EDC+503+Su13+-+Woonsocket+District

Tammy
** NECAP ** While in all acounts the district is below the state's proficient level, the 2011-12 data, shows an increase in most grade levels and tests. All grade levels showed improvement in reading and wrting, but the math and science scores have either remained the same or in many cases are lower than the 2010-11 data in math and lower than the2009-10 data in science.From the writer's experience as a high school teacher, the math test ,given in the fall, may test skills thst have not been fully covered. The science test, which is a general test of science literecy, has been a problem state wide, the skills, such as graph interpertation and construction, scientific inquiry, etc. must be incorporated into the science program along with an organiised preperation program must be in place. ** Teaching ** For definitions, see: []
 * **NECAP Assessments** || **State** || **Your district** ||
 * 3rd Grade Math 2010-11 || 52% || 62% ||
 * 3rd Grade Reading 2010-11 || 62% || 71% ||
 * 4th Grade Math 2010-11 || 55% || 63% ||
 * 4th Grade Reading 2010-11 || 59% || 68% ||
 * 4th Grade Science 2009-10 || 28% || 43% ||
 * 5th Grade Math 2010-11 || 48& || 62% ||
 * 5th Grade Reading 2010-11 || 62% || 73% ||
 * 5th Grade Writing 2010-11 || 52% || 59% ||
 * 6th Grade Math 2010-11 || 38% || 60% ||
 * 6th Grade Reading 2010-11 || 56% || 71% ||
 * 7th Grade Math 2010-11 || 37% || 54% ||
 * 7th Grade Reading 2010-11 || 56% || 71% ||
 * 8th Grade Math 2010-11 || 37% || 54% ||
 * 8th Grade Reading 2010-11 || 60% || 74% ||
 * 8th Grade Writing 2010-11 || 41% || 61% ||
 * 8th Grade Science 2009-10 || 5% || 25% ||
 * 11th Grade Math 2010-11 || 14% || 33% ||
 * 11th Grade Reading 2010-11 || 54% || 76% ||
 * 11th Grade Writing 2010-11 || 23% || 51% ||
 * 11th Grade Science 2009-10 || 9% || 26% ||

Teachers

 * || **State** || **Your district** ||
 * Teachers with Emergency Certification 2009-10 || 1% || 3% ||
 * Not Highly Qualified Teachers 2009-2010 || 3% || 4% ||
 * Teacher-Student Ratio 2009-10 || 1:11 || 1:11 ||

From this data it would seemed that the district, compared to the state, is having a slight problem attracting certified teachers, in 2010-2011, emergency certifications went up 3 %, not hightly qualified went up 1%. Urban districts have of late had great difficulties attracting teachers in high demand areas. The student teacher ratio did not change, while it is 1:11, the actually teacher student classsroom ratio is much higher. One needs to look at the data on how this affects learning. ** Families and Communities ** For definitions, see: [|http://infoworks].ride.ri.gov/families-and-communities/definitions-and-background In this data set it is very interesting to note that both ESL and special education services is lower than the state average, but the economy of the district, which is indicated bu the percent of subsidized lunch, is 26% higher than the state average. The economic health of a district residents,is on of the leading indicators of the performance of the school district. In the words of Mike Rose, ** Why Schools, ** // " The hope of a better life has traditionally driven achievement in American Schools. When children are raised in communities where economic opportunity has dramatically narrowed, where the future is bleak, their perception of and engagement with school will be negatively affected" //
 * **Student Characteristics** || **State** || **Your district** ||
 * Student eligibility for subsidized lunch || 44% || 70% ||
 * Students from Various Racial/Ethnic Backgrounds || _ || _ ||
 * Students Receiving ESL/Bilingual Education Services || 6% || 8% ||
 * Students Receiving Special Education Services || 20% || 16% ||

What should a parent do as school enrollment season begins? Experts advise parents to check the numbers. It is interesting to know that choosing public schools has become a data driven decision. Greatschools.org points out that these numbers can give parents a sense of a school, but they might not always be accurate or they might not reflect recent changes. However, they are still worth looking at. Data to look at includes attendance rates, graduation rates, the number of school suspensions, and the amount of funding provided to each student.

The attendance rate for the district of Woonsocket is given for the 2009-2010 academic year and this data was gathered using infoworks[1]. Student Attendance Rate is calculated by the total number of days students were in attendance during the 2009-2010 school year divided by the total number of days students were expected to be during the academic year. The district of Woonsocket has a 90% attendance rate for all schools. Woonsocket does meet the state attendance rate target, which is 90%. However, Woonsocket’s attendance rate is lower than the state average attendance rate of 93%. Compared to the state average attendance rate, elementary and middle schools fared well. Unfortunately, it is not the case with high school attendance rate, which is 86%, compared to 91% the state attendance rate. The districts chronic absenteeism rate, students who miss more than 10% of instructional time**//,//** 32%, is double to the state average of 16%. Do school facilities have any impact on the attendance rates? According to McGowen’s research, attendance rate did not prove to be significant predictors [2]. There must be other social issue that is affecting students’ attendance. If I was a parent of a high school age child, I would not base my decision on whether my child would receive a quality education based on these numbers.

According to Alliance for Excellent Education, graduation rates are a vital indicator of whether or not the nation's public school system is doing what it is intended to do: enroll, engage, and educate youth to be productive members of society [3]. The percentage of students in Woonsocket who graduated high school after four years is 61.8% compared to the state’s graduation rate of 75.5%. The drop out rate is an alarming 23.6%, higher than the state’s rate of 13.9%. However, the percent of students who dropped out who received a GED diploma does not increase when comparing to the state, it actually is almost the same as the state’s average. That means that majority of students who dropped out gave up on the idea of obtaining a high school diploma or the equivalent. The Five year graduation rate for the district of Woonsocket is 64.2 %, still below the state’s average of 77.0%. As a former teacher, I can say that one possibility for students dropping out is the difficult transition from middle school to high school. A number of ninth graders lack the basic skills needed to succeed in high school and have a difficult time adjusting. Another reason could be the lack of support from school to help these students make a successful transition.

As a parent, this is the data I would definitely consider. This data shows a significant relationship regarding how safe the school environment is. The data also gives an indication about the school’s role in providing specialized programs to students with learning disabilities – that can be a great source of frustration and can also give an indication about the safety of the school’s neighborhood. 2598 high school students were suspended in the 2008-2009 school year. This is much higher than suspension in elementary and middle school. High school students are more comfortable expressing their opinion; this could be one reason why high school students are more likely to be suspended. They are less likely to listen to authority.

Lastly, funding data should be another key determining factor of the quality of education in such district. It all translates to resources that are provided to the schools. The district of Woonsocket spends $ 13,120 per student compared to the East Greenwich that spends $14, 086. Compared to the state’s spending average, $15,173, it fairs well. The district’s average median family income is $38, 353. The district’s total property value is $259,937.50. East Greenwich’s total property value is $1,002,895.24, that means that the district of East Greenwich is able to contribute a lot more to their schools, thus improving the educational resources provided to their students. References:

[1]InfoWorks: Rhode Island Education Data Reporting. 2013.   [|http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov] [2] McGowen, R. S. (n.d.). Retrieved from [] [3] (n.d.). Retrieved from []