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Program Gives Kids a Boost: Visalia Unified's Extended-Day Programs Help Students Improve Their Reading and Math Skills.

Posted on: Monday, 6 March 2006, 12:01 CST

By Susie Pakoua Vang, The Fresno Bee, Calif.

Mar. 6--VISALIA -- Not all students in Visalia Unified School District are scrambling to get home these days when the final school bell rings. Instead, some students rush to extended-day classes for extra class time with certified teachers, brushing up on English language arts and math skills. Extended-day learning is just one of the different avenues that the majority of schools throughout the district are exploring to raise test scores and student achievement. "We're trying to be very creative and reach a lot of kids," said Linda McGill, a teacher at Crowley Elementary, as she scanned students in her extended day class Thursday. "They all want to learn, and they all deserve to learn." The hourlong afterschool classes allow students to be with classmates who are at the same learning level, making it easier for them to ask for help. Classes also allow students to practice reading and doing math in smaller groups. The extended day classes come during a time when there is heightened pressure to get schools to meet the No Child Left Behind Act. Under the federal act, schools are evaluated to determine whether they are making adequate yearly progress by looking at student test score results. Schools that fail to meet benchmarks may have to reshuffle administration and staff. Other consequences include a state takeover or contracting with an outside agency to manage the school. The goal under No Child Left Behind is to have all students proficient in math and English by 2014. At Visalia Unified, extended day classes are offered at almost all of the elementary, middle and high schools, said Stacey Curschman, the district's coordinator of curriculum for grades seven through 12. One of the most extensive extended-day programs is at Redwood High. There, she said, students work on computers, and student tutors and teachers also are available for questions. Most of the extended classes have a 20-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio. Funding comes from a variety of state and federal sources. The exact number of students in the district enrolled in these classes is not known, but Curschman said there are easily 300 students at the middle schools working on different levels of reading and math. There are more than 100 students at Crowley. Other supplementary programs, such as the HEART After School Program, also aim to help elementary students improve in areas such as reading. HEART, offered through the nonprofit Pro-Youth organization, also emphasizes proper nutrition and exercise. It isn't unusual to see students taking advantage of both the extended-day and HEART program, said Crowley Principal Tammy Gonzalez. The programs are in addition to the other learning tactics teachers now use, Gonzalez said. Teachers spend at least 30 minutes each day stopping to explain the definition of certain words to students. Children meet with teachers and aides one-on-one and in small groups. Teachers send books home with students each night. Gonzalez said she also has allotted money to expand the number of library books and computer software for Crowley students. The additional resources to students are necessary, especially when more than half of the 600 Crowley students are not proficient in English, she said. On Thursday, first- and second-graders in McGill's extended-day class read simple books in small groups. Most of the students, she said, are reading at a grade level below.

Students were also on their knees, sounding out letters and pointing to a colorful phonics board. Jose Bravo, 7, spoke loudly, shaping his mouth and enunciating such words as "cat" and "apple." It's not often that Jose and students who struggle to learn English will show this much enthusiasm, because they fear being embarrassed in regular classes, McGill said. "This gives Jose a chance to shine," she said of the extended-day class. Several rooms away sat Michele Puente in a class geared toward helping students sharpen their math skills. Puente, a teacher and parent of a fifth-grader at Crowley, sat in the back of class, watching as the class repeated the times table in unison. Puente spoke of how her daughter used to cry every time she had to do math homework. But her daughter's self-esteem and attitude about math has gone way up since she started getting afterschool help. "When they get in a smaller group like this, their anxiety goes down ... they're not afraid," Puente said. Fifth-grader Monica Martinez isn't a fan of multiplying numbers, but she knows one reason it's important to do basic math. "When you're big, you can work at stores," she said. It will take time before children like Jose and Monica are fluent in English and learn math, reinforcing the necessity of programs such as extended-day classes, McGill said. "You can't learn to read if you have not been exposed to it," she said. The reporter can be reached at svang@fresnobee.com or (559) 622-2409. Advertisements Top jobs RESTAURANT Copper River Country Club is ... CHILD CARE WORKER Boys group home, PT/FT... MANAGER 3D Structural Steel Design Depar... DRIVERS, CLASS A CDL VAN and FLATBED $10... LVN or RN Are you a nurse looking for a ... LOANS FRESNO COUNTY FCU is currently see... DENTAL ASSISTANT 4.5 days per week. Frie... DOCK HANDS F/T & P/T Must Have Mechanica... AC/HEATING AAA Air & Heating, Min. 5yrs ... TEACHERS- Pre-School F/T & P/T. 6-12 ECE... DENTIST & Dental Asst. needed for Clovis... BANKING FRESNO COUNTY FCU is currently s... Production Machine Operators Netafim USA... NURSE PSYCH NURSE Salary: $23.89-$30.86 ... SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST The Kings County Off... Medical Billing and Data Management Supp... MECHANIC Alignment and brake general rep... Direct Care Good Shepherd Communities, i... RUIZ Food Products Dinuba. Applications ... Construction Workers San Joaquin & Tranq...

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Fresno Bee, Calif.

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Source: The Fresno Bee

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