Feinstein Students’ Good Deeds to Benefit the RISPCA

In early January, students from the seventh and eighth grade Functional Life Skills classroom at toured the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RISPCA) as an enrichment opportunity to their curriculum. Community-based learning experiences are not only motivating to the students, but also give them an opportunity to contribute to the community and make a difference.   

This real life connection captured the interest of the students and gave them a greater sense of purpose. Every-day functional academic tasks became highly engaging opportunities because of the students’ bond to the animals at the RISPCA. Their enthusiasm offered meaningful opportunities to collect data that demonstrates their academic proficiency. 

This data, which is collected throughout the year, is required for the Rhode Island Alternate Assessment, an assessment used for those students who demonstrate their academic proficiency in a non-traditional manner. While most students take the NECAP assessment, a small percentage participate in the Alternate Assessment. When completing an academic task, their performance is documented with percentages of accuracy and independence and is compiled in student data folios. 

Some of the ways students demonstrated their academic proficiency could be seen when students were required to read and locate important details from the RISPCA website, write thank you notes, shop for items from the RISPCA wish list, sort donations, and complete functional math skills – including counting money to plot data on a 10-foot graph in the school hallway.

As a result of their efforts, students collected over $300.00 and a total of 360 items, including canned food, toys, catnip, small animal bedding, litter boxes, blankets, wood stove pellets, peanut butter, dog biscuits and rugs for the animals to sleep that will be delivered to the RIASPCA by the students on Feb. 6.