Teaching Context

Teaching Context: Community: Loveland, Colorado

Loveland is nestled in the foothills of Northern Colorado. Located approximately 50 miles north of Denver,
directly east of the Big Thompson Rivers emergence from the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, Loveland has
a population of 66,859 (p. 1-3). Loveland is the 13th largest city in the state of Colorado. The population is older,
with a median age of 38.7 in 2010, than Larimer County, the State, and the national averages at 35.5, 36.1, and
37.2 respectively. Persons under 18 years of age represented 23.9% of the population, whereas the county, state,
and national averages span in the 21-24% range (p. 1-3). The average sale price for a detached single family
home in 2010 was $215,000 (p. 1-4). Average apartment rental rates during this time were $637.68 per month
(p. 1-4). The major employers for Loveland are listed as followed:
Major Employers in Loveland by Employee Total
Thompson School District.................................... 2,616
Medical Center of the Rockies................................ 953
McKee Medical Center............................................ 940
Wal-Mart Distribution Center ................................. 851
Wal-Mart Stores...................................................... 785
Hach Chemical Company........................................ 741
City of Loveland...................................................639
US Engineering Co...............................................466
Agilent Technologies............................................384
Hewlett-Packard ...................................................349
Group Publishing..................................................336
King Soopers........................................................293
(City of Loveland, p. 1-3)
The unemployment rate in March 2011 was 6.7%, which was significantly lower than the Colorado and national
averages of 9.3% and 9.2% respectively. The median family income (includes all earners in household) was
$74,900 (p. 1-3), while the average annual wages for Larimer County residents is $40,093 (p. 1-4).
(All of the above information was received from the City of Loveland from the 2012 Budget Book under General Information, page numbers provided
indicate location in document at the following URL: cityofloveland.org/modules.showdocument.aspx?documentid=7891)

The following is a breakdown of Lovelands population by race and gender:

Total Population
White
Hispanic or Latino
Some Other Race
Two or More Races
Asian
American Indian
Black or African American

Population By Races And Gender

Male
Female
32,299
34,560
29,449
31,704
3,975
3,841
1,232
1,181
827
817
263
406
292
276
220
155

Total
66,859
61,153
7,816
2,413
1,644
669
568
375

(From information provided by US Census bureau, found at: www.suburbanstats.org/population/colorado/how-many-people-live-in-loveland)

The population growth in Loveland was 31.9% from 2000 to 2012, indicating a significant increase in residents.
63% of the population is married. English speaking residents equate for 92% of the population, while Spanish
speaking accounts for 6%, with the remainder speaking other languages.

(www.areavibes.com/loveland-co/demographics/)

The average household size was 2.4 people in 2012. (www.city-data.com/city/Loveland-Colorado.html)

The educational breakdown for Loveland is as follows:

Loveland School Information

Index

Loveland

Colorado

National

Student/Teacher ratio

17:1

17:1

16:1

Total public schools

24

1,436

80,000

Total private schools

385

25,221

Total post-secondary schools

n/a

138

8,059

(www.areavibes.com/loveland-co/education/)

While there is no post-secondary education schools located in Loveland, there are several institutions located
within a 30 mile radius, including: Colorado State University, Front Range Community College (North Campus),
Aims Community College (West and Main branch), University of Northern Colorado and a selection of technical
schools.

Education Level Achieved in Loveland

Index

Loveland

Colorado

National

Completed 8th grade

92.1%

96.7%

69.3%

Completed high school

90.4%

95.0%

58.6%

Completed some college

62.5%

76.6%

35.7%

Completed associate degree

35.9%

47.2%

18.4%

Completed bachelors

27.5%

38.2%

13.9%

Completed masters

8.6%

10.7%

5.9%

Completed professional degree

1.8%

1.4%

1.5%

Completed doctorate

0.6%

0.0%

0.5%

(www.areavibes.com/loveland-co/education/)

There are low crime rates, making Loveland safer than 41% of cities in the nation. (www.areavibes.com/loveland-co/crime/)
In 2011, raised taxes for education were not approved for Thompson School District. Larimer County (where
Loveland, Colorado is located) GOP is urging to vote NO on Amendment 68 via their Twitter page. The recent
election revealed a defeat of Amendment 68 with over 70% of voters, voting against the additional educational
funding from Gambling tax revenue.
Teaching Context: School: Walt Clark Middle School
Walt Clark Middle School in Loveland, Colorado is located at 2605 Carlisle Dr. Loveland, CO 80537. According to
the WCMS website, the school adopts the following beliefs/expectations:
Mission Statement: The staff at Walt Clark Middle School is committed to nurturing an orderly, safe, caring
environment that:

1. Challenges each individual student's academic potential

2. Encourages each individual student's emotional and social growth
3. Allows each individual student the opportunity to explore a variety of life-related experiences.
Culture and Climate - Walt Clark prides itself on establishing positive relationships with each and every student
that walks our halls. We are a PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention Support) school that strives to recognize
students for their hard work and respectful character on a regular basis. To help guide students in a positive way,
we refer to our acronym, ROARS (Respect, Organization, Attitude for success, Responsibility, and Safety). This
acronym is the foundation for teaching students our expectations within our school as well as building character
traits that will carry them throughout life. To celebrate students demonstrating ROARS expectations, staff can
give students our "Caught You Caring" ROARS tickets. With these tickets, students are entered into weekly
drawings for fabulous prizes. Our goal with the PBIS philosophy is to have each student in our building find
success, both academically and social-emotionally.
Greenhouse Effect -One aspect that is completely unique to Walt Clark is our greenhouse. Students in all grade
levels are given the opportunity, either through our Green Team or Greenhouse class, of growing and
maintaining plants. Most of the fruits of their labor are sold to the public in the spring at our annual plant sale.
Students receive hands-on experience that directly applies to lessons that they learn in the classroom.
STEM - Walt Clark STEM is dedicated to providing our students with a learning environment conducive to
exploring science, technology, engineering and math through engaging learning experiences within the
classroom and extra-curricular activities. Students at the middle level are inquisitive by nature. They like to
explore how things work, why they work and how to make things work better. STEM learning immerses students
in real world relevant learning situations that challenge them to solve problems using 21st century skills. Walt
Clark STEM fosters the investigative minds of our students and engages them in their learning at a more inquiry
based level. (Information obtained from WCMS website, located at URL: www.thompsonschools.org/domain/426)
There are 61 faculty members including 2 counselors, 1 Read 180 instructor, and 1 ELL instructor. The Literacy
department is comprised of 2 faculty members per grade in addition to 12 faculty support members, such as
Paras, Read 180, ELL and Speech/Language. There is no department chair. (All information located on WCMS website, URL:
www.thompsonschools.org/domain/1724) The school bell schedule is as follows: Monday-Friday from 7:28 AM-2:47 PM
consisting of 8, 48 minute class periods 3 days per week (M, T, F). On Wednesday and Thursdays, students have
90 minute class periods of rotating blocks. Students attend periods 1-4 on Wednesday and periods 5-8 on
Thursday for 90 minutes each, along with a 30 minute advisement period both days. The result is students
spending 234 minutes per week in each class. (www.thompsonschools.org/domain/980)
There are 481 students from various backgrounds, according to the Thompson School District website, currently
enrolled at Walt Clark. The demographics are broken down as such:

267 Males (55.51%)

214 Females (44.49%)
85 Special Education (17.67%)
198 Free/Reduced Lunch (41.16%)
69 Gifted/Talented (14.35%)
11 ELL (2.29%)

(Compiled from Thompson School District Statistics/Enrollment Data: www.thompsonschools.org/Page/2339 for Gender/Race/Ethnicity data,
www.thompsonschools.org/Page2340 for Demographic data, and www.thompsonschools.org/Page2337 for School/District data)

The school contains many sports and clubs/organizations for students/teachers to participate in including:

Girls/Boys Basketball, Track, Cross Country, Volleyball, Wrestling, Swimming, Student Council, Green
Team, LUC, Drama Club, Yearbook, and Art Club (WCMS website home page tabs at: www.thompsonschools.org/clark)

According to Walt Clarks website regarding their athletics: We offer a strong athletic program for those
interested. We have a varsity program as well as an intramural program for students who are still developing
skills. Students who compete for Walt Clark are taught to be representatives of our school and community and
demonstrate class and grit throughout the year. Our teams regularly compete for championships in cross
country, swimming, basketball, wrestling and track. Our intramural program offers the opportunity to compete
against fellow students as a way to develop skills that can lead to participation in athletics in high school. With
both programs we are able to provide the chance for students to connect with our school, which in most cases
leads to improved performance in the classroom. (www.thompsonschools.org/domain/426)
In addition to a focus on the STEM curriculum, Walt Clark has a commitment to excellence. In regards to
instruction, we recognize that students learn in different ways and we try to address that with an emphasis on
differentiated instruction. We have worked with our teachers on strategies to differentiate based on student
readiness, student interests and learning profiles, giving them strategies to differentiate in their classroom.
Walk Clark also has a firm belief in addressing and emphasizing expectations, which has resulted in significant
student improvement. We expect homework to be done by all of our students. Students who do not get
homework turned in are required to attend after-school tutorial sessions to get the work done. Since
implementing this policy, we have seen marked improvement in student grades, largely due to the fact that
students dont have zeros for homework. (Information can be found in the Thompson School District 2014-2015 Catalog: Middle School
on page 9 at following URL: content-dl.thompson.k12.co.us/Flippingbooks/MS%20Guidebook%202014-2015/index.html#9/z)

Teaching Context: Classroom: Language Arts III (grade 8)

The classroom is an 8th grade Language Arts III classroom with approximately 24 students. Course Description:
Language Arts III (grade 8) courses build upon students prior knowledge of grammar, vocabulary, word usage,
and the mechanics of writing, and include the four aspects of language use: reading, writing, speaking, and
listening. Students will be exposed to complex text and literature that challenges them at and beyond their grade
level. (Information can be found in the Thompson School District 2014-2015 Catalog: Middle School on page 13 at following URL: contentdl.thompson.k12.co.us/Flippingbooks/MS%20Guidebook%202014-2015/index.html#13/z)

The demographics of this classroom, calculated based on data previously reported from the Thompson School
District website, include:

14 Males
10 Females
21 White
2 Hispanic
1 Multiple Races
5 Special Education
12 Free/Reduced Lunch
3 Gifted and Talented
1 English Language Learner

(Compiled from Thompson School District Statistics/Enrollment Data: www.thompsonschools.org/Page/2339 for Gender/Race/Ethnicity data,
www.thompsonschools.org/Page2340 for Demographic data, and www.thompsonschools.org/Page2337 for School/District data)

The classroom is one of 2 responsible for teaching 8th grade Literacy and encompasses a variety of diverse
learners. Course is offered for 8th grade students as well as Reading and Writing (Alternative 8th grade). The
diverse demographic of this classroom calls for differentiated instruction with varied activities and modes of
instruction.