Elementary School Academics

In our elementary schools, students have access to a research-based, systematic, structured approach to literacy that includes phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary building.  

Additionally, students across K-4 write for many purposes across the year using three modes of writing: 

• Information
• Opinion
• Narrative
   

Elementary students learn and practice math daily using the Math in Focus program, which emphasizes: 

• Deep understanding of concepts and skills through learning experiences to develop mastery
• Use of a Concrete-Pictorial-Abstract development of concepts
• Using model drawings to connect visual representation to problem solving and algebra
   

In our elementary schools, we collaborate with PNWBOCES to implement  the Science21 curriculum, aligned with the new NYS Science Learning Standards. This curriculum emphasizes hands-on learning experiences, enabling students to actively engage in Science and Engineering practices, to understand crosscutting  concepts, and to grasp core ideas of Science.

Additionally, the BOCES Environmental Education Program enhances our curriculum with periodic visits, offering unique experiences in sustainability education. These programs  help students understand how they can play an active role in protecting and enhancing their environment and develop sustainable practices. 

K-4 Social Studies is anchored in the four pillars of: 

• Geography
• History
• Economics
• Civics

Using the Social Studies Alive! program from TCI, each grade cycles through a unit on each pillar developing skills and content understanding in a spiral curriculum aligned with NY State Standards.