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Teaching Context
Community
Thompson Valley High School is located in Loveland, Colorado, which is the fourteenth largest city in the state (“Loveland”). Loveland is approximately 46 miles from the capital of Denver and is part of the Thompson R2-J School District in Larimer County. According to a 2013 estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau, the population is 71,334 with a slightly higher percentage of females than males and a median age of 38.1. Caucasians account for the majority of the population at 97.5%, while the second closest is Hispanic/Latino ethnicity at 11.7%. All other races total to 5%. On average there are 2.41 persons per household, a median household income of $55,838, and 9.4% below the poverty level. In terms of education, 93.0% of people 25 and older have graduated high school or more and 32.4% have a Bachelor’s degree or higher (U.S. Census Bureau). Major employers in the city are Lutheran Health Systems, Poudre Valley Health Care Inc., Walmart, Thompson R2-J School District, and the City of Loveland (Community and Strategic Planning).
District
Within Thompson R2-J School District, there are 20 elementary schools, 5 middle schools, 5 high schools, 7 private schools, and 2 charter schools. During the 2012-2013 school year, there were 16,042 students enrolled in the district. There were also 938 teachers employed that year—714 females and 224 males (“Enrollment”; “Teachers”).
School
Thompson Valley High School has an attendance of 1,328 with 54% male and 46% female. More than eighty percent of the students identify as Caucasian, while 10.7% identify as Hispanic or Latino, and 28.3% of students qualify for free and reduced lunch. Last year, 51.5% of students scored Proficient or Advanced on the state standardized test, the Transitional Colorado Assessment Program or TCAP (“Thompson Valley High School”).
Thompson Valley’s principal is Lanny Hass and the school employs 90 staff, 62 of which are teachers, and there is a student-to-teacher ratio of 24:1 (“All Staff Members”; “Thompson Valley High School”). More than two-thirds of teachers have five years or more of teaching experience and 57.8% have their Master’s or Doctorate degrees (“Thompson Valley High School”).
Thompson Valley offers 24 Advanced Placement (AP) courses to its students and the school ranks in the top 1,200 of the nation in the AP program. It also supports nearly 30 state-sponsored sports and 20 clubs, some of which, such as lacrosse and gymnastics, draw from several districts and schools. It is the only school with AP Spanish and has a community pool, theater, and football field (“About TVHS”).
Mission Statement
“Building for a new generation”:
* Building the skills to achieve each student's academic/career goals;
* Building the skills to contribute to society;
* Building an understanding of cultural diversity;
* Building self-pride and self-confidence;
* Building a belief that learning is a lifelong endeavor ("About TVHS")
Belief Statement
Students will build skills to: achieve academic and career goals; contribute to society; achieve an understanding of cultural diversity; achieve self-pride and confidence; and achieve learning as a lifelong experience (“About TVHS”).
Course Description
I will be teaching a regular ninth grade English and Language Arts class. The course catalog describes the class below:
In Ninth Grade English, students will:
* Learn and identify language skills, use correct mechanics, and study vocabulary;
* Read, respond, and apply thinking skills to novels, short stories, nonfiction, poetry and a Shakespeare play;
* Write, using the writing process, compare/contrast, cause/effect, and problem/solution short responses and
essays;
* Present a problem/solution or cause/effect presentation ("Couse Guide Book")
I will see my students four times a week—3 times for 47 minutes on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays; and one time for 90 minutes on either Wednesday or Thursday. I will be teaching during Period 1, which is from 7:30 AM to 8:17 AM and 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM (“TSD High School Bell Schedule”).
In my class, there are 28 students - 16 boys and 12 girls. Of these, 24 identify as Caucasian, 3 as Hispanic or Latino, and one as Asian. Most students will be reading and writing at grade level, but some students will be above and some will be below grade level.
Thompson Valley High School is located in Loveland, Colorado, which is the fourteenth largest city in the state (“Loveland”). Loveland is approximately 46 miles from the capital of Denver and is part of the Thompson R2-J School District in Larimer County. According to a 2013 estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau, the population is 71,334 with a slightly higher percentage of females than males and a median age of 38.1. Caucasians account for the majority of the population at 97.5%, while the second closest is Hispanic/Latino ethnicity at 11.7%. All other races total to 5%. On average there are 2.41 persons per household, a median household income of $55,838, and 9.4% below the poverty level. In terms of education, 93.0% of people 25 and older have graduated high school or more and 32.4% have a Bachelor’s degree or higher (U.S. Census Bureau). Major employers in the city are Lutheran Health Systems, Poudre Valley Health Care Inc., Walmart, Thompson R2-J School District, and the City of Loveland (Community and Strategic Planning).
District
Within Thompson R2-J School District, there are 20 elementary schools, 5 middle schools, 5 high schools, 7 private schools, and 2 charter schools. During the 2012-2013 school year, there were 16,042 students enrolled in the district. There were also 938 teachers employed that year—714 females and 224 males (“Enrollment”; “Teachers”).
School
Thompson Valley High School has an attendance of 1,328 with 54% male and 46% female. More than eighty percent of the students identify as Caucasian, while 10.7% identify as Hispanic or Latino, and 28.3% of students qualify for free and reduced lunch. Last year, 51.5% of students scored Proficient or Advanced on the state standardized test, the Transitional Colorado Assessment Program or TCAP (“Thompson Valley High School”).
Thompson Valley’s principal is Lanny Hass and the school employs 90 staff, 62 of which are teachers, and there is a student-to-teacher ratio of 24:1 (“All Staff Members”; “Thompson Valley High School”). More than two-thirds of teachers have five years or more of teaching experience and 57.8% have their Master’s or Doctorate degrees (“Thompson Valley High School”).
Thompson Valley offers 24 Advanced Placement (AP) courses to its students and the school ranks in the top 1,200 of the nation in the AP program. It also supports nearly 30 state-sponsored sports and 20 clubs, some of which, such as lacrosse and gymnastics, draw from several districts and schools. It is the only school with AP Spanish and has a community pool, theater, and football field (“About TVHS”).
Mission Statement
“Building for a new generation”:
* Building the skills to achieve each student's academic/career goals;
* Building the skills to contribute to society;
* Building an understanding of cultural diversity;
* Building self-pride and self-confidence;
* Building a belief that learning is a lifelong endeavor ("About TVHS")
Belief Statement
Students will build skills to: achieve academic and career goals; contribute to society; achieve an understanding of cultural diversity; achieve self-pride and confidence; and achieve learning as a lifelong experience (“About TVHS”).
Course Description
I will be teaching a regular ninth grade English and Language Arts class. The course catalog describes the class below:
In Ninth Grade English, students will:
* Learn and identify language skills, use correct mechanics, and study vocabulary;
* Read, respond, and apply thinking skills to novels, short stories, nonfiction, poetry and a Shakespeare play;
* Write, using the writing process, compare/contrast, cause/effect, and problem/solution short responses and
essays;
* Present a problem/solution or cause/effect presentation ("Couse Guide Book")
I will see my students four times a week—3 times for 47 minutes on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays; and one time for 90 minutes on either Wednesday or Thursday. I will be teaching during Period 1, which is from 7:30 AM to 8:17 AM and 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM (“TSD High School Bell Schedule”).
In my class, there are 28 students - 16 boys and 12 girls. Of these, 24 identify as Caucasian, 3 as Hispanic or Latino, and one as Asian. Most students will be reading and writing at grade level, but some students will be above and some will be below grade level.