Contextual Factors Analysis

Auburn School District

Jordan Croteau

EDU 450

September-December 2017

Contextual Factors Analysis: Edward Little High School

Community Factors

The Lewiston/Auburn area takes great pride in being one of the more populated areas in

the state of Maine. Behind the leading cities of Portland and Bangor, Auburn has a population of

around 23,000 people. With many attractions like shopping areas, restaurants, and colleges,

Auburn has plenty to do. The colleges, Bates, Central Maine Community College, University of

Maine Auburn Campus, and University of Southern Maine Auburn Campus have a direct impact

on the population in the Auburn area. Auburn also has a choice of public and private high

schools, like St. Dominic Academy and Edward Little High School. Compared to the populations

in other cities/towns in Maine, Auburn is a very diverse area.

Auburn Maine has a population of around 23,000 people, 93.7% of the city identifies as

white, 2.5% as back or African American, 0.4% as American Indian, and 0.9% as Asian (Maine

Demographics). Compared to the Maine population as a whole, Auburn is one of the more

diverse areas. Maine is one of the whitest states in the US, Second to only Vermont. With a total

of 23,000 people Auburn is the 5th most populated city in Maine (Maine Demographics). If

combined with the Lewiston area the population is comparable to the largest city Portland. The
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Lewiston/Auburn area has been constantly growing and reaching towards one of the most

heavily populated areas in the state. The steady growth in population has a lot to do with the

immigration of Somalians.

In a 2009 Newsweek article, it discussed how the Lewiston/Auburn area was revived by

welcoming Somalian emigrants. The city was slowing dying, turning into a rundown mill town.

Then in 2001 a group of Somali families moved to Lewiston/Auburn seeking a new opportunities

(Ellison). Housing was inexpensive and education was available. Its estimated that around 4000

Somalis have moved into the area since 2001 and that

number is continuing to grow. The towns adult education

program, at one time only had 76 English language learning

individuals, now each year roughly 950 adults are learning

English as a second language (Ellison). What once was a

dying city has been transformed into a highly populated

area. Families and students off all races, are looking for the

educational opportunity they need to be successful

(Ellison). Edward Little High School is seeing a lot of the cities diversity in their classrooms.

Edward Little High School is one of the larger schools in the state of Maine with a total

enrollment of 987 students. Of the 987 students, 85% identify as white, 11% as black or African

American, 3% as Asian, and 1% as Hispanic (Maine Demographics). On average in Maine

schools only 3% of students identify themselves as black or African American. Edward Little has

8% more blacks or African Americans attending their school. The diversity of Edward Little

High School is much greater than other schools in Maine. Another wonderful thing about

Edward Little is the student to teacher ratio. The Maine school average is 13:1 while at Edward
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Auburn School District

little, they have a slightly smaller ratio of 12:1 (Sterlings). Any educator would agree that the

smaller the ratio between students and teachers, can lead to a better education. One thing that

Edward Little is below average with is there graduation rates. Their graduation rate is 78% while

the state average is 82%. I feel this is because of the low-income families struggling to support

students in school (Sterlings).

The average income for an Auburn resident is around 46,000. Of the total population,

roughly 22% are living in poverty. The Maine average for families living in poverty is about

13%. Thus, there is significantly more people living in poverty in the Lewiston Auburn area
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(Public School Review). This explains why about 42% of the students at Edward Little are

eligible to receive free and reduced lunch (Public School Review). This can lead to students

being hungry when they come to school each day, making it very hard to learn. In order to be

successful in class students need the energy from eating every morning and afternoon.

Classroom and School Resource Factors

After spending some time in the classroom there were many factors that affect the

education experience for all students. First of all, the school was built in 1961, so there are many

features within each class that need to be updated. For example, in all of our math classrooms,

the use of a laptop is needed. All the students have laptops, but finding outlets in the room to

keep them charged is a challenge. The school is so old that it was designed with only a few

outlets in the room, three in the front and four in the back. When the school was built the use of

outlets and laptops may not have been a problem, but in todays world it is critical for student

learning. If they dont have a laptop that is charged, it makes it nearly impossible for them to get

their work done. We do ask each student to charge their laptops every night before school, but

this is asking a group of student that may not have a home to go to at the end of the day. This is

why the little things, like an old building that doesnt have any outlets, has a huge impact on

students learning.

Teacher resources also is a huge problem at Edward Little High school. For example,

whiteboards are present in all classrooms but they are nailed over an old chalkboard. So, when

teachers use the whiteboards in class they move on the fall, which makes it feel like the board is

about ready to fall down. How can a teacher focus on their students learning the material, when

they are constantly worried about a whiteboard falling off the wall? Another teacher resource
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that effects student learning is having one copying machine for the entire school. I know this is a

problem at many high schools because all the teachers that I have had the chance to talk to

mentioned that at the schools they previously worked at had the same problem. Having only one

copier causes for added stress on teachers that can be avoided by having another machine. Also,

when an entire school uses one copy machine it tends to overheat and break down. Students need

to have hard copies of the material in the math classroom so they can take notes and stay on task

during class. It is the little things within a school that effect student learning and having an old

school like Edward Little causes for more factors. There are a few good resources that teachers

and students have access to during the school day.

Each student at Edward Little has a MacBook Air laptop. These laptops are a great

resource in our math classroom because we use an online program to substitute for a textbook.

This program is called ALEKS. It includes practice problems, quizzes and even notes on how to

do each problem. So, students having access to a laptop each class is a tremendous help to the

math department. Also, with students having access to laptops both in and out of school they

have hundreds of resources at their fingertips. If they are struggling at home, they could access

their ALEKS accounts or go onto khan academy for help. All students in the state of Maine have

the ability to receive internet at home, even if parents cant provide it. Its by law that a student

in the state of Maine have access to internet at home, but families need to apply for it. Laptops in

and out of school is just one of the great resources for students at Edward Little.

The major resource advantage that the Edward Littles math department has on other

schools is their use of the ALEKS program. This program is used in classes and for homework to

substitute for a textbook. The biggest advantage to this program is how students can move at

their own pace in class. Rather than being restricted to learn one subject, like algebra I, for the
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Auburn School District

entire year, these students can move through algebra I as quickly as they choose. Depending how

much work they want to put in, they can pass a class like algebra I in half of the school year.

This is great for the gifted students because it enables them to move ahead of other students.

Another group of students it is great for is the ones that tend to work at a slower pace. It gives

them more time to learn certain topics that they may be confused with. Overall, the students at

Edward little enjoy the pace aspect of the program and dont mind doing math on their laptops.

This program is also a great resource for teachers.

As a teacher, working with the ALEKS program makes it very easy to tweak lesson plans

based on where students are at. Within the program teachers are able to see what percentage of

the class has moved through each topic. This makes it very easy to gage what notes and lessons

that are worth coving in each class. For example, if over 90% of the class has not yet passed a

certain topic in ALEKS, then it is worth putting together a lesson for the following class. ALEKS

is also a great resource for formative assessments. All quizzes for the entire unit are in the

program and can assign at any time for the students. ALEKS then grades the quiz for us and to

then allow that students to see where they need more help. Overall, for students and teachers

ALEKS is a great resource to have in the math classroom.

Student Characteristics Analysis

The class that I have chosen to analyze their learning strengths, is our period one algebra

II class. This class has a variety of learners and personality types. They work well with others in

class but getting them excited early in the morning can be challenging at times. The few lessons

that have taught thus far, Ive struggled getting students to speak up in class. Morning classes,

like this one, can be a challenging for high school students. After taking notes on this class for a
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couple of weeks and putting them through a multiple intelligence test, I have learned a lot about

the group of kids.

There is variety of learners and personalities in the class. Many athletes from different

sports like, baseball, basketball, soccer, field hockey, and swimming. Which explains why over

Learning Strengths (MI test)

50% of the students in class are kinesthetic learners. Also, there are a few students that enjoy

playing video games like Minecraft and Call of Duty. Personality types are very diverse in this

class. We have a group of students that enjoy working with others, boys that like to joke around

all class, and students that sit by themselves never talking to anybody. As for strengths in

subjects, the majority of this class has tested well in mathematics. All but one reached the

benchmark goal for where the standards ask her to be after testing. Reading/writing scores are

more spread out for this class. There are many students above the benchmark while others that

are in need of urgent intervention. Below is a chart of all the students in my class and it breaks

down their age, gender, math/reading scores, MI, Interest, and other things noted.
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Student Gender Age Star Star MI Interests Other

Math Reading
1 Male 18 years Nature Sports, Hanging
0 month (Naturalist) with Friends

2 Female 15 years Body Movement Listen to music

3 (Kinesthetic)
months

3 Female 15 years Body Movement Sports, Hanging Peanut/Shell

5 (Kinesthetic) with friends fish Allergy
months

4 Male 14 years Body Movement Ski, Baseball, Asthma

5 (Kinesthetic) Hanging with
months Friends

5 Male 14 years Logic/Math Baseball hockey

2 golf
months

6 Female 15 years Body Movement Sports, Hanging

9 (Kinesthetic) with friends
months

7 Female 16 years Body Movement Swim, Hanging

1 month (Kinesthetic) with Friends

8 Male 15 years Body Movement Basketball, music

3 (Kinesthetic) and read
months

9 Male 13 years Logic/Math Exercise,

11 Reading and
months Math

10 Male 14 years Logic/Math Running, reading

5 and math
months

11 Female 15 years Social Hanging with Asthma

8 (Interpersonal) friends
months

12 Male 15 years Body Movement Sports and

0 month (Kinesthetic) photography

13 Female 15 years Self- Drama club,

10 Intrapersonal hanging with
months friends, going for
walks
14 Male 17 years Body Movement Sports, lifting,
9 (Kinesthetic) eating
months
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15 Male 17 years Musical Music, hanging

0 month with friends,
playing games
16 Male 16 years Has Self- Hanging with ELL,
2 not Intrapersonal friends, watching Having
months taken TV trouble
making
friends
17 Male 16 years Has Self- Stream, play Likes to talk
6 not Intrapersonal video games, to people
months taken Listen to music online

18 Male 15 years Body Movement Play sports and

7 (Kinesthetic) video games
months

19 Male 16 years Body Movement Active and listen Asthma

2 (Kinesthetic) to music
months

Star Math/Reading Score Report

Urgent Intervention
Intervention
On Watch
At Benchmark
Above Benchmark

Student 1 is an independent learner that has a wonderful personality. Hes always smiling

and says hi to me every morning when he walks through the door. Every morning he may be

happy but on most days, he shows up 10 to 15 minutes late. Morning classes are hard for

students to be fully engaged because they may still be half asleep. This student, is awake but he

is late every morning. This would cause him to miss important class announcements and notes

that we may cover. Also, we have a hard time keeping this student on task during class. He is a

senior that is starting to move slower than the class pace. Each day he opens his laptop and

begins playing games. When he does work, he is a very good math student so if we can get him

to work he gets stuff done. His math scores are at the standard benchmark but his reading scores

are under urgent intervention. Since is reading scores are so low, this could be why keeping him

on task during class difficult. On the ALEKS program there is a lot of self-learning and taking
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Auburn School District

notes from reading. He may not understand whats going on by reading the notes so I will have

to explain them verbally. The main goal with this student is to get him to show up on time every

morning. Overall student 1 is a joy to have in the classroom and has a very bright future.

Students 2, 3, 6, and 11 work with one another each class. They are constantly explaining

and teaching the concepts to one another. This is great to see because it is not only good for the

student that is receiving the help, but it is equally as beneficial for the student explaining it. As a

teacher, I will continue to let these girls work together every day. They may work well together

because all of their learning styles match up. Three of them are Kinesthetic learners and the four

one is a social learner. At times the social learner, student 11, can get them off track because she

gets talking about things that are off topic. One thing to note about one of these students is that

student 3 has a severe peanut allergy. If I want to bring in treats for my class, I have to make sure

that everything that I bring in is peanut free. Also, student 3 is on watch for her math scores, so I

will have to check in with her more often to see how she is progressing. She tends to tell me that

she is all set, when really she needs some assistance. I will make it a priority to check in with her

multiple times during class. Overall, this group of girls are a joy to have in class and they are

always ready to learn.

Another group of students in the class to mention would be students 4, 5, 8, and 12. This

group of boys sit in the back of class and they have a problem getting off task. I have to

constantly go over to them and to get them back on task. They just tend to joke around a little too

much with one another. Like the group of girls, three out of the four students in the group are

body movement Kinesthetic learners. Also, it is worth mentioning that all of those boys play on

the school baseball team, so they are close friends. Student 5 is the only one that is not a

Kinesthetic learner, he enjoys logical/mathematic learning. This explains why student 5 is above
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the benchmark for his math star scores. Student 4 and 5 are above the benchmark while students

8 and 12 are at the benchmark. There are times that these students work well with one another

but lately, as they have become more comfortable in class, they have needed more reminders

about what they should be doing. If they continue to stay off task I will have to move them

around in class. First, they will be warned, and if they cant work together then they will be

separated.

One student that is definitely on my watch list is student 17. For one of his interests he

put that he enjoys talking to people online. When he took the MI test, his strength was in self

intrapersonal. This explains why he enjoys talking to people online, but online chat can be

dangerous for students. It can lead to many things like cyberbullying and revealing personal

information. Student 17 sits by himself every day, at a desk that is the back of the room. He

never asks me questions, even when I know he needs some help. If he is going to get any help, I

need to go up to him and ask. Even when Im helping him, he is very quiet. Checking for

understanding with this student is hard because even if he doesnt understand he will tell you that

he does, just so you stop talking to him. To help this student I need to create worksheets and

online resources that he can access to learn. He doesnt want to interact with anybody so giving

him a place to go online will be most beneficial.

Another student that is on my watch list is student 16. Student 16 is a transfer ELL

student from France. His English vocab is on the low end, shown in his star reading scores

because he is in need for intervention. Hes on my watch list because he said one of his interest is

hanging with his friends, but he also mentioned that he doesnt have any friends yet. As a

teacher, I want all my students to feel comfortable in class, and if he doesnt have any friends it

could be hard for him to feel comfortable enough to learn. In class, I was thinking about moving
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students around with the hope to put him with a group that he could become friends with.

Currently he sits by himself in the front of the room. In France, he said he was a strong math

student, but he has not taken the math star test yet. I will have to watch out for student 16 with

the hopes that he can make some friends soon. I am also going to have to explain things verbally

to this student because his English vocab is on the low end.

Two of the stronger students in class are students 9 and 10. These are two freshman boys

that are flying through algebra II. They said in their free time they enjoy doing math and their

work ethic in class proves that. Each day they are constantly working very hard to get all their

assignments done. I have noticed that they push each other because they compete to see who can

get their math done faster. I will have to come up with honors work for them that will challenge

their skills. They are both above the benchmark in mathematics and are very skilled in the

subject.

Students 7 and 13 are very independent learners. Each class they sit by themselves and

work at a consistent rate. They never have anything bad to say about anybody or anything, and

getting their work done is top priority. They dont work ahead of the group and never fall behind.

Their star math scores are right at the benchmark. This is great for class lessons, no matter what I

try in class, these two will always participate and reach the learning goals. Im not worried about

what these students have to offer, my only goal with them is to push them to see what they can

do. I may try to give them honors work to see if they can move ahead of the rest of the crowd.

Lastly, student 14, 15, 18, 19 are very similar learners. Three out of the four students are

Kinesthetic learners and student 15 is a musical learner. Their star reading scores are something to

focus on for them. Student 14 is in need of urgent intervention for his reading scores. While, 18

and 19 are on watch for their scores. This group of boys are on pace in mathematics but at some
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point, their reading scores may hold them back. In class, I will try to create assignments with

minimal reading to help them succeed, but I also want to challenge them. Being able to read

mathematics is very important for them to be successful. Student 18 has good family support

because his parents were the only parents that came in on open house night. These boys will be

successful in math and I hope to create assignments that will improve their reading scores.

Overall there are many things that factor student learning. The community, school

resources, and classroom factors all play a role in how a students educational experience is

going to turn out. This paper is intended to build an understanding of where each student is at

and what they have to deal each day they come to school. I will take what I have learned from

researching the community and study I have done on the students, to build a powerful learning

experience for all.

Works Cited
Ellison, Jesse. "Lewiston, Maine, Revived by Somali Immigrants." Newsweek. N.p., 13 Mar. 2010.
Web.
Maine Demographics. "Maine Cities by Population." Demographics. Cubit, n.d. Web.
Public School Review. "Edward Little High School." Edward Little High School Review. N.p., n.d.
Web.
Sterlings. "Economy Auburn Maine." Auburn, Maine Economy. Sterlings Best Places, n.d. Web.