International+Charter

Alyssa Nace School Description: International Charter School October 28, 2013

International Charter School

**Introduction:**
International Charter School is located at 334 Pleasant Street in Pawtucket, Rhode Island that serves 310 students grades K-5. It is an elementary public school of choice that is dual lingual, so the students are taught in English half the time and either Portuguese or Spanish (depending upon with program they're in) the other half of the time (“Our Programs,” n.d.). The ICS believes that this method of teaching is better than teaching the second language alone in isolation (“About ICS,” n.d.).

The charter for the International Charter School was granted to the International Institute of Rhode Island in 2001. Funding data is unavailable as International Charter School is self-funded, independent, and has it's own 501c3 status (which means they are an American tax-exempt non-profit educational organization). It also has its own Executive Director and Board of Trustees (“About ICS,” n.d.).

**Mission Statement:**
The mission of ICS is to integrate the diverse languages and cultures of the communities it serves by teaching all students in two languages-in Spanish and English or in Portuguese and English-and helping children develop an appreciation of other cultures. Children learn to work collaboratively from their multiple experiences and backgrounds, striving towards high standards of academic achievement. Everyone is part of a community of learners, engaging in inquiry about the world, themselves, and others" (“Mission,” n.d.).

**The Demographics of Students:**
The student demographics of the ICS are quite unique. The majority of the students that attend ICS come from the surrounding communities of Pawtucket, Central Falls, and Providence, but ICS is a statewide school and currently enrolls students living in 12 Rhode Island communities (“Student Demographics,” n.d.). That's really unique, because usually schools only serve the communities around them. Most of the student population is Latino (50%). This isn't so surprising knowing that the surrounding communities (Pawtucket, Central Falls, and Providence) have a high percentage of Latinos, but in comparison to other charter schools it's interestingly unique. The rest of the school is 28% White, 20% African American, 1% Asian, and 1% Native American. Slightly more than half (51%) of the students are dominant in either Spanish or Portuguese, and the other 49% are dominant in English. An interesting fact about the student population is that ICS currently enrolls students who were born outside of the U.S. in a variety of countries in Central America, South America, and Africa. The language learners in ICS are divided almost equally, which is intentionally determined in the application process (“Student Demographics,” n.d.). 39% of students at ICS received ESL/Bilingual Education services in the 2012-2013 school year, compared to the states average of just 6% (“International Charter School,” n.d.), This is most likely because of the programs the school offers.

The ICS has a slightly higher percentage of students (57%) that are eligible for subsidized lunch, compared to 46% at the state level (“International Charter School,” n.d.). This is most likely due to the ethnicities of the students and the communities they live in. Also, m ost charter schools are known to have a low percentage of Special Education students, but at ICS, according to their website, 15% of the student population have IEPs (Individual Learning Plans) and qualify for Special Education. What's also interesting is that these students with IEPs attend regular classes, with students who don't have IEPs, the entire school day (“Student Demographics,” n.d.). ICS had a 95% attendance rate for the 2011-2012 school year, which is slightly higher than the state's attendance rate for that school year (95%). It also had a chronic absenteeism rate of 6%, significantly lower than the state's chronic absenteeism rate of 17% (“International Charter School,” n.d.). This may be because the ICS strives to create a setting in which students can be interested, self-motivated learners.

**The Quality of Teachers:**
According to SurveyWorks, which has surveys for students, teachers, and parents, overall, students are happy with their teachers, the quality of their teaching, and their dedication to the students (“SurveyWorks Student Survey 2012-2013,” n.d.). A list on the school's website shows that there are Teachers, Teacher’s Assistants, Special Education Teachers, a Reading Support Teacher, a Music Teacher, a Physical Education Teacher, a Visual Arts Teacher, a Library and Technology Specialist, a Behavior Support Specialist, and a School Social Worker (“Staff List and Contact Information,” n.d.). This seems like a solid team for school of only 310 students. There is a discrepancy between what the school website and InfoWorks say the student-teacher ratio is (the school website says it's 18-1 and InfoWorks says it's 12-1). However, either way the ratio is higher than the state's ratio (11-1). In Rhode Island, 3% of the teachers are not highly qualified (they don't have a Bachelor's Degree as a teacher, or they don't have an Associate's Degree as a teacher's assistant). However, at ICS, 9% of the teachers or teacher's assistants are not highly qualified (“International Charter School,” n.d.). This may be because of the unique faculty necessary to run their dual-language programs. At ICS, 4% of teachers have emergency certification, which is higher than the state's 1% of teachers with emergency certification (“International Charter School,” n.d.). Overall, the quality of the teachers at ICS seem to be better than those at other Rhode Island Schools.

**The Quality of Education:**
The percentages of proficiency in the NECAP assessments for ICS are all below the state averages of proficiency for grades 3-5 (“International Charter School,” n.d.), which may be due to the fact that many of the students are ELLs (English Language Learners). However, International Charter School met APY in the 2011-2012 school year, which means they met the proficiency standards of NCLB (No Child Left Behind). It's odd that they met APY despite their low NECAP scores. ICS has a high stability index (97%) when compared to the state's 87% for the 2011-2012 school year. It also has a very low mobility index (3%) when compared to the state's 14% for this same school year (“International Charter School,” n.d.). This shows that ICS is very successfully retaining their students as the years pass. International Charter School was featured in an article in the Providence Journal because of its success in eliminating the educational gap. It was also 1 of 4 schools featured in the national report // Next Generation Charter Schools: Meeting the Needs of Latinos and English Language Learners //(“Our Successes,” n.d.).

** Conclusion: **
Though the students are a bit behind in NECAPs, they seem to be striving to reach the high standards of academic success. Overall, International Charter School achieves its mission. It's diverse, immersive, and integrates the cultures of the communities it serves. Keep it up, ICS!

**Works Cited:**
About ICS. (n.d.). International Charter School. Retrieved October 27, 2013, from http://www.internationalcharterschool.org/ABOUT_ICS.wss Entrance. (2009). Retrieved October 28, 2013, from http://www.internationalcharterschool.org/media/entrance.jpg International Charter School. (n.d.). InfoWorks! Rhode Island Education Data Reporting. Retrieved October 27, 2013, from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/international-charter-school lucy_c. (n.d.). International Charter School. Retrieved from http://www.internationalcharterschool.org/media/lucy_c.jpg Mission. (n.d.). International Charter School. Retrieved October 27, 2013, from http://www.internationalcharterschool.org/Mission.wss music4. (2008). International Charter School. Retrieved October 27, 2013, from http://www.internationalcharterschool.org/media/music4.jpg Our Programs. (n.d.). International Charter School. Retrieved October 27, 2013, from http://www.internationalcharterschool.org/OUR_PROGRAMS.wss Our Successes. (n.d.). International Charter School. Retrieved October 27, 2013, from http://www.internationalcharterschool.org/SUCCESSES.wss Staff List and Contact Information. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.internationalcharterschool.org/Staff_list_and_contact.wss Student Demographics. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.internationalcharterschool.org/Student_demographics.wss