New PCSD Elementary Enrichment Program Focuses on All Students' Academic Needs

Our nation’s classrooms host a broad spectrum of diversity when it comes to an individual student’s academic needs. In response to this fact, the Peekskill City School District introduced a new Elementary Enrichment program for Grades K-5 in the 2014-2015 school year to help address the unique needs of every child. Thanks to the initiative, teachers at PCSD have recently reported a higher level of student engagement since the program began. In addition, as they prepare to enter the second half of the school year, students continue to show genuine excitement about being part of an interdisciplinary program that aligns and enriches the curriculum.

The program, which allows all students to receive at least one enrichment period a week, focuses on the academically talented students who are reading above grade level in each elementary building. School schedules allot five periods a week for these students to participate in project-based learning, such as writing and performing a Native American folktale with authentic dance and music.

“What the program does is kick literacy up a notch, if you will,” said Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education Mary Foster. “The students are engaged in research or performing arts projects, while others are focused on projects that have to do with subjects such as technology and foreign languages. All the classes keep listening, reading, and speaking in mind while students have the opportunity to delve a little deeper into interesting topics.”

Student response to the program has been overwhelmingly positive and children admit that they find themselves looking forward to their enrichment lessons.

“I like how friendly [the program] is,” said Harper Kelsey, a third grader at Oakside Elementary who recently participated in Marisa Anzovino Whale Study enrichment class. “The projects are really fun to do and the subjects are amazing. It’s pretty much my favorite class right now.”

Eligible children are selected to participate in the Enrichment program based on a variety of factors driven by their literacy abilities. In grades 1-5 the Fontas and Pinnell assessment was used as a student indicator, while in grades 2-5 administration also used students’ Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) scores along with Fontas and Pinnell to determine eligibility. Students’ AIMSweb scores were considered as well, though they were not weighed as heavily as other methods of assessments when it came to determining which children would participate in the five day program. Teacher recommendations were also considered.

Students who met the above academic requirements for participation in daily enrichment are not the only ones benefiting from the program though. Every student in grades Kindergarten through Grade 5 enjoys school-wide enrichment for one 40 minute period once a week.

“We do believe strongly that all students have gifts and talents,” Foster said. “The school-wide aspect of this program gives all students the opportunity to do something different which is tied to literacy, but is also something that’s above and beyond the general curriculum.”

Aside from their weekly enrichment activities, students who do not participate in the daily enrichment classes are still benefiting from the program five days a week. During the times that academically enriched students are getting what they need Monday through Thursday, the other students back in the classrooms, such as the students who need a great amount of help, are getting some extra attention from their reading teachers or their ESL teachers, while the students on grade level work on a book club, or other literacy driven activity.

“The hope of every school district is to meet every child’s needs, and that’s a big promise when you consider the diverse needs of a classroom,” Foster said. “Many of these students are all at different levels of literacy because everyone is so unique. To be able to make this promise is a challenge we need to make good on, and this program has given us the opportunity to address the needs of all our students.”

Teachers throughout the District have also shared their feelings about the new program and what it has been able to do for their school communities in just a few short months, noting that the program has not only helped students, but has increased collaboration among administration, teachers and staff.

“I really love being able to work together with our occupational and speech therapists to meet the needs of our students in different ways,” said Jennifer Fowler, a special education teacher at Oakside Elementary who spends her enrichment periods teaching her students about healthy foods by creating parfaits and fruit pizzas.

“Not only are we exposing kids to new foods, we are also integrating math, reading and writing by measuring, reading directions, and creating a recipe while working in sequential order to create a finished product, which is helping students use these skills in other areas,” Fowler said. “The kids are completely engaged and they want to participate in creating something new. My students absolutely love it.”

The Enrichment program is fluid and open to any student in the District, therefore, should a child blossom academically at any point throughout the year, they would be eligible to participate in the five day program.

For more information on the Elementary Enrichment program please contact a building principal.

Photo: Students learn about healthy food choices while they make fruit parfaits in Jenn Fowler’s Enrichment class at Oakside Elementary