Middletown+District+Report

** Middletown School District **



**INTRODUCTION ** Middletown is a district in southern Rhode Island that is one of the state's earliest settlements, founded in 1731. It has fantastic shores and is the home to numerous historical sites. On top of the rich history and diverse population, Middletown has a fantastic school system. The education system in Middletown is very well-supported by its rich community and is known for providing a high-quality education. The community also boasts financial stability and a good community for families. These factors combined make Middletown a popular town of choice for families. The description encompasses all of these factors and is meant for anyone curious about how Middletown district got it's reputation for being a good school district. **FUNDING AND RESOURCES**

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One reason that this district is considered a good school district is that Middletown is very well off in terms of funding. Although the median family income in Middletown ($57,322) is lower t han East Greenwich's median family ($90,221), the property value per student is astoundingly high at $1,231,900.65. Middletown also spends an extraordinary amount of money, approximately $14,790.48, on each student. The influx of money flowing into this district improves its resoruces and allows for a better school. This information supports Kozol's theory that the richer communities are able to provide their communities with a more successful education due to the amount of resources they can afford (Rhode Island Department of Education, 2010)[1]. ======

**NECAP** Another way the government attests to a good school district is by looking at the standardized testing scores. In Rhode Island, the New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) is given to children in public schools that receive funding from the state. The tests are used to evaluate a schools' improvement over time. They are administered to students from third grade to eleventh grade with categories in math, writing, reading, and science. In Middletown, the percentage of students who reached proficiency in the 2010-2011 school year was above Rhode Island's average in almost every grade and category. Fifth grade students did the worst last year. Their percentages were all lower than Rhode Island's averages. This is true for fourth grade math scores as well. Middletown's percentages that were well above average revolved around eleventh grade math, eleventh grade writing, sixth grade math, seventh grade math, and eighth grade math. The differences between the states' scores and the districts were well into the teens and early twenties for those grades. For example, eleventh grade math scores for Middletown came in at 56%, whereas the Rhode Island's scores only came in at 33%. That's a 23% difference. Another example was eighth grade math: the districts percentages were 74% and the state's percentages were 54%. That's a 20% difference. Other than those examples, the districts scores remained relatively close to the states' (Rhode Island Department of Education, 2010).

**TEACHING** The teacher qualifications in Middletown are very average for the state of Rhode Island but serve to improve the district's reputation. Only 1% of teachers have emergency certification, which matches the state of Rhode Island. Emergency certification is granted to those who were unable to get fully certified as a teacher in the state of Rhode Island, but this certification is only granted when no qualified teachers are available. Luckily, very few teachers in Middletown have emergency certification. 3% of Middletown's teachers are not highly qualified. To be a highly qualified teacher, one must have a bachelor's degree, hold full state certification, and demonstrate full understanding of the subject matter by having a major in the subject or an equivalent. Middletown is slightly worse than the state of Rhode Island as a whole, which only has 1% not highly qualified teachers. Middletown's percentage of not highly qualified teachers is still quite low, even though it is a little higher than the state of Rhode Island. The teacher-student ratio in Middletown of 1:11 is the same as the average for the state of Rhode Island. This is a very good teacher-student ratio, but it is important to remember that the class sizes are not actually only 11 students. Some of the teachers counted as full-time teachers are not classroom teachers, but work more on a one-on-one basis with students. Overall, Middletown's teaching correlates well with the state of Rhode Island's.

Not only does Middletown's teaching correlate well with Rhode Island, but their attendance and graduation rates do as well. Middletown has very high attendance rates and a low percentage of chronic absenteeism. The attendance rates are all above the State Target and the chronic absenteeism problem is significantly below the percent the state target. Their graduation rate also exceeds the State Target, but more students in Middletown choose to get their GED than the state average. Dropping out is not an issue with Middletown but the percentage that is still in school is low. Many of the students are on a five year graduation rate instead of a four year one. The student indicator percentages are mostly around where they should be and Middletown is doing very well as far as being a safe and supportive school (Rhode Island Department of Education, 2010). A supportive district can derive from a good family life and a supportive community.

**FAMILIES AND COMMUNITY** Middletown's families and community correlate well with Rhode Island's as a whole too. Many fewer students in Middletown are eligible for subsidized lunch than in Rhode Island (25% in Middletown compared to 43% in Rhode Island). This means that many more students come from supportive families that have enough money to pay for food. 4% of students in Middletown are receiving English as a Second Language education, compared to 5% in the state. The difference is not large enough for Middletown to be better than the rest of the state, but the low percentage of ESL students is promising. Students who speak English as their primary language often do better in school than those who don't. At 18%, more students receive special education services in Middletown than the 16% in the state. Though this does mean that many students may not perform as well on tests, it could also reflect that Middletown has a good special education program that may attract students. It is also good that they are providing services to help students succeed. The special services offered to Middletown's students are very similar to those offered to all Rhode Island students (Rhode Island Department of Education, 2010).

**CONCLUSION** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 85%;">Middletown's school district is strongly influenced by the financial situation and family life of the students, as well as the other factors discussed above such as teachers and NECAP scores. Families are able to provide their students with the support they need in order to do well in school, which results in high NECAP scores and a safe environment. Middletown's financial status also allows the schools to provide students with the resources and opportunities they need. Due to these reasons, Middletown provides a successful school district for the students to attend and an opportunity to thrive in them. The students who attend schools in the Middletown district are very lucky; their education will provide them with a very clear, successful path.

> > Rhode Island Department of Education. (2010). Middletown District. //InfoWorks LIVE! A Rhode Island Education Data Initiative//. Retrieved November 9, 2011, from [] > > >
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