Comprehensive School Assessment

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Jordan Hammel
Comprehensive School Assessment
Arizona State University
February 7, 2016
Dr. Hesse

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After receiving the results from the Comprehensive School Assessment tool, I was very
surprised at the grade my school received. I would definitely not view my school as health
literate, or knowledgeable of the resources available to them in terms of health and wellness, but

in comparison to the other schools I haven interned at, the nutrition program at my school is very
good, and the students get an hour of P.E. once a week along with daily recess. I believe one of
the strengths of my school is most definitely the nutrition program. The students all have a
variety of healthy choices at every lunch, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays are provided with a
snack that consists of a fruit or a vegetable, which, as an aspiring teacher who has a passion for
health and wellness, I am very pleased about. Not many school devote that much attention to

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their nutrition program because there are a vast amount of factors that come into play when
creating a proper nutrition plan. There are many allergies and health risks that the school has to
be aware of when planning the meals for the school.
I believe another strength is the amount of time my students have for Physical Education
class. Although it is only once a week, it is fifty minutes, which, along with recess would satisfy
the students daily need for physical exercise for the day. I truly wish the students had P.E. class
for fifty minutes twice a week, that would really make a difference in the classroom. Many
schools that I have been to only have thirty minute classes, so I feel blessed to be at a school that
sees physical activity as a priority in a sense and makes the P.E. class longer, even if it is only
once a week.
One weakness that has come to my attention upon taking this assessment is not having a
healthy and active curriculum. Being a Title I school, with a majority of our students ESL
learners, the focus is predominately academics. It is incredibly structured with every minute
planned for instruction, which leaves no time for spontaneity in the lesson planning. The students
are in their seats learning for a majority of the day unless they are going to special or lunch,
which is truly bad for their brain development especially with my students being in first grade.
They are youngthey need to be active and they need breaks throughout the day to be able to
remain focused and soak in all the new information. I have a lot of behavioral problems in my
class, and through this course already, I am able to make the connection between lack of physical
activity, and the amount of behavioral problems/unfocused nature of my students.
Another weakness I have observed is the schools lack of after school access to physical
actives and health education. I have not really seen any type of newsletter or anything that
promotes healthy eating or that talks about programs that the children can be involved in after

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school to get them moving and a part of a community outside of school. With many of my
students coming from low-income families, they truly need all the support they can get in
becoming a part of a sports team or program after school. I think many of my students would
benefit not only health-wise, but emotionally from being a part of a sports program. I know for
me, being on sports teams since I was four year old, really helped me develop the skills I needed
to work well with others, balance my emotions, and be a team player. I think many of my
students are exposed to situations where they are stretched to grow in these areas, so they dont
know how to act as a community in the classroom.
One way I can definitely improve the policies that are in place at my school is by
beginning where I know I can make a differencein my own classroom. I can only hope that the
healthy lifestyle routines that I implement in my classroom will spread across the campus like a
wildfire, and every classroom in my school, and in the entire district will strive to make healthy
living an essential part of their curriculum. If healthy students show improved academic scores,
improved classroom behavior, and higher attendance rates, how can schools not focus on student
health and wellness? (actionforhealthykids.org). This really hit me, because truly, I know I look
at my class wanting to find new ways to get them motivated to learn, whether that be videos,
visuals, or fun activities, when the answer is right under my noseget them up and active.
Integrating physical activity into lessons not only makes it more fun for the students, but
cognitively it is proven that it enhances a childs ability to learn and process information.
Another way I could improve the policies in place at my school is by providing the
resources and materials necessary for my students and parents to live healthy and active lifestyles
outside of the school. Community members... are encouraged to partner with each other to
provide an economically and socially supportive53 environment where healthy eating and

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physical activity behaviors are the norm (arizona nutrition state plan). I think the problem we
have now with the community surrounding my school is that healthy eating and living a healthy
lifestyle is not the norm. My students are quick to answer McDonalds or Chuck E Cheese
when asked what their favorite places are, but couldnt list 5 fruits and vegetables. That is where
we have gone wrong as society. If these kids are able to sing along with the tunes of their favorite
fast-food commercials then obviously we are doing something right when it comes to drawing
kids in through advertisement. It is the content within the advertisement that makes or breaks the
childs life. One way I want to improve the policies in place at my school is by promoting
positive, healthy advertising. Giving students newsletters that they can take home with
information about healthy eating, resources in the community in regards to health, and activities
for students to be involved in sports and other health programs. If we can get our students to
engrain the right kind of information, the kind that will advance their health and their brains, then
we will begin to change the health of our students one tune at a time.
One way I could use the information from my assessment tool to engage administration,
teachers, parents, and ultimately the community is first by sharing the information that I have
gathered with the staff and administration at my school. I think they would be appalled at the
percentages in each category and that our school received an F in overall health. I think this
would shock many teachers, and together we could come up with ways to raise that number as a
school. My school has many professional development courses on academics, but none for the
development of the whole childincluding their health. By first reaching out to those who
significantly impact the students education, the habits that are formed at school will then
hopefully, with the partnership of parents, continue at home and in the community.

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The second way of using this information from my assessment to engage the community
is to post the results on a board and give goals next to each section as to how we as a school plan
to raise those numbers. By making it visible to not just the staff, but to parents and the
community, it involves everyone and gives everyone the responsibility of raising those numbers
both in school and at home. One example of this is a walking school bus a program that
aims to encourage students to walk to and/or from school in a group. The bus travels along a set
route, picking up or dropping off students along the way. The bus is led by a driver, with a
conductor following behind the group. Approximately 2025 students participate in the
program. Benefits for students include increased physical activity, safe travel to school, more
time interacting and socialising with peers and increased road safety knowledge (australian).
What I really like about this particular program is it aligns perfectly well with the climate of my
school. My school is a walking-only school. If my students arent being dropped off by a
parent/guardian then they are walking from their homes. What a great way to bring all those
students who walk individually from different parts of the community together while also
educating them on safe travel, physical activity, and socializing with peers a long with road
safety. I have some of my first grade students walking alone to school. I know I would feel much
safer, and I know the parents would feel much safer if they knew their students were being
educated on safety rules when walking to school, and being able to walk in a group with an adult
rather than alone.
This information aligns perfectly with the potential topic I'm going to choose for my
signature assignment, sleep and misbehaviors, because sleep is an important component of health
that many parents and teachers are not as well educated on. Sleep is as crucial to a childs

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learning as physical activity is, as sleep allows the brain to rest and prepare itself for a days
worth of learning.
J.B. Sutton Information
I am in my last semester of student teaching in a first grade classroom at J.B Sutton Elementary
School, which is in the Isaac School District. In 2015, there were 795 students enrolled in the
school that offers education in grades Pre-K through 5th grade. According to the School Digger
profile on J.B. Sutton, 96% of the demographics of the student population are hispanic, and 4%
of them are African American. The percentage of students receiving free and reduced lunch is
99.6%which is staggering. Within my school, 70% of the students are Ells according to the
Beat the odds website sponsored by the center for the future of Arizona. In 2015, the student to
teacher ratio was 20.3.

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J.B. Sutton is an urban, Title I, public elementary school in Phoenix. J.B. Sutton recently
received a letter grade of a D in 2014. The community of J.B. Sutton is unique and is the basis of
the foundation of the school. Below are pie charts that relay some information about the
neighborhood surrounding my school. A large majority of the community was built between the
late

80-90s, and the average home size is 1,000-1400 sq. ft., and the most common types of homes
being single family homes, with the commute being 10-20 minutes to school.
References

Beat the Odds Institute | Success Stories | J.B. Sutton Elementary School. (n.d.). Retrieved
February 02, 2016, from http://www.beattheoddsinstitute.org/stories/2010/suttonelementary-school-0310.php

J B Sutton Elementary School. (n.d.). Retrieved February 02, 2016, from http://
elementaryschools.org/directory/az/cities/phoenix/j-b-sutton-elementary-school/
40396000318/

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J B Sutton Elementary School. (n.d.). Retrieved February 02, 2016, from http://
www.schooldigger.com/go/AZ/schools/0396000318/school.aspx

Phoenix AZ School 2014 - 2015 Letter Grades. (n.d.). Retrieved February 02, 2016, from http://
www.samelam.com/Web/AR422641/CustomContent/index/5273000#Isaac

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