Kyree, 8, a student at Henrietta G. Lewis Campus School, tries out a new reading program with the help of teacher Keli Iles Hernandez. The remedial materials in math and reading were purchased with a $100,000 grant from the Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Foundation and can be used with students who are working at or above grade level as well as those below grade level.
$102,500 given to New Directions for educational materials
New Directions Youth and Family Services has received a $100,000 Technology-Based Remediation Grant from the Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Foundation to improve basic reading and math skills for students in kindergarten through Grade 8 at the Henrietta G. Lewis Campus School, located on the campus of Wyndham Lawn Home for Children in Lockport.
“This will fundamentally change how we do math and language arts instruction,” said Mike Griffin, Ph.D., curriculum coordinator at the Lewis School. “We hope it will provide a major boost in improving the basic math and reading skills of our students.”
The grant will be used to pay for interactive computer software, 20 new computer workstations, two servers, teacher training and associated teacher and student materials.
The students enjoy the high-quality graphics and video of the educational software, and that motivates them to work on the lessons. More important, research has shown the programs to be effective, Dr. Griffin said.
New Directions also received a $2,500 grant from the Tower Foundation to buy graphic novels for students.
“The books were chosen because they’re designed to engage the struggling and reluctant reader,” explained Judi VanNostrand, literacy specialist at Lewis School. “They’re very visual and they cover relevant and current topics.”
Individualized instruction
The new materials will help teachers better work with students at their own level, individualizing instruction in order to bring them closer to grade level.
Many of the students enter the Campus School two or more years below grade level in basic reading and math skills. The New York State math curriculum assumes students have mastered basic addition, subtraction and multiplication facts by the time they enter Grade 6.
“Unfortunately, this is not the case for approximately 75 percent of our middle school students,” said Bob Merkle, middle school math teacher at the Lewis School.
With the new materials, the teacher will be able to individualize instruction for each student as well as use computer-based instruction with the whole class.
Students are often sensitive about doing remedial work and don’t want other students to know what level they’re working at. Another benefit of the computer-based remedial instruction is that students work independently at their workstations while wearing headsets, and other students don’t know what level they’re on.
Mastering math facts
In math, the school will use a program called FASTT Math, published by Scholastic, Inc., which helps students increase the number of math facts (such as 9 x 5 = 45) they can recall automatically.
The software begins by assessing the specific math facts the student has mastered, and which facts the student either simply does not know or is delayed in recalling. It then chooses lessons and practice activities on the computer tailored to that student’s needs. Students move on only after they have demonstrated mastery of previous facts.
While some students work independently at the computer, the teacher and aide can provide individualized instruction and support to other students.
Everybody reads
In reading, the school will use Scholastic’s Read180 program for all students in Grades 3-8, even those at or above grade level.
The Lewis School will create a new middle school English language arts classroom with 10 computer workstations.
Students will participate in a 90-minute daily English language arts block of instruction. The block will be divided roughly into thirds. In one third, the teacher will lead small and large groups. In another third, there will be computer-based instruction. The final third would be silent and recoded book reading. Students might listen to a recorded story while following along in a book.
Leo, Grade 7, enjoys one of the new books purchased for the Henrietta G. Lewis Campus School through a $2,500 grant from the Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Foundation.
Elijah, left, and Sana, both in Grade 8, browse the books now available to students at the Lewis School. The choices include nonfiction books on topics such as history and science, as well as graphic novels.
Kayla, Grade 8, relaxes with a book on the comfy couch in the library of the Lewis School. The new books are appealing to students because they’re very visual and they cover current and relevant topics.