Turie T. Small Elementary
Turie T. Small Elementary School KidsZone is a Food Brings Hope sponsored program led by sponsor Melani Rolle that targets students in need of special academic and nutritional assistance. One component of this program focuses on providing additional tutoring for students in the 3rd thru 5th grades who need additional support.
For the 2012-2013 school year, a group of 79 students participated each week on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Mondays were for fifth grade science. Tuesdays and Thursdays focused on writing and math assistance for students from 3rd thru 5th grades. Students were tutored for an hour and a half in the areas of science (5th), math, and writing (4th). Additionally, 5th grade students visited the Museum of Arts and Sciences on Wednesdays for two-hour sessions. Activities involved hands-on experiments, building background knowledge through active learning.
KidsZone further focused on providing comprehensive tutorial opportunities to increase the academic achievement of the lowest performing students in the areas of science, math, and writing. In order to provide equity and access for all students who need tutoring, Food Brings Hope provided transportation for students who lived two miles or more from school. Snacks were provided for students on Mondays, and Thursdays; with hot meals provided for the kids on Thursdays!
The most significant measurable outcomes were the increase in the 3rd grade students' math scores and the fourth-grade students' writing on the FCAT. The third-grade students who were proficient in math increased by 20 percentage points, from 43% to 63%. The fourth-grade students who tested proficient with a score of 3.0 or higher on Florida Writes increased by 21 percentage points, from 56% to 77%. Additionally, the percentage of fourth grade students who scored a 3.5 or higher on the FCAT increased by 19 percentage points, from 16% to 35%.
Turie T. Small students attended the FBH sponsored Daytona State College winter musical program, the Embry-Riddle Basketball game and the end of the year awards banquet at the Speedway. Ms. Rolle emphasizes how beneficial this extra attention can be for at-risk students and looks forward to continuing to lead FBH programs for years to come.
