Comprehensive School Assessment

Gabby Sorkine
Comprehensive School Assessment
Arizona State University
PPE 310
2/7/16
Mary Dean

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Assess Your School

Assessment Results

Overall Grade: F
During School: 20%
Let's get to work. The school day is the critical time for implementing the Active & Healthy Schools
Program, which can benefit students, teachers and staff. Let's look at some steps for improving your
Active & Healthy score during the school day.

Curriculum: 20%
Let's get to work. The Active & Healthy Schools Program is committed to creating programs that
schools can successfully implement and maintain. Let's look at some possibilities for your PE
program.

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Recess / Lunch: 100%

Terrific! With a solid nutritional program and sufficient physical activity, students acquire the habits of
the Active & Healthy Program and can provide a positive example to others.

After School: 80%

Outstanding! Adding one or two after-school activities or a take-home newsletter can make your
school an Active & Healthy center in your neighborhood!

When looking at Mohave Middle Schools assessment results, I was very surprised. To
see a letter score of an F was a wide awakening of what is going on at the school now, and what
changes could be made to better the life of the students and staff (Gopher). Receiving a 100% in
recess and 80% in after school activities it brings light to the current citation (Gopher). Mohave
middle school has two great supports in the category of lunch. Beyond the Milk posters which
are present in almost all school cafeterias, they have healthy options in the lunch lines of juices
and milk along with fruit such as oranges. Another strong support comes from the teachers, who
often will ask a student who has brought a packed lunch from home if those choices they made
were healthy and brain fuel for their body. Students often will know the correct answer, leaving
them with that memory in their mind when packing their lunch the next day. With a strong
support staff of teachers and food in the cafeteria students have a chance at making healthy
choices. When thinking about the generic Milk posters in the lunch room, I would say that is
where one of the school weaknesses begin. Those posters are present in all schools and just hang
their daily making them almost blend in and become invisible. I think that if the school had

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students create their own advertisements of healthy life styles, the students would be more
engaged to read them and think about their choices. The walls are empty down some hallways,
where they could act as an art work of healthy choices. Students thrive off seeing not only their
work presented at a high level but their peers as well. Another fault of the schools would be
allowing students to bring options such as soda to school. While on campus I see students
drinking large bottles of Sprite and Coke on the daily. If the school was the completely rule out
that option and strictly enforce the rule, it would interest students in bringing options of juices or
water. Enforcing the healthier options on campus would boost the curriculum and during school
category percentage on the assessment as well.
One policy at the school at the school I would change is students being allowed to choice
of recess or staying in the lunch room on technology. Majority of the student population choices
the second option of technology during time they should be getting physical activity. I feel that
after lunch recess is so important to a student as it is the small amount of time in a middle school
setting that they are given to get that fresh air away from the classroom and move their bodies.
Students spend so much time sitting in their seats that it is no wonder they lose focus and are
antsy at the end of the day. By forcing students to leave their technology at home for the eight
hours they are gone and participate with their peers it would get them moving improving both
health and concentration in the classroom. Another policy I would want to change in the school
is that of active brain breaks. During my observations in multiple grade level and subject
category classes, students sit and sit during instruction with the chance of group work. I have yet
to see students participating in 30 second brain breaks, just getting them up and moving. By
introducing these into the curriculum and lessons, students would probably spend less time
asking to use the restroom or get a drink wandering the halls out of boredom and more time

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focused in class excited for the next brain break to come. This would not only encourage and
help the students, but the teachers as well with engagement and positive attitudes.
One way to get staff and teachers involved in this healthy movement is to involve them
personally. When making changes in curriculum, it changes lesson plans made by teachers. This
forces teachers to start using active brain breaks and teaching about healthy life choices which
updates their personal knowledge on the topic as well. A saying I always liked was, you have to
know it to teach it. Another way to get families and the community involved is setting up a
community garden on campus where students can work or start a gardening club and use the
fresh vegetables they are growing. If room does not allow for this, letters can be sent home
weekly telling parents of activities they can do together over the weekend that promote healthy
life styles. These are as simple as going on a family walk or planting a tomato plant in their yard.
There are numerous ideas and ways to include parents and families, but it takes teachers to
communicate.
My focus for the signature assignment is on the relationship between physical activity
and stress. Both of my school policy changes that I suggested above are in full correlation with
this topic, with experimentation of added and enforced physical activity in the classroom and at
recess. As students go through class after class for 7 periods of the day and 5 days a week, there
is going to come a time for all students where stress builds. Stress launches on the students with
exams, finals, pop quizzes, missing work, and forgetting assignments along with self-esteem
problems. In a middle school setting, so many things contribute to stress in students and physical
activity is an endorphin releaser which could benefit them. While I will student the physical
activity relationship on stress, it is clear of the physical activity relationship on student health.

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Students need to get moving now as their choices at this young adult phase will soon set their
path for adulthood.
The school context information at Mohave Middle School in Scottsdale Unified School
District goes as followed. This is school is a suburban setting, with an enrollment of 834
students. The school was given a B letter grade for its rating. Mohave Middle School is currently
a Title 1 public school, with a ranking of 163rd for middle schools in the state of Arizona. At this
school, students are taught from grades 6th through 8th and then transferring to one of their feeder
schools Saguaro High School. English Language Learner proportion numbers were not provided
on any websites. Mohave has a large pull of ethnic makeup including 70% Caucasian, 18%
Hispanic, 4% Asian, 3% Black, 3% American Indian, 1% two or more, and 0% Pacific Islander.
This percentages are a close match to the overall Districts, with a difference of one to two
percent in each category. When looking at the schools Free and Reduced lunch eligibility, the
numbers have dropped nearing the school close to losing its title. Recent updated information
was stated in a meeting with the Principal that the school is 4 students away for being qualified
as a title 1 school next year. The numbers show that Mohave is at 66% of students not eligible,
27% on free lunch, and 7% on reduced-price lunches. The state average for this program is at
45.3% of students. Mohave has one of the lowest student to teacher ratios in the district at 19.6
students to one teacher, with the school employing 42.4 full time teachers on their staff.

Criteria

Exemplary: Points (5)

Proficient: Points (3)

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Assessmen
t

SCORE:

School
Context /
Writing
Style

SCORE:

A minimum of 2 strengths and 2

weaknesses were described
Assessment was completed online and
posted to your E-Portfolio
A direct link was placed at the end of
your document to the assignment in
your E-Portfolio
Suggestions to improve school policies
were clearly stated
At least 2 suggestions to engage
stakeholders were provided

School context contained detailed

information on
grade levels
% free/reduced lunch
enrollment,
proportion ELLs
average class size
urban/rural/suburban,
ethnic makeup
state test scores
AYP status
All of the following are listed in the file
document name submitted
Lastname.firstname.assignment#.course
#
This rubric was added to the last page
of the document submitted
Your document was in APA 6.0 format,
including cover page, body and
reference section with no errors

A minimum of 1 strength and 1

weakness was described
Suggestions to improve school policies
were stated but lacked sufficient detail
At least 1 suggestion to engage
stakeholders was provided
Assessment was completed online and
not in your E-Portfolio
A link was provided to your E-Portfolio
to this assignment, however it wasnt a
direct link to this assignment

School context contained some detailed

information on
grade levels
% free/reduced lunch
enrollment,
proportion ELLs
average class size
urban/rural/suburban,
ethnic makeup
state test scores
AYP status
Most of the following are listed in the
file document name submitted
Lastname.firstname.assignment#.course
#
This rubric was added but not at the
end of the document submitted
Document was in APA, however errors
were found in formatting of the
sections

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References

Arizona Report Cards. (n.d.). Retrieved February 07, 2016, from

https://azreportcards.com/AcademicIndicators/Indicators

Gopher. (n.d.). Retrieved February 07, 2016, from http://www.gophersport.com/resources/activehealthy-schools/

Mohave Middle School. (n.d.). Retrieved February 07, 2016, from http://highschools.com/directory/az/cities/scottsdale/mohave-middle-school/40757000654/#section-1

Mohave Middle School. (n.d.). Retrieved February 07, 2016, from

http://www.schooldigger.com/go/AZ/schools/0757000654/school.aspx

U.S. ZIP Codes: Free ZIP code map and zip code lookup. (n.d.). Retrieved February 07, 2016,
from http://www.unitedstateszipcodes.org/

Weebly URL-

http://gabriellesorkineportfolio.weebly.com

http://gabriellesorkineportfolio.weebly.com/healthy-leadership.html