Contextual Factors of East Elementary



Emily Kriser

Fall 2010

Contextual Factors:

The Community of Saint George:

Population of Saint George:

St. George Utah

|Population, 2006 estimate |67,614 |2,550,063 |

|Population, percent change, April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006 |36.0% |14.2% |

|Population, 2000 |49,663 |2,233,169 |

|Persons under 5 years old, percent, 2000 |8.6% |9.4% |

|Persons under 18 years old, percent, 2000 |28.4% |32.2% |

|Persons 65 years old and over, percent, 2000 |19.3% |8.5% |

|Female persons, percent, 2000 |51.4% |49.9% |

The data that is listed above and below on Saint George, UT population, was taken from the Utah Census website located at . According to this population table of the Saint George, Utah area, there are a high percentage of people under that age of 18 years old (28.4%). The population of female persons, shown at 51.4%, makes of more than half of the population here. This increases the number of children that would be enrolled in school and the chance of students being male or female.

Population Demographics:

St. George Utah

|White persons, percent, 2000 (a) |92.3% |89.2% |

|Black persons, percent, 2000 (a) |0.2% |0.8% |

|American Indian and Alaska Native persons, percent, 2000 (a) |1.6% |1.3% |

|Asian persons, percent, 2000 (a) |0.6% |1.7% |

|Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, percent, 2000 (a) |0.6% |0.7% |

|Persons reporting two or more races, percent, 2000 |1.8% |2.1% |

|Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin, percent, 2000 (b) |6.7% |9.0% |

The community of Saint George has some diversity in its population. The graph table indicating the city’s demographics shows that the majority of the residents are White (92.3%), followed by the Hispanic or Latino race (6.7%), then the American Indian an Alaska Native people (1.6%), and then some Asian and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander people (0.6%). The Saint George area has a high percentage of Hispanic and American Indian people in comparison with other areas of Utah. A teacher could plan to have some representation of each kind of student in his/her classroom.

Language and Education of Saint George, Utah:

St. George Utah

|Language other than English spoken at home, pct age 5+, 2000 |9.3% |12.5% |

|High school graduates, percent of persons age 25+, 2000 |87.8% |87.7% |

|Bachelor's degree or higher, pct of persons age 25+, 2000 |22.0% |26.1% |

This information shows that there are several households that speak a language other then English. This will definitely increase number and likelihood that teachers will have ESL students in their classrooms. Therefore, it is essential that teachers are prepared to instruct all kinds of learners. The other part of this table indicates that most of the Saint George population has received at least a high school education. There is definitely room for growth, because the education level is only 87.8%, leaving 12.2% or 311,107 people who do not finish secondary education.

Washington County School District:

The school district has provided a 2010 CRT (Criterion Referenced Test) report on their website for the public to view. The first part of the report shows how the school district as a whole is performing in comparison to the entire state of Utah proficiency levels. This graph shows that in the content area of Language Arts the state of Utah is at 81.0% proficiency and WCSD is at 81.7% proficiency. The district is above the state proficiency level. In the area of Mathematics, Utah is shown at 69.5% proficiency. The district is above this level at 73.8% proficiency. The last content area is Science. The state of Utah is indicated at 69.7% in comparison to WCSD which is at 74.6%. The conclusion that can be made from this graphic display is that the Washington District is above proficiency in all three of these content areas. ()

Proficiency Percentages over Time:

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Language Arts 79% 79% 79% 81% 82%

* Mathematics 75% 74% 75% 70% 74%

Science 70% 69% 70% 70% 75%

* Mathematics scores from 2009 received a new cut score which changed the scaling and equating. Data from 2009 and on are not comparable to prior years.

This table above is from . This shows the CRT proficiency percentages over the last five years for Washington County School District. The district as a whole has been at the proficient in all three content areas of Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science, from 2006 to current year 2010.

Total Spending per Pupil Expenditures of Washington County School District (WSCD): $5, 363

Breakdown by Expenditure:

Instructional: 64 %

Student and Staff Support: 8%

Administration: 9%

Other expenditures: 19%

This table taken from Washington County School District website , shows the way that funds are being used in the school district for each student. The majority of the funds are being put towards the instructional accounts. I feel that this exactly what should be done to help students succeed in learning and mastering the standards and content areas that the state of Utah has put in place. The next area that funds are being used is in other expenditures. This may be for materials and teacher training. The staff support and administration areas are at about the same percentage for spending of funds. This table shows what is currently the priority in the district is and that is student learning and growth.

Contextual Factors of East Elementary

Number of students at East: 492

School Ethnicity:

|Ethnicity |East Elementary |Utah Average |

|White, not Hispanic |62% |78% |

|Hispanic |27% |15% |

|Asian/Pacific Islander |6% |3% |

|American Indian/Alaskan Native |3% |2% |

|Black, not Hispanic |1% |2% |

|Unspecified |1% |N/A |

East Elementary Characteristics:

There is great diversity at East Elementary, because of the demographics of the surrounding neighborhoods. East Elementary is located at 453 South 600 East, Saint George, UT. The school can be found exactly across the street (600 East) from the Dixie State College Hansen Football Stadium. The ethnicity data in the table above is from the website . There are about four hundred and ninety-two students that attend East Elementary. There majority of students are white, but there is a big representation of Hispanics (27%). The next percentage is of (6%) Asians/Pacific Islanders, and then the next race that is indicated are American Indians (3%). There are definitely some socio-economic differences at this school in comparison to others in the school district. This school has 52% of the students as eligible for free or reduced lunch. There is a very active PTA at East Elementary and they assist in recess duty, the annual Book Fair, and activity days after school. East Elementary does a Math Fair and a Literacy Fair each year for families to come and participate in. There are other Parent Nights are held individual teacher teams through the school year.

CRT Testing Average for East Elementary:

The CRT scores for East Elementary are very close to the Utah State average. This table shown above contains data from the Washington County School District (). This table indicates the score percentages for 2009-2010. In the subject area for Science East Elementary was at 50% percent, whereas Utah performed at an average of 52%. In Language Arts, East Elementary came in at an average of 68% in comparison to 70% for the state. Last of all, in Mathematics, East Elementary had a score average of 68% and Utah was at 71%. Overall, East Elementary measures a little below the state average in every content area.

Students per Full Time Employed Teachers:

East Elementary Teachers: 22

State Teacher Average: 24

Free or Reduced Lunch: 52%

Utah State Average for Free/Reduced Lunch: 30%

East Elementary is a Title I school in Washington County School District. The district website states that “Title I is a federal education program under the "No Child Left Behind Act of 2001". Funds are distributed to high poverty schools, as determined by the number of students receiving free and reduced lunch, to provide academic support and learning opportunities for those students in the areas of reading, language arts, and mathematics. These allocated funds can be used to hire additional teachers or teaching assistants to provide additional support for the children.” The information that I found on the website , showed that the Utah State Average for free or reduced lunch is 30%. There is a 22% difference in the need for lunch assistance at this school.

Classroom Contextual Factors:

Teacher: Mrs. Shauna Marshall Grade: 4 Number of Students: 27

Dates-from 9/22/2010 to 11/4/2010

Boys: 19[pic]

Girls: 8

ELL students: 3 students

This consists of two girls and one boy. There are two at the intermediate level and one

that is advanced.

Resource: 3 students

Volunteer(s):

A female college student: She comes in and helps students with their math during that

lesson time. Mrs. Hatch is a parent volunteer who comes and helps with multiplication

facts.

________________________________________________________________________

Mrs. Marshall’s classroom is very organized and has a very structured arrangement. There are twenty-seven students in this class. This consists of nineteen boys and eight girls. This imbalance makes the seating options very limited. Mrs. Marshall has a very good arrangement, keeping it in a girl/boy placement. There are three ELL students that have been tested by the ESL Coordinator in this class. There are two girls and one boy. One boy and girl are at an intermediate level. The other girl is at an advanced level. All three ELL go and meet with ESL aides and participate in an English Learning program called, “Imagine Learning.” These ESL students have been seated by other students who are either at the same or a little above their own language level. The three ESL students are pulled out every day at 10:30 for ESL instruction. The ESL students participate in the content areas of math and science. There are three resource students that meet Monday-Thursday with a special education teacher. These students are out of the classroom most of the time because of other instruction that they receive. There is not very much parent involvement, except for the two volunteers that I have listed above. This consists of mostly low learners. They struggle in spelling, mathematics, and language arts. I have been making accommodations in my lessons to help these students in the learning process. The management plan that is place is a card system that is on one wall of the room. Students start out on green at the beginning of each day. Students can be told to pull their card if they are talking, out of their seat, not on task, throwing objects, etc. The green card indicates that the student is “doing great”. The next card is pink and stands for “warning” and the third card is yellow meaning “loose five minutes of recess”. The fourth card is purple and stands for “loose recess”. The last card is blue and signifies that the student will be at “in school suspension”. This classroom has technology materials in it. There is a Smartboard, computer projection, ELMO, and sound system with microphone.

Second Class for Student Teaching-started 11/5/2010

Teacher: Mr. Brian Eardley Grade: 4th/5th split class

Number of Students: 27 [pic]

Mr. Eardley’s class is a fourth/fifth split and consists of twenty-seven students. He has fourteen girls and thirteen boys. The pie chart above shows the ratio between the amount of boys versus girls in this class. There are thirteen fourth grade students and fourteen fifth grade students. When creating the classes during the summer the school found that there was going to be a large number of fourth grade students for the new 2010-2011 year. This class was formed by placing the high level fourth grade math students in with the fifth graders.

There are not any resource or special education students in this class. There are two female ESL students that are part of this class. One of these students is at the advanced level and the second is at the intermediate level. The ESL students have been tested by the ESL coordinator, and are participating in the “Imagine Learning” computer program. The students are taught all the same curriculum as the rest of the class. The intermediate level ESL student is allowed extra time and receives one-on-one help during work time. There are five students that are pulled out daily for reading instruction at 11:30, Monday through Thursday. They go to reading while the class is doing the Treasures (Language) small group rotation time. During math time, three students are pulled out to receive math instruction. There are also two students who receive speech assistance from the Speech Pathologist. In checking with Mr. Eardley, all students who are receiving support in reading, speech, math, and ESL are expected to do all the other work from the regular classroom. Mr. Eardley’s management plan is based on the expectation that students will be respectful, listen, and complete their work in class during the time given. If students complete their work and homework at home, then they are able to participate in “Fabulous Friday”. The classroom does have technology resources which are used regularly during the instruction time. There is a Smartboard, ELMO, computer access, sound system and a VCR/DVD player for media presentations.

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