ECOMP 6101: School Profile

Do you know the “numbers” on your school? 

Please prepare a summary School Profile (your own, your children's, your community's; as appropriate)
including basic descriptive and factual information.


School: Middle School of the Kennebunks

Enrollment: 502
6th = 178
7th = 156
8th = 168

Student Body profile
The student population at MSK is mostly Caucasian (approximately 97%). The remaining three percent are made up of representatives from African American, Asian, Hispanic, and Native American heritage. Of the total number of students enrolled, approximately twenty percent have qualified for free/reduced lunch support. The student-to-teacher ratio is estimated at ten-to-one.

Teaching Staff
MSK employs a total of 47 full-time teaching staff, with an additional 82 staff employed in various rolls from Ed. Tech. to Food Services and Maintenance to Special Education personnel.

Test Scores
In looking at test scores from 2012 for the New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP), students at MSK scored the following:

• In the area of mathematics, 80 to 85 precent of students in grades 6-8 met the standard.
• In the area of reading, 86 to 89 precent of students in grades 6-8 met the standard.
• In the area of writing, 62 percent of students in grade 8 met the standard. No results were available for students in grades 6 and 7.

In looking at test scores from the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA), students at MSK scored the following:

• Students in grades 6/7 made improvements in both those who met the requirements and the number of students who showed growth between 2009-2010 in the area of reading. Students in grade 8 showed a decrease in both meeting requirements and showing improvement.
• In the area of mathematics, students in grade 6/7 showed improvement in their growth between 2009-2010, but showed a decline in the number of students who met their target scores. Students in grade 8 showed improvement in both categories.

Instructional Technology Resources
MSK is equipped with two general purpose computer labs and a third Special Education computer lab; all three are outfitted with Apple iMac computers. Each 6th grade classroom is outfitted with an interactive whiteboard (i.e. SMART Board) including all three computer labs, five special education rooms, and the main library.

Each full-time teacher in grades 7/8 has access to a Apple MacBook via the Maine Learning Technology Initiative (MLTI); teachers in grade six also have MLTI laptops purchased through the state laptop program. The ratio of students to laptops in grades 7/8 is 1-to-1 as a result of the MLTI program. The entire school building is equipped with a WiFi network, which is also provided by the state via the MLTI program. Through a grant, the 6th grade is equipped with two mobile labs in an attempt to bring the entire school closer to a 1-to-1 laptop environment for students across all three grades.

Student computer use at home
It is estimated that about 85 percent of the student population across the district has access to a computer or electronic device at home. This figure is partially inflated due to the presence of the MLTI program in that one of its goals is to provide both students and parents at the middle school level with access to a WiFi-enabled laptop computer capable of accessing the Internet. Students who qualify for the free/reduced lunch program may also qualify for Internet access at a reduced rate through Great Works Internet (GWI). The state program will also provide students with a modem to connect the state laptop to this service.

Why are numbers significant to know and what do yours show?

These numbers are significant because they help paint a picture of the overall population that the school is serving. Student body and staff profiles help to determine what kind of teaching and learning environments are possible and if the current status is even sustainable. Testing numbers can give insight into how effective school instruction and assessment is with respect to student learning and comprehension, although often administrators and/or school boards can add more weight to these numbers than what is appropriate or realistic. Instructional technology numbers can expose inequalities in access across grade levels and schools. For example, when a new elementary school was built in Kennebunk every Kindergarten through third grade classroom was outfitted with an interactive whiteboard. While this was a huge innovation and step forward in technology integration for the students and staff, it created inequity with the elementary school population in Kennebunkport. Hence, the school district spent the next two years devoting budgetary funds to install similar technology until the Kennebunkport school was on par with the new school.

Bibliography

Regional School Unit 21 (2012). March 6, 2012. http://www.rsu21.net

School Digger (2009-12). March 6, 2012. http://www.schooldigger.com/go/ME/schools/1477300800/school.aspx

ZipSkinny (2005). March 6, 2012. http://www.zipskinny.com/index.php?zip=04043