Students at McMurray School are provided with opportunities for enrichment in all academic areas. Students are enriched within the classroom setting. Teachers, enrichment facilitators, and the school librarian provide additional opportunities when the needs of the students go beyond the normal scope of the curriculum.
Enrichment Sessions
Students in need of small group enrichment at McMurray Elementary will participate in enrichment activities while other students are participating in skill development. The program is facilitated by classroom teachers and support teachers. Enrichment sessions will take place twice a week throughout the school year. Students are flexibly grouped according to learning styles and needs. Students participate in activities to further develop reading, writing, critical thinking, and independent learning skills. These activities cover a broad spectrum including literature discussions, technology presentations, creative writing, and self-selected projects. A professional enrichment team of teachers, facilitators, and the librarian develop an enrichment curriculum that focuses on creative and higher level thinking skills. Other enrichment opportunities will be available in the classroom during the RTII/Performance music block at the end of the day.
Independent Projects
Students demonstrating additional needs for curriculum differentiation will have the opportunity to explore areas of academic interest through various independent or small group projects. These projects are coordinated with an enrichment facilitator and the classroom teacher. The Go Quest software will be utilized to assist advanced students in the exploration of interest areas. All students will soon have completed a profile on the software. It can be accessed at home at www.goquest.com. The student's log in is their school username and their password number followed by mcm. For example: 28JonesJ, 123456789mcm. The school is PA-MCMURRAY.
Math Acceleration
In addition to the enrichment provided within the math classroom, qualifying students are able to participate in above grade-level curriculum. In order to advance to another grade level, students are screened using curriculum-based assessments and other available information. Students meeting the criteria are placed in a class at the next level or an accelerated class with their chronological-age peers.