While the East Williston school district is spending a lot of money on several new programs, school board President Mark Kamberg said Wednesday, they are yielding good results for students.
Teachers had the spotlight at Wednesday’s school board meetings to discuss how current and future programs could help the district better meet the student’s educational goals.
Wheatley English teacher Colin McKenna discussed a new and innovative program to the district, which involves seniors having the option to take two courses at Syracuse University while they are still seniors in high school.
The program, known as SUPA, would allow seniors to take “college classes at community college prices,” McKenna said, including Syracuse’s basic writing class.
He said the program is designed to help students improve their academic writing and analysis skills.
Teachers must go through an intensive two-week training course and take workshops in order to be certified for SUPA, McKenna said.
Responding to a question from Kamberg, McKenna said there is a possibility that SUPA students could get dual enrollment status for the program in order to get college credit.
“(D)ual enrollment is a win-win situation and dual enrollment has increased over the last few years,” McKenna said.
At the Willets Road School, teachers are also implementing a technology program that will teach students how to use Google’s web-based programs, such as Google Docs and Google Sheets.
Teachers recently arranged a “mystery” Google hangout, where students had a video chat with other students from around the world and they both asked each other questions about their environment.
Sixth graders will also have the unique opportunity to learn simple computer coding to play games.
Wheatley School Cynthia Schwartz and JoBeth Roberts outlined the goals of a program in which students write a 1,500- to 2500-word research paper based on History Day.
“The overall goal is to have students learn the research process by digging deeper” Schwartz said.
The school board also announced Wednesday that it would offer Advanced Placement in Italian and art at the Wheatley.
In addition to offering the new AP Italian course, the district is also offering students the opportunity to take a college-level course in the language at St. John’s University, world languages chair Joan Anderson said.
The North Side School is reforming math instruction and making it more visual for students.
Using images “cements” lessons in students’ minds, math teacher Sloan Sepe said, and they have to utilize different strategies for problem solving.
“Sixth grade is a pivotal point in a student’s math education and the children found multiple pathways to get to that understanding,” Sepe said.
