Park+View+MIddle+School

=  Park View Middle School =

Author:Allie Loiselle District:Cranston

"The Mission of Park View Middle School is to create a child-centered, positive learning environment which provides for vast individual differences and allows young people to experience success, gain a positive self-image, and reach high standards within their school and community." Middle School acts as a bridge from the secure and sheltered elementary school to high school, where students must be more independent and are exposed to many new things. While elementary school is a crucial part of a students academic success, middle school is a major factor in a students success socially and civically. For these reasons it is imperative that parents investigate and research the middle school their child will attend.
 * Introduction: **

This report contains information about Cranston, R.I and specifically Park View Middle School. Park View is located on 25 Park View Boulevard, Cranston, R.I 02910. There are 747 students and 93 teachers. This city is diverse ethnically and economically, and information about the demographics of Cranston, the sources of funding for its schools, and performance on statewide testing, is discussed in this report and is essential to accurately portraying Park View.

Math, Reading, and Writing
 * School Analysis: **
 * Assessments: Learning and Achievement**




 * From 2007-2008 6th grade math proficiency remained about the same and proficiency in reading decreased from 64% to 59%. Yet for grade 7, the reading proficiency remained about the same and the math proficiency decreased from 57%-43%. For grade 8 the proficiency levels were mostly the same from 2007-2008. Regardless of losses and gains for individual grades over the years shown, the overall proficiency from 6th to 8th grade has increased.

The charts of proficiency that were separated by characteristics showed that students in poverty, African Americans, hispanics, students with disabilities, and English language learners were much more likely to fall below the proficiency line.


 * Accountability:**

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA) mandates that schools meet targets for the entire school and also for 8 groups of students within the school. The R.I department of Elementary and Secondary Education (RIDE) decides whether or not the groups meet these targets by looking at a combination of test scores, participation rates on tests, and attendance. According to the NCLBA, schools that miss any targets have not made "adequate yearly progress," however, schools get credit for meeting a target if the make significant progress toward it. Also, if a certain group does not have more than 45 members, it cannot be considered for accountability. In Park View there are less than 45 African Americans, Asians, and Native Americans.

At Park View all of the groups met the target for mathematics, with hispanic and white students scoring the highest and students with disabilities scoring the lowest. Hispanic, white, and disadvantaged students passed the target for reading, while students with disabilities and English language learners did not quite meet it, but made significant progress. The participation rates on the tests for math and reading were 100% and 99.9% respectively, which beat the target of 95%. For these reasons, it is said that Park View made Adequate Yearly Progress from 2007-2008.

The following data is the students' perspectives on questions asked in the SALT Surveys at Park View.
 * Student Point of View:**

38% of students feel they can talk to a teacher or staff member about academic problems 12% feel they can talk with a teacher/staff member about personal problems 13% think getting along with a teacher is a medium to big hassle 20% say they were robbed one or more times in school 11% say they were offered drugs one or more times in school 40% say teachers take a personal interest in students 43% say they have a sense of belonging 42% say they get 7 hours of sleep or less a night 35% say they eat breakfast 2 days or fewer 45% watch at least 2 hours of T.V on a school day

Within the last 30 days: 8% have smoked at least once 10% have used illegal drugs 19% have drank alcohol at least once

From the data it seems as though the students don't really feel comfortable with their teachers, and don't believe that they want to help them. But perhaps the students simply haven't tried to approach their teachers about problems they are facing.

The following data is from the perspective of the teachers on the SALT Surveys at Park View.
 * Teacher Point of View:**

% Agreeing or Strongly Agreeing: 95% believe teachers work well together as a unit 14% think they help decide how school policies should be changed 100% of teachers in same grade level respect each others' ideas and opinions 41% say staff is usually involved in school improvement and planning decisions 33% believe there is a group spirit among the staff 40% say things are pretty disorganized 45% believe students in their class disrupt what others are doing

From observing the data in the SALT surveys, almost all of the teachers feel as though they don't have adequate time for planning, and most feel that teachers at the school do not have enough training. Another major problem is that teachers feel as though they really play no part in the decision making for the school. However, they do feel that there is a great sense of collegiality with the other teachers, and they respect and learn from each other.

The following data is from the perspective of the parents in the SALT surveys at Park View.
 * Parent Point of View:**

%Agreeing or Strongly Agreeing: 85% say school views parents as important partners 37% say school does well including parents in school committees 82% believe community supports school School does well: 32% contacting if child is doing well 53% contacting if child is having a problem 60% responding to requests in reasonable time 42% asking me to volunteer at school 43% making parent-teacher conferences 34% say they have read with their child 84% have talked with their child about school 17% talked to a child's teacher at school 44% took their child to a library

According to the data, most of the parents believe that Park View is a safe place for their children and feel included and welcomed into the school. Overall it also seems like the parents really want to get involved in their child's education and look for advice and common philosophies from the teachers that coincide with their parenting ideas.

**SALT visit report:** Overall, the results from the SALT visits show that the students and teachers both are passionate and ready to improve, yet there are many factors holding them back. Teachers seem to have low expectations for the students which discourages them from wanting to learn. According to the survey "The students are capable of so much more than is asked of them. Traditional methods and homogeneous grouping for core classes severely limit the ability of the teachers to meet the needs of all students. While some students approach their classes eager to learn, a significant number do not. Low expectations, a lack of academic rigor, and inconsistent expectations for their behavior hold many students back. Many students are allowed to be off task, and there are neither visible consequences for their behavior nor accountability for their learning."

The SALT visiting team also noted that there is frustration among the teachers because they feel that behavior codes are not applied consistently and also that there is a "lack of accountability for the implementation of the curriculum, for student performance, for team meetings, and for subject area meetings." The teachers also feel as though the administration is distant from the faculty and that they show favoritism, something they try hard not to show with their students. Another negative aspect of the SALT visit report was the building itself. The team notes that the establishment is in desperate need of an upgrade and expansion. "Windows are coated, blocking natural light. Teachers regulate the temperature of their classrooms by opening and closing the doors and windows. The lack of space for some programs, poor air quality and dirty conditions in the building contribute to the low teacher morale."

The SALT team commended Park View on the students enthusiasm and also on the student reading and writing. They said that most students knew about the 25 book standard and that many of them read during free time in classes. Their recommendation to the teachers to improve reading comprehension was to ask more in depth questions and really have the students think about what they are reading, instead of just having them draw pictures or answer basic questions about the plot and characters.

Looking at the responses of students, I don't believe Park View Middle School achieves the social and civic transformation that is so important for success in high school. Less than half of the students feel as though they belong, and almost none of the students feel comfortable talking with their teachers about academic or personal problems. The students are not excelling because they have no expectations, it seems that the teachers and administration are content with mediocrity. Like in many schools today, teachers are forced to focus on high stakes testing at the expense of real learning. With the enthusiasm and potential that the students seemed to show during the SALT visits, simply making changes in the curriculum and expectations will certainly guide Park View in the right direction.
 * Conclusion: **