Compass+School+Description

-Kelsea Adams

= __**Introduction**__ =

The Compass School is located in South Kingstown, Rhode Island and teaches children in Kindergarten- 8th grade. There are 172 students attending the school and it is an independent charter school under the supervision of Director Allen Zipke. It was originally opened in 2002 by a group of parents who wanted their children and other students to learn in a different environment and use their brains! In 2012, The Compass School was ranked the 2nd highest in its school report out of 278 other schools. The Compass School is based upon six key concepts and programs which include: parental involvement, environmental sustainability, site-based management, multiage approach, project-based teaching approach and social responsibility. In order to properly describe The Compass School thoroughly, this report discusses it's School Demographics and Geographical Location, Student Achievement, Teaching, Family,Community, and Home Life, Safe and Supportive Schools and Funding and Resources. = __**School Demographics and Geographical Location**__ =

The Compass School is located in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, which is an excellent area for a thriving school district according to the world census.Kingston is an excellent community both safely and economically and is predominantly White. The charter school has little diversity is 86.2% White, more than the average percentage in the state of Rhode Island of 73.4%. The Compass School has approximately a 50% female and 50% male ratio and also has 6.9% of its students being Hispanic or Latino compared to the higher percentage in Rhode Island statewide of 22.1%. Other examples, showing The Compass School to be of little diversity is its Black/African American percentage of 3.4% compared to Rhode Island state wide of 9.1%. As compared to the surrounding community of South Kingston, Rhode Island, The Compass School is in a very wealthy area with a thriving and prosperous town of Kingston, Rhode Island. All in all, this data proves that The Compass School is in an area of little diversity; therefore its school is predominantly white as well (RIDE,2012).

= __**Student Achievement**__ = The Student Achievement at The Compass School of Kingston, Rhode Island is significantly higher as compared to the state of Rhode Island. Students attending The Compass School are doing well above average in all subjects on the NECAP Assessments including math, reading, science and writing from 3rd grade to 8th grade. More than 50% of the students attending The Compass School achieved above proficiency on all of the NECAP exams except for 5th grade writing. As compared to the state of Rhode Island, 90% of the students in The Compass School scored above proficiency on the 4th grade Math NECAP exam, while only 65% of the students attending schools in the state of Rhode Island scored above proficiency. Another example how The Compass School compares with other schools in Rhode Island is the 8th grade Reading Assessment in which 90% of The Compass School's students achieved above proficiency and only 78% of the students achieved above proficiency state wide in Rhode Island (RIDE,2012).

The Adequate Yearly Progress Report also shows that The Compass School made AYP for the year of 2010-2011, showing that it is an adequate school district in the state of Rhode Island and is meeting the correct standards they should be. As you can see, The Compass School's student achievement is thriving compared to other schools in the state of Rhode Island is known as one of the top schools (RIDE, 2012).

=__**Teaching**__= The Compass School has excellent teachers and staff to support its thriving school, very similar to the state of Rhode Island. The Compass School has a highly qualified staff more so than the average schools in Rhode Island. Their teachers have their certifications and aren't emergency certified on the stop, as are many teachers in the state of Rhode Island (RIDE,2012).

According to a student-based research, teachers in The Compass School and the state of Rhode Island give good directions, give enough time for classroom work, provide thinking problems,call on different students in class, provide numerous teaching methods for different students, and provide neat workspaces. Although there may be numerous similarities there are numerous differences between the teachers in the state of Rhode Island and The Compass School. Teachers in The Compass School are more personal with the students and most likely help the students if they miss a day of class, more so than teachers do on average in the state of Rhode Island. Also teachers of The Compass School provide more independent work for students rather than group work as teachers in the Rhode Island do. These results showed that more than 60% of the students felt this way in each of these categories. As you can see, the teachers in The Compass School are very similar to the teachers in the state of Rhode Island, but they also provide a more personal and independent academic setting (RIDE,2012).

=__**Family, Community and Home Life**__= The Family, Community and Home Life of students attending The Compass School, is something very important in the description of the school because that is what shapes it. The area of Kingston, Rhode Island is at good economic standpoint and this proves to be true with only 12% of the students attending The Compass School having eligibility for a subsidized lunch as compared to the states average of 44% being eligible. Also The Compass School provides special education services to 22% of its students, while the state of Rhode Island only provides for 16% of the students. This information shows that The Compass School is well developed enough to fully provide these services for their own students (RIDE,2012).

Results also show that students attending The Compass School are much more active in sports and outdoors activities, along with doing their homework than in the state of Rhode Island. Parents are also much more involved with the students and their academics attending The Compass School versus in the state of Rhode Island. This parent engagement can improve students achievement in school and can push them more academically. Parents of students in The Compass School are more likely to be home with their children and can always provide them breakfast versus the average of parents in Rhode Island who can not always do so. There is also a significant difference in the amount of technology use that students use attending The Compass School and the average students attending other schools in Rhode Island. Only 23.3% of the students in The Compass School spend 2 or more hours using technology for entertainment versus 42.5% of students in the state of Rhode Island.In conclusion, the family environment is much more stable and supportive for students attending The Compass School compares to the students in the state of Rhode Island (RIDE,2012).

=__**Safe and Supportive Schools**__= According to numerous data resources, The Compass School demonstrates a very safe and supportive school in South Kingston, Rhode Island. The Compass School is very health conscious and seems to provide soap in the bathrooms to wash your hands, while some schools in the state of Rhode Island may not. Also students in The Compass School seem to be satisfied with their school's appearance and facilities, while other students in Rhode Island are not (RIDE,2012).

In The Compass School there is also much less violence and theft as compared to the schools in Rhode Island as a whole. Students attending The Compass School feel more safe than students in the state of Rhode Island. Only 3.3% of the students in The Compass School have seen a weapon at school and only 13.8% have been in a fight in school, where as 12.4% of students in the state of Rhode Island have seen a weapon and 16.7% of students have been involved in a fight. Violence also leads to discipline and there are 0 suspensions in The Compass School as compared to 2,914 suspensions in Rhode Island. As you can see, The Compass School provides a very safe and supportive environment for students to learn as compared to the average schools in the state of Rhode Island and leaving students with a feeling of safety in and out of school!(RIDE,2012)

=__**Funding and Resources**__= The Compass School has sufficient funding and resources, which allow the school to continue to progress and move forward in the right direction. The district of Kingstown, Rhode Island spends $13,700 on average per student at The Compass School and this comes from the taxes that the families pay each year. The average median family income is $69,559 and this allows charter schools like The Compass School to continue to thrive because the families in the community have enough money to pay their taxes (RIDE,2012).

=__**Conclusion**__= In conclusion, The Compass School in Kingston, Rhode Island proves to be a significantly important school in the state of Rhode Island. The Compass School succeeds academically, financially, safely and supportively and has an excellent surrounding community in Kingston, Rhode Island. The Compass School's concepts and programs make it a unique school, which thrives and progresses along the way. All in all, The Compass School's carefully through out programs allow them to be known as an excellent charter school in Rhode Island.