Academically Talented Program May Be Expanded to 'School-wide Enrichment Model'

The Board of Education is expected to vote next week on a school-wide enrichment program that proponents say would provide equal opportunities for all students to receive specialized instruction.

The school district has been considering the School-wide Enrichment Model (SEM) since this winter after some parents expressed concerns about a proposal to eliminate the full-time equivalent of 1.2 positions for enrichment teachers for kindergarten through sixth grade.

During its budget deliberations this winter, the school board discussed the so that it could be reallocated toward adding a classroom teacher at Huckleberry Hill Elementary School (HHES) to lower its class sizes.

School administrators have said that differentiation of instruction occurs throughout the district and that classroom teachers could provide specialized activities for the students in the Academically Talented Program (ATP).

Over the recent months, Assistant Superintendent Genie Slone and the school board’s Curriculum And Program Evaluation (CAPE) subcommittee have reviewed the SEM, which Slone says has been used for more than 20 years and has been utilized by about 2.500 schools.

She made a presentation to the school board at its April 6 meeting in preparation for the board’s discussion and possible adoption of the SEM at its April 27 meeting.

CAPE Subcommittee Chairman Jane Miller said the panel had discussed the program last month at its regular meeting.

Superintendent Anthony Bivona has said the SEM program would service more students and .

Slone told the school board this month that under SEM the enrichment instructors “would be working with teachers to plan enrichment activities for all students at that grade level.”

“The enrichment teacher would be an advocate to extend those enrichment opportunities for all students,” the assistant superintendent said.

Slone said the enrichment teacher also would become a “consultant and coach” for the classroom teachers.

“It’s a much more holistic role than it has been,” she said.

Slone said under the current enrichment program the students in the Academically Talented Program at Center Elementary School (CES) and HHES work with a .6 enrichment teacher, who shuttles between the two schools.

The assistant superintendent said that at Whisconier Middle School (WMS) there is currently a literacy enrichment program for fifth grade students and a humanities program for the sixth through eighth grade students.

Slone said Brookfield High School (BHS) students can take a humanities course or various honors and advanced placement classes.

A flier posted on the school district’s website states that under the SEM proposal, for the next academic year there would be a .4 enrichment teacher at CES, a .6 enrichment teacher at HHES, a .2 enrichment teacher or the fifth and sixth grades at WMS and one ATP teacher to continue that initiative at WMS.

Slone said that the SEM would provide opportunities for instruction in all content areas in contrast to the current system, which only covers literacy, math and humanities.

She said that, for example, if a group of students have an interest in a particular topic within a subject area, the enrichment teacher could work with the classroom teachers to develop activities for them.

“We’re trying to provide support at both ends of the spectrum with this proposal,” Slone told the school board, referring to how students ranging from special education to gifted and talented would benefit from the plan.

The assistant superintendent said the state Board of Education has approved a resolution stating that, “All students need to be able to take classes with their high-performing peers.”

Slone said that studies have shown that the SEM has been effective in “developing creative projects” for a broad range of students and fostering better “personal and social development.”

She said starting in the next academic year, sixth grade students would have an individualized success plan that would focus on their “academic and career goals.”