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RateBrighter futures for C-A’s youngest
Officials hope student program means 3 weeks well spent
By Melanie Lekocevic
COXSACKIE — Nipping potential academic difficulties in the bud — that’s the goal of a newly implemented program adopted by the Coxsackie-Athens Central School District.
The Board of Education has established the “Brighter Futures Program,” which was proposed by district official Maureen Long. A similar program was used at a district she worked at before coming to C-A, and she thought it could prove valuable here.
“This concept mirrors a program used in a school district where I used to work,” Long said. “The goal is to work with students in the early grades who, for one reason or another, might have difficulty with their academics later on.”
The Brighter Futures Program would create a three-week instructional program for children in the younger grades to brush up on the skills they were learning during the previous academic year. Parents would be encouraged to be heavily involved with the summer program whenever possible.
Initially, the district would identify students at the primary elementary level who might benefit from instructional opportunities offered during the summer. Teachers would then develop a curriculum to meet the needs of those students.
Kids would attend summer classes for three hours a day, four days per week in the mornings. The program would be offered at both Coxsackie Elementary School and E.J. Arthur Elementary School. It would begin on July 24 and would run through Aug. 14.
The program would utilize one teacher and one teaching assistant at each of the district’s two elementary schools, and a speech and language teacher would be shared by the two buildings.
One hurdle the Board of Education discussed was the question of transportation — should the district offer it? But because a major component of the Brighter Futures Program is getting parents involved, the district wants to encourage families to attend the program with their kids. However, officials don’t want a lack of transportation to deter kids from participating.
“We want parents to be as involved as possible, so we were torn between providing transportation and having parents attend the program with their kids,” Long said.
So the district has sent out postcards to families to find out how many would need transportation services to enable their kids to participate.
The Brighter Futures Program would come with a $5,000 price tag, but this year, at least, that could be paid for through federal stimulus funding.
“For the minimal outlay compared to the results we would have, it’s a great program,” Long told the Board of Education.
In subsequent years, if federal funds are no longer available to pay for the program, the district would not be required to continue it. “This is a summer program, so we have no requirement to provide it in the future,” Coxsackie-Athens District Superintendent Dr. Earle Gregory said.
Meanwhile, help is also on the way for students in the higher grades. According to high school teacher Patty McIntyre, seniors who attend community colleges after graduation have to take math placement exams. But many C-A students fail those tests because they haven’t taken a math course during their senior year, which is not required by the state. And when that happens, they have to take a special course at the college to hone their math skills — and that costs parents money.
So the district implemented a year-long math course to help seniors brush up while still in high school. The course will be offered starting next year, and by enabling students to pass the placement exam when they reach college, they won’t have to pay for that additional coursework.
By Melanie Lekocevic
COXSACKIE — Nipping potential academic difficulties in the bud — that’s the goal of a newly implemented program adopted by the Coxsackie-Athens Central School District.
The Board of Education has established the “Brighter Futures Program,” which was proposed by district official Maureen Long. A similar program was used at a district she worked at before coming to C-A, and she thought it could prove valuable here.
“This concept mirrors a program used in a school district where I used to work,” Long said. “The goal is to work with students in the early grades who, for one reason or another, might have difficulty with their academics later on.”
The Brighter Futures Program would create a three-week instructional program for children in the younger grades to brush up on the skills they were learning during the previous academic year. Parents would be encouraged to be heavily involved with the summer program whenever possible.
Initially, the district would identify students at the primary elementary level who might benefit from instructional opportunities offered during the summer. Teachers would then develop a curriculum to meet the needs of those students.
Kids would attend summer classes for three hours a day, four days per week in the mornings. The program would be offered at both Coxsackie Elementary School and E.J. Arthur Elementary School. It would begin on July 24 and would run through Aug. 14.
The program would utilize one teacher and one teaching assistant at each of the district’s two elementary schools, and a speech and language teacher would be shared by the two buildings.
One hurdle the Board of Education discussed was the question of transportation — should the district offer it? But because a major component of the Brighter Futures Program is getting parents involved, the district wants to encourage families to attend the program with their kids. However, officials don’t want a lack of transportation to deter kids from participating.
“We want parents to be as involved as possible, so we were torn between providing transportation and having parents attend the program with their kids,” Long said.
So the district has sent out postcards to families to find out how many would need transportation services to enable their kids to participate.
The Brighter Futures Program would come with a $5,000 price tag, but this year, at least, that could be paid for through federal stimulus funding.
“For the minimal outlay compared to the results we would have, it’s a great program,” Long told the Board of Education.
In subsequent years, if federal funds are no longer available to pay for the program, the district would not be required to continue it. “This is a summer program, so we have no requirement to provide it in the future,” Coxsackie-Athens District Superintendent Dr. Earle Gregory said.
Meanwhile, help is also on the way for students in the higher grades. According to high school teacher Patty McIntyre, seniors who attend community colleges after graduation have to take math placement exams. But many C-A students fail those tests because they haven’t taken a math course during their senior year, which is not required by the state. And when that happens, they have to take a special course at the college to hone their math skills — and that costs parents money.
So the district implemented a year-long math course to help seniors brush up while still in high school. The course will be offered starting next year, and by enabling students to pass the placement exam when they reach college, they won’t have to pay for that additional coursework.
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| ‘Instant headache’ |
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