BroadRockMiddleSchoolFall2011

Samantha Greenwald ** Broad Rock Middle School ** 351 Broad Rock Road Wakefield, RI 02879

//The mission of Broad Rock Middle School, in partnership with families and the community, is to provide a safe learning environment that develops the whole child, academically, socially, and emotionally. Broad Rock Middle School will provide a challenging learning community with clear expectations and rigorous standards-based instruction that gives all students the opportunity to develop the knowledge, skills, and character necessary to successfully contribute to society//

** Introduction **
Broad Rock Middle School is located in South Kingstown. It is one of two middle schools located in South Kingstown. Also located in South Kingstown are four elementary schools and one high school. In South Kingstown there is also an Independence Transition Academy and Hazard School.South Kingstown is a town in Washington County, Rhode Island. The current principal of Broad Rock Middle School is Sheila Sullivan. Along with Ms. Sullivan there is a vice principal, Jennifer Enck. There are currently 57 faculty members, 7 support staff, and 2 in Broad Rock. As of August 2010 there are 540 students enrolled at Broad Rock Middle School. The normal school day at Broad Rock runs from 7:45 am until 1:57 pm every day. Broad Rock Middle School is located on the Atlantic Coast, 32 miles south of Providence, Rhode Island, in the village of Wakefield. The town covers an area of 63 square miles with a population of 28,000.The main campus of the University of Rhode Island is within five miles of Broad Rock Middle School. Choosing a safe area with a good place for education for their children are both very important factors to consider moving to a location to raise a family. Hopefully with the research I put into this statement, parents will be able to decide if the South Kingstown School System is a right fit for their family.



South Kingstown as a whole is a wealthy community. The average household income for South Kingstown is $51,425 compared to Rhode Island's at $42,090; there is a significant difference between South Kingstown’s household income and Rhode Island's. The median family income in South Kingstown is $62,363, which is higher than Rhode Island ($52781) As well, South Kingstown has a higher per capita income ($27041) compared to Rhode Island ($21688) These numbers show that poverty is not a huge issue in Kingstown, as opposed to many other towns in Rhode Island. In South Kingstown, there are few families below the poverty line (9.9%) comparatively to Rhode Island's(8.1%). South Kingstown 's ethnicity population is lacking diversity; the percentage of white individuals (90.9%) greatly outnumbers any other race. There are 2.2% of African Americans, 2.7% of Asians, and 2.8% of Hispanics. The white population in Rhode Island is 81.4%, which is less than South Kingstown 's. As for the other ethnicities, Rhode Island has 5.7% African Americans, 12.4% Hispanics, and 2.9% of Asians.
 * Community Background **

**District Summary **
When compared to the state of Rhode Island the South Kingston School District has a higher proficiency in the NECAP (New England Common Assessment Program) testing. In the 3rd grade 85% of students were proficient in reading and math compared to Rhode Island at 62% for math and 71% for reading proficiency. In the 7th grade 77% of students were proficient in math and 79% were proficient in reading, while in the state only 54% were proficient in math and 65% in reading. In 11th grade 58% of the students were proficient in math and 85% in reading, as the state of Rhode Island is 33% in math and 76% proficient in reading. Teachers with emergency certification are individuals who do not qualify for full state certification. They are used when fully certified applicants are not available. In the South Kingston District less than 1% of teachers fall under this category compared to 1% in the state of Rhode Island. In the South Kingston District 1% of teachers are not highly qualified compared to 3% in the state of Rhode Island. The ratio of teachers to students in the South Kingston District is 1:10, which is the same as the state of Rhode Island. In the South KIngston District 17% of students are eligible for subsidized lunch compared to Rhode Island at 81% eligible. In the South Kingston District less than 1% of students receive ESL or bilingual education services compared to 5% in Rhode Island. The percent of students receiving special education services in South Kingston is 14%, as to 16% in the state. In the South Kingston district 85.6% of students graduated compared to 75.8% in Rhode Island The attendance rate for high schools in the South Kingston District is 93% compared to that of high schools in Rhode Island at 91%. The attendance rate for middle schools and elementary schools in the South Kingston District is 95% compared to the states middle and elementary school at 94%.

**School Analysis**
In relation to other public high schools in Rhode Island such as Central Falls School, Broad Rock Middle School seems to have a better quality education. One could see this through the numerical data of NECAP testing scores. In the 6th grade 81% of students at Broad Rock were proficient in math compared to Central at 32% and the state at 60%. In Reading 86% of students were proficient at Broad Rock compared to Central at 43% and Rhode Island at 71%. At Broad Rock Middle School none of teachers have emergency certification compared to Central Falls at 3%. At Broad Rock Middle School 3% of teachers are not highly qualified compared to only 6% at Central Falls. The teacher to student ratio at Broad Rock is 1:14 compared to Central and 1:8. At Broad Rock 20% of students qualify for subsidized lunch compared to 85% percent at Central and 43% in the state. One explanation for this is that students who attend Central Falls come from families that have low incomes, therefore they qualify for free lunch at school. 1% of students at Broad Rock receive ESL/Bilingual education services compared to 10% at Central and 5% in Rhode Island. Students receiving special education services at Broad Rock are11% of the total student population compared to 22% at Central Falls and 16% in the state. The attendance rate at Broad Rock is 94% which is the same as Central Falls.

**Conclusion**
When this project was first assigned I had no idea of what community to pick, let alone the school. I was ended up being given a school, which I am happy I was given this one. It is a very nice school with and a pretty good community. Based on the research information, it seems like South Kingston is a great community to live in. Most of the people are middle class and seem to have good job. Broad Rock Middle School looks like a great middle school to attend, with it being recently new and having all new and up to date technology. Looking at the pictures, you can tell how nice the school is and facilities. Broad Rock is a middle school that I would want to attend and my future family to attend.

=**References**= Rubric James Haggerty
 * //U.S. Census Bureau Fact Sheet//. (2001-2010). Retrieved from [|http://factfinder.census.gov]
 * //RI Kids Count: Indicators of Child Well-Being, Profile of Providence, RI.// (2010). Retrieved from []
 * Broad Rock Middle School Home Page. (2011) Retrieved from __**[]**__

Introduction = 5/ 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:
 * 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:

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:
 * 5 - Report is written in an engaging style. || 4 - Report has some interesting sections. || 3 - Report generally reports information without seemingly without purpose. ||

Thoroughness = 10 /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. ||

Introduction = 5/ 5 pts.
Constructive comments about report's introduction: very interesting and accurate
 * 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: the page is beautiful and really organized i really liked how everything matched
 * 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: very complete

Conclusion = 5 / 5 pts.
Strengths and constructive comments about conclusion: i liked how the conclusion was personal and really made it clear that you understand the facts you displayed and the school as a whole
 * 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 = 4 / 5 pts.
Strengths and constructive comments about presentation: you could maybe add more color just so that kids/ younger people would read
 * 5 - Report is written in an engaging style. || 4 - Report has some interesting sections. || 3 - Report generally reports information without seemingly without purpose. ||

Thoroughness = 10 /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. ||