EDC+503+Su13+-+Calcutt+Middle+School

Dr. Earl F. Calcutt Middle School is located in the heart of the Central Falls’ 1.3 square mile community. Calcutt Middle School is the only public middle school in the Central Falls school district and during the 2012-2013 school year housed 666 students. Principal David Alba leads the school that is comprised of grades five through eight. One recent change to the school was the addition of the fifth grade for the 2012-2013 academic year. The following report aims to provide comprehensive data to perspective parents and students regarding many important factors that influence student success at Calcutt Middle School. Such factors include general information such as demographics and geographic location, student achievement, level of support and safety afforded by the school, community and parental involvement and funding and resources provided.
 * Introduction: **



Calcutt Middle School is a standards-driven teaching and learning community that promotes literacy, effective communication, problem solving, critical thinking, civic responsibility and the skills necessary for living and working in a culturally diverse society [1].
 * Mission Statement: **

112 Washington St. Centrall Falls, RI, 02863 (401) 727-7726
 * Geographic Location: **



At Calcutt Middle School 71% of the student population is Hispanic, 14% is African American, 12% is white, and 3% report being multiracial or of other ethnicity [2].
 * Demographics: **

One means of accessing student learning is through standardized testing such as the New England Common Assessment Program, or NECAP, which is administered to students in participating states, including Rhode Island. These tests were developed in response to the federal No Child Left Behind, NCLB, Act. There is no data reported for the 5th grade. For each reporting category, the results for Calcutt Middle School were below the state’s proficient average.
 * Student Achievement: **



Another requirement of the No Child Left Behind Act is that each school meets a proficient level of improvement known as adequate yearly progress, AYP, as set by that state. Schools receiving Title I funds, such as Calcutt Middle School, that do not meet adequate yearly requirements will face consequences as stated in NCLB [3]. At Calcutt Middle School there were 25-targeted areas tested, and of those, 19 targets were listed as having met adequate yearly progress. This classifies the school as having made inefficient progress [2]. The 2010-2011 academic year is the first year this assessment was administered. One area for improvement is mathematics. The students at this school received a score of 67.1, the target score for this year was 73.1, and the state average was 82.9. The students at this school did exceed the target attendance goal, which was set at 90% for the 2009-2010 academic year. This school received a 94.1%, which also exceed the state’s average of 93.8%.

InfoWorks and the Rhode Island Department of Education administered student surveys regarding academics, family, community, and extracurricular activities. The results of these surveys indicate that 96.7% of the students polled think that they will attend college in some capacity [2]. One must consider that despite the expectations of these middle school students only 68.1% of students in Central Falls will successfully graduate after four years of high school. This is up considerably from the 47% graduation rate only four years earlier [4].

Calcutt Middle School has student-teacher ratio of 1:8 that is slightly less than the state average of 1:11, this number does not accurately reflect the average class size, which is greater than that reported here. Teacher qualification is also of considerable importance when selecting a school. The NCLB Act has required that all teachers of academic subjects have at least a bachelor’s degree in their subject, adequate certification, and demonstrated knowledge in their subject. Those who do not meet these requirements are considered to be not highly qualified teachers. At Calcutt Middle School 6% of teachers are considered not highly qualified, while only 3% of all teachers in the state are considered as such. Three percent of the teachers at this school have an emergency certification, which is granted to teachers without certification when there are no certified applicants.
 * Teaching: **

According to student surveys at least 90% of those polled state that some, most, or all of their teachers gave easy instructions about how to do work and sufficient class time to complete their assignments. At least 90% report that some, most, or all of their teachers encourage them to do their best work, challenge them with some difficult problems, and keep their interest in class. Forty eight percent of teachers never allow class to become academically out of control. Overall, according to student surveys, students hold the teachers at Calcutt Middle School in relatively high esteem.

According to the School Accountability for Learning and Teaching, SALT, reports released by the Rhode Island Department of Education for the 2005-2006 academic year, some teachers demonstrated “excellent instruction”, “effective classroom management”, and “high expectations for learning”. The report recommends that teachers “explicitly and routinely teach reading, writing and problem solving strategies in all classes” and “seek professional development for incorporating [these skills] into all content areas” [5].

A student’s family and community structure is an important factor in their education. Ninety four percent of students attending Calcutt Middle School are eligible for subsidized lunch, which is alarming when one considers the state’s average to be 46% [2]. This is reflected by the below average mean household income provided in the Central Falls district profile. 35% of students polled report that they eat breakfast seven days a week, which is low compared to the 47.8% of students polled across Rhode Island. Eighteen percent of students report never eating breakfast, which is again low when compared to the state’s average of 8.4%. One should consider transportation options when considering a school. Eighty three percent of students report that they walk to school while only 3.1% of students take a bus. One is reminded that Central Falls encompasses less than 1.3 square miles [6].
 * Family, Community and Home Life: **

The following student survey results indicate sentiments regarding parent involvement. Note that 81.1% of students agree or strongly agree that their parents are concerned with their academics and 95.8% of parents care about their grades. The statewide percentages are provided for comparison. Despite income deficits, parents in Central Falls engage their children in the idea of college at about the same rates as those across the state.



A caring community is also important for a student’s success. Eighty percent of the children polled at Calcutt Middle School report that a non-parental adult in the community has encouraged them to persist when life became difficult. Almost 86% of students know an adult in the community that thinks they will go to college. This community also provides some support and supervision with after school extracurricular activities. More than half of all students are involved with sports, while 14.4% are active members of religious organizations.

The level of safety and support afforded by a school is another determining factor of a student’s success. As aforementioned in the Central Falls district profile, the stability and mobility indices describe the level of students flow through a school, which if too high, can lead to academic disruptions. The stability index at Calcutt Middle School is 74% while the state’s average is 89%. The mobility index here is 29% and the state’s average is 12%. During the 2011-2012 academic year there were 33 reports of suspension at this Central Falls middle school. The attendance rate at Calcutt Middle School is in agreement with the state’s average of 94% while the chronic absenteeism rate is 23%, which is above the state’s average of 17%. In an anonymous student survey, 23.2% of students admit that they skipped school in the past year. Some of the reasons provided are included in the table below.
 * Safe and Supportive Schools: **



Twenty three percent of Calcutt students claim that they do not feel safe while attending school, while 24.3% of students admit they have been robbed while at school. Fifty nine percent of students state they have been the victims of at least one form of bullying while at school, which is in agreement with the 60.6% of students statewide. Just over half of all students believe that discipline at their school is fair and equal.

The majority of a public school’s funding comes from local taxes. Additional data is provided for this school and district in the Central Falls district profile. The following student survey regards the resources afforded to the students at Calcutt Middle School. It is noted that some resource deficiencies are present.
 * Funding and Resources: **



There have been some changes noticed at Calcutt Middle School over the past decade. In 2002 there were 930 students and in 2012 there were 666 students. This decline is unexpected due to the addition of the fifth grade; one would expect the total number of students to increase. The data provided by Information Works [7] given below can be used to compare progress at Calcutt Middle School over the past ten years.
 * Changes over the Past Ten Years: **







There are many factors to consider when choosing a school. This report aims to be a comprehensive analysis of these factors, which include student safety and support, school funding, student achievement and community support. Overall, Calcutt Middle School in the Central Falls school district has many issues plaguing them today, as many schools do today. The students here seem to hold their teachers in high esteem and this attitude may contribute to student academic success.
 * Conculsions: **


 * References: **

[1] Central Falls School District. []

[2] InfoWorks: Rhode Island Education Data Reporting. 2013. [|http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov]

[3] No Child Left Behind. US Department of Education. 2011 []

[4] Rhode Island KIDS COUNT. 2013. []

[5] Information Services. Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. []

[6] City of Central Falls, Rhode Island. []

[7] InformationWorks. Rhode Island Department of Education. 2009. []