and families of potential and current Chariho students, as well as teachers and other school professionals. ====

=  ** Community Background ** The towns of Charlestown, Richmond, and Hopkinton are relatively affluent. Charlestown has a large tourist community that helps keep taxes at the lowest of the three towns in the district. The median household income at 70,969 is higher than both the state and national average. 4% of residents live at or below the poverty level, which is significantly less than the state and national averages at 8.4% and 10.1% respectively.

The community is predominantly white. The largest minority group is that of Native Americans. The Narragansett tribal land is located in the town of Charlestown, and at 1.9%, they are represented stronger in the district than state-wide and nationally, at .6% and .9% respectively. African Americans, Asians, and Latinos are represented significantly lower than both the state and national averages.



The instances of poverty in the child population in Chariho are less than the state percentages. .9% of children live in families below the federal poverty threshold, while statewide, the percentage of children living in poverty is 16.7%. 14.8 out of 1000 babies born are born to teen mothers, which is significantly lower than the state statistic, which is 27 out of 1000. The education levels of mothers are also better than statewide, which probably speaks to the general affluence of the community. 4% of births are to mothers with less than a high school diploma, while statewide the number is 16%. 1% of infants are born at high risk, which is lower than the 4% statewide. Still more evidence of the area's affluence is the number of children participating in the school breakfast program, which, at 16% is nearly half the number participating statewide, at 36%.

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 District Summary

District-wide NECAP assessments show that Chariho comes out above the state average in all areas except that of 3rd grade math, which shows 60% proficiency to the state average of 80%. As compared to the district of Barrington, which is the highest scoring district, Chariho comes in below in most areas, but scores higher in 4th grade math, with 89% proficiency compared to Barrington's 85% proficiency. Chariho also scored higher than Barrington in 4th grade science, with an 81% proficiency to Barrington's 65%. When compared with Central Falls, the lowest scoring district in the state, Chariho scores well above in all areas, illustrating that Chariho makes a respectable showing among Rhode Island school districts.

The teacher/student ratio for the Chariho district is one teacher for every nine students, which is a better scenario than both Barrington (1:12) and Central Falls (1:10). To illustrate where Chariho falls in terms of financial need, we can look at student eligibility for subsidized lunch. Statewide, 44% of children are eligible for subsidized lunch, 6% in Barrington, 86% eligible in Central Falls, and 19% in Chariho. Attendance rates for all three districts are pretty similar, ranging from 87 to 97%.

School Analysis Chariho Middle School houses grades five through eight. Students are assessed annually using the NECAP test. To compare how Chariho falls in regards to student NECAP achievement, we will look at Barrington and Central Falls beginning at grade six, as neither district houses grade five in their middle schools. For sixth grade math in the 2011/2012 school year, Chariho came in at 77% proficiency, which is 15 points higher than the state average. Barrington sixth graders scored 91% proficiency in math, and Central Falls came in at 28% proficiency. The reading scores for Chariho show much stronger across the board through eighth grade. Sixth grade reading proficiency is 92% for Chariho, only one point behind Barrinton's 93% and well ahead of Central Falls' 43% proficiency. Chariho's lowest score was in eighth grade science, with only 35% proficiency, which is still 10 points higher than the state average of 25% and well above Central Falls' 3%. Barrington eighth graders scored 69% proficiency in science, the highest in the state.



Chariho Middle School displays an impressive record when it comes to teacher qualification. Only 1% of teachers employed at the school in the 2010/2011 school year had not met the Highly Qualified standard. This compares to the state average of 3%, Barrington's 4%, and Central Falls' 6%.

Chariho student population is not as diverse as the state average. We can see that by looking at the students state average of students receiving special education services. The state average is 16%. In Chariho, that number is 7%, in Barrington, 11% and Central Falls, 25%. Students receiving bilingual education services in Chariho Middle is less than 1%, while the statewide average is 6%. 25% of students in Central Falls, and less than 1% in Barrington receive bilingual education services.

Conclusion From evidenced above, we can see that Chariho Middle School stands strong among the schools in Rhode Island. The dedication to seeing students individually is evidenced in the many different opportunities for student involvement. From the music and drama programs to the many sports teams, there are different ways for children to shine, other than purely through academics. Although the school district is made up of three towns, the students of Chariho truly become a community within the larger community. By looking at the high NECAP scores achieved by Chariho students, we can see that there has been a strong foundation in the elementary schools in the district. We may also assume that parent involvement is a contributing factor, as student success has been shown to exist under such parental attention. In the preceding Context Statement, we have been able to look at where Chariho falls in the ranks of other Rhode Island schools, and parents and administrators can be assured that students attending Chariho can be expected to gain a strong educational foundation for the increasingly rigorous work to come as they move into high school and higher education.

= References [] http://www.rikidscount.org/matriarch/default.asp http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/about/intro-guide

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 * Author: (Person who wrote report.)**
 * Editor: (Person evaluating report.)**
 * Total Score for this Evaluation:** _/35 pts

The purpose of the context statement in EDC 102 is to provide each student with an opportunity to demonstrate his or her ability to research a school, its district, and its community in order to better understand its strengths and challenges. Each report should describe their school based solely on evidence that they cite in their Reference section.

As a peer editor, your tasks are:
 * Read author's report.
 * Carefully **evaluate** report by assigning a score for each criterion
 * provide **constructive comments** that will help the strengthen the author's report for each category.
 * Create a link to your evaluation at the end of the report.

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. ||