Cranston+High+School+West

Cranston High School West Cranston, Rhode Island Emma Kilbane

** __Introduction__ ** High school is a crucial time for students; it is a time of preparation for the future. Students, as well as their parents, want to know that they are learning the tools necessary to set them on the right track for the future - whether that be to pursue a four year degree, a two year degree, or a job. Cranston High School West, one of Cranston, Rhode Island's public high schools, does just this, giving students options as to where they would like to take classes. Students have the option to attend either the public high school, or enroll in the Cranston Area Career and Technical Center which is located on Cranston West's campus. Cranston High School West is a large suburban school which consists of five buildings, and is located at 80 Metropolitan Avenue on the western side of Cranston. The high school educates a total of 1,781 students and employs 137 teachers. This report will examine a number of contributing factors that shape the school's environment, including student demographics, teachers, special education, advanced placement test scores, extracurricular activities, and its accountability in reaching the No Child Left Behind standards.   

**__Demographics__** Cranston High School West, one of the two public high schools in the Cranston School District, has a total of 1,781 students. The high school's population consists predominantly of individuals who are white. While 94% of the total population is Caucasian, 3.5% is Hispanic, 2% is Asian, and 0.6% is African American. These numbers are much different to those of Cranston High School East's, where only 77% of the student population is white, and there are more Hispanic, Asian, and African American students. One explanation for these differences could root from the location of the schools: Cranston West serves the western, wealthier portion of the city, while Cranston East serves the population of students living in the eastern, more urban side of the city.

**__Teachers/Special Education/Advanced Placement__** Teachers at Cranston West work diligently to ensure that their students become interactive learners. The teachers at Cranston High School West work as a team in order to guarantee that their pupils are receiving a quality education that will provide them with skills necessary for the future. Only 2% of teachers in this school are not highly qualified, while 6% of the teacher population of Rhode Island are not highly qualified. Although it would be nice to see that all teachers at Cranston High School West are highly certified, two percent is not a large number at all. Eighty four percent of the teacher population interacts with students in ways that demonstrate interest and respect. Although this percentage of teachers is slightly lower than that of the state's 87%, this is not a vast difference. This makes for a comfortable and engaging learning community.

The teachers for the Special Education and the Advanced Placement students are especially enthusiastic. Of the 1,781 students at the school, 16% required special education services. Cranston High School West does a great job of integrating special education within the school, providing equitable opportunities for these individuals. In addition, Advanced Placement teachers are incredibly passionate when it comes to teaching - they genuinely want their students to take away many key concepts from their classes. Eighteen percent of students at Cranston High School West take Advanced Placement tests. Although this number is 3% lower than the percent of students in Rhode Island who take the AP test (21%), 65% of students at Cranston West master these tests at college level, while only 60% for the state of Rhode Island do. Yes, these numbers are all similar, but it is impressive that the percent of students who master the AP tests is higher (even if it is only 5% higher) in Cranston High School West than it is for the state of Rhode Island.  **__Extracurriculars__**  The school is very involved with providing extracurricular activities for its students, and the students most definitely take advantage of these opportunities. In addition to athletics, for the past several years Cranston West's school newspaper //The West Wind// has been recognized as outstanding in the state, students earn medals in the Oceanography Bowl, the Science Olympiad, as well as the Junior Engineering Team. The school has also placed very highly in Math Team and National Language competitions in Spanish, French, and Italian. As if that were not impressive enough, the Career and Technical Center has earned more medals than any other technical school in the state of Rhode Island during the past four years. It is clear that Cranston High School West is a very involved school that takes much pride in the all-around success of students. 



**__Performance__** <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> Each October, eleventh grade students are required to take the NECAP, or the New England Common Assessment Program. These tests measure the school's performance in areas of mathematics, reading, and writing. By looking at the graphs below, it is easy to see that, on average, the performance of Cranston High School West's students is slightly higher than Rhode Island's average percentages in both 2007/2008 and 2008/2009. In 2008/2009, the percentage of students proficient in Rhode Island was 27%, while at Cranston High School West 30% were proficient. For Rhode Island students, mathematics is not a strong subject - typically students do better in reading and writing. This is proven by looking at the percentage of students proficient in reading and writing in Rhode Island, 69% and 41%, respectively. Again, it is seen that Cranston West's scores are very similar, with 73% proficient in reading (slightly higher than Rhode Island's 69%) and 41% proficient in writing (identical to Rhode Island's percentage). Although it would be great to see a higher percentage of proficient students, from 2007/2008 to 2008/2009, both the state and Cranston High School West increased the percentage of students who achieved proficiency in all three areas. It is evident that Cranston West is not lagging behind the state in any aspect, performance-wise. <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">

<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: left;">**__Accountability__** <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> Under the No Child Left Behind Act, a federal legislation passed in 2001, the performance of public schools are measured by their scores on yearly standardized tests. Each school is required to meet the targets in various areas, including mathematics and English Language Arts in order to be considered making adequate yearly progress (the targets are raised higher each year). Cranston High School West, unfortunately, is not making adequate yearly progress (AYP). This, of course, is one of the main aspects that should be examined when researching a school - whether the school is making AYP is a huge concern. Although this fact may raise a red flag, it is important to look at which standards were and were not met in the school. Of the thirteen targets set, the high school has not only met, but actually exceeded the target in eleven areas. In 2008, for example, the state target to meet for English Language Arts was 75%, however, Cranston High School West had 87% of students meet this target, showing that the school is doing well compared to the state. The only two targets which were not met occurred in the Special Education department; in mathematics the target set was 63.2%, where Cranston West only reached 43.8%, and in English Language Arts the target was set at 75%, where Cranston West only achieved 57.4%. Clearly this is one area where the school needs to improve. It is important to dig a little deeper to find //why// the school is not making adequate yearly progress - this does not always mean that the school is completely doomed - if the school does not meet __all__ targets it will be branded as "needs improvement" or "not making adequate yearly progress."

On a positive note, Cranston High School West's graduation rate is higher than both that of the state of Rhode Island and it's neighboring school Cranston High School East. The graduation rate for Rhode Island, Cranston East, and Cranston West is 79.2%, 90.5%, and 95.3% respectively. The percent of students who graduate at Cranston High School West is extremely high, which is a great indication that the students are motivated and prepared to succeed.<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">

<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: left;">**__Conclusion__** <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> Overall, Cranston High School West works diligently to provide students with an enriching experience - both academically and socially. In any situation, it is up to the individual to take advantage of the opportunities offered, and Cranston West offers quite a bit, from athletics to a state-recognized newspaper. Although it may have been alarming to see that the school did not make adequate yearly progress last year (2008), once the research is thoroughly dissected logical explanations arise. Cranston West's mission is to "empower and support all students to become responsible for their learning, to strive to reach their potential, and to become a community of diverse learners, to teach others with courtesy and respect, and to become productive members of society." Cranston High School West is definitely aiming high in providing their students with many qualities that are crucial to any individual's success and well-being.