THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 12, 1994 TAG: 9408110148
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
LENGTH: Medium: 64 lines
The following instructional programs have been expanded for the upcoming school year or restructured to better suit students' needs:
EXPANSIONS
Continuous Progress: Betty Bartlett, the new principal of Hodges Manor Elementary School, oversaw a pilot ``Continuous Progress'' project at Churchland Elementary School during the past year. The approach allows students to work at their own pace in non-graded, multi-age groups. The teaching system is called DAP, for ``developmentally appropriate practices,'' and it's used in many early childhood education programs to teach children academics through guided play, dramatics and problem solving instead of drills, workbooks and lectures. Children learn to walk and talk at different ages and they also learn to read and work with numbers at different times, experts say.
In addition to Churchland Elementary, Port Norfolk Elementary and Churchland Academy will adopt the program this fall. For more information, call Bartlett at 465-2921.
Reading Recovery: The program was implemented at Port Norfolk and Shea Terrace elementary schools during the past year. It will expand to Brighton, Highland-Biltmore, James Hurst and Douglass Park elementary schools this year. Since 1983, when it was introduced in this country at Ohio State University, Reading Recovery has spread to 48 states and brought thousands of first-graders up to average or above reading levels. Reading Recovery assumes that every child can learn to read if confusion with the language is detected early and corrected. Students work one-on-one with reading instructors for about 30 minutes each morning. In Portsmouth, disadvantaged children in the federal Chapter 1 program have been targeted for Reading Recovery. The program will serve about 140 students this school year. Call Irving Richardson at 393-8611 for more information.
CHANGES
Chapter 1: Curriculum officials have made a few changes in this federally funded program for disadvantaged students. Chapter 1 students, for example, no longer will be pulled from regular classrooms to get extra help with academics. Instead, Chapter 1 teachers will go into regular classrooms to assist those students during reading and math lessons. Chapter 1 teachers also will work more closely with regular classroom teachers, who will help develop plans to best teach each Chapter 1 student.
At Brighton, Highland-Biltmore, James Hurst, Douglass Park, Port Norfolk and Shea Terrace elementary schools - during times when music, art or physical education classes are typically scheduled - Chapter 1 students will instead get more help with academics. Instruction will be tailored to meet each student's particular ``learning style.'' Music, art and physical education classes will be taught for one hour after school each Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Only Chapter 1 students who receive Chapter 1 instruction are eligible for the after-school, ``Extended Day'' program. For details, call Irving Richardson at 393-8611 or Thomas M. Cimino at 393-8556. MEMO: Compiled by staff writer Vanee Vines
KEYWORDS: PORTSMOUTH SCHOOL BOARD PORTSMOUTH SCHOOLS by CNB