Elementary School: Core Academic Program Summary

Elementary Reading Program: Harcourt-Journeys (K-6)

The school district promotes a Balanced Literacy Framework that includes all aspects of literacy within a daily block of instruction. Guided by the PA Core Standards, the Framework incorporates aspects of reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Harcourt Journeys is a research-based, developmental reading/language arts program that serves as the program's anthology. Divided into themes, the text helps to promote a sense of responsibility for ourselves, our community, and our world. Each student is provided opportunities to develop and expand reading skills through phonics instruction, guided reading strategies, shared reading, intervention strategies, integrated language arts components, and regular assessments.

Heggerty (PreK-2nd)

Provides up to 35 weeks of daily lessons, focusing on eight phonemic awareness skills, along with two additional activities to develop letter and sound recognition and language awareness.

Enhanced Core Reading Instruction™ (ECRI)

Enhanced Core Reading Instruction™ (ECRI) is a multi-tiered program (Tier 1 and Tier 2) featuring a series of teaching routines designed to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of reading instruction in kindergarten, first and second grade. ERCI will enhance your current core reading program to achieve more favorable outcomes for your students, especially struggling students.

Elementary Math Program: EnVision

Aligned to the PA Core Standards, math instruction focuses not only on the acquisition of skills, but also conceptual understanding. The program develops deep conceptual understanding, assess learning, and use student data to inform instruction. enVision® Mathematics includes new student-led explorations that introduce new concepts and lay the foundation for upcoming lessons, while encouraging all students to connect and apply math ideas in amazing ways.

Asset Science (K-6 Hands-On Science)

ASSET Inc. is an independent non-profit educational reform initiative dedicated to continuously improving the abilities of teachers – and the performance of students – with initial efforts in K-8 science education. Nationally, ASSET is one of eight LASER (Leadership and Assistance for Science Education Reform) sites in partnership with the National Science Resources Center, an organization of the Smithsonian Institution and the National Academies of Science.

ASSET member schools continue to benefit by participating in ASSET’s research and development process, which identifies new and existing materials along with teacher-driven professional development to continuously improve the teaching and learning process, not only in science, but also integrating literacy and math.

ASSET, Inc. is an inquiry-based, hands-on-minds-on approach to learning Science the way scientists do Science. Wilkinsburg schools use the program in grades K-6.

Reading Intervention Program-95%Group

We use the PA and PLL libraries from 95% Group within the RTII structure to address phonological and phonics deficits in our Tier III students as identified by the diagnostic testing.

Elementary Instructional Web-based Programs

IXL
Imagine Learning; Literacy and Math
Imagine Math Facts
RAZ Kids
Reading Eggs

The Pennsylvania programs are completely web-based. Applications are incorporated into instructional planning to support skill development and provide ongoing practice. The academic material is organized in topics which contain a lesson and assessment questions with explanations. Students work independently, at their own pace, on skills and concepts for which they need additional practice or increased fluency. Student performance data guides the prescriptive path they take in both reading and math. Classroom teachers have the ability to view and monitor student progress to make changes to the level, frequency and type of material they access.

Education Programs:

Reading and Language Arts
Mathematics
Science
Social Studies
Art
Music
Physical Education
Library/Media
STEAM