Welcome to The Reynolds Scholar Program 2007-2008
Our Mission
To identify and teach scientifically based learning strategies that assist students with disabilities in mastering standards based academic skills.
The History
The Thomas Reynolds Center for Special Education and After-School
Programs was established with a Federal grant in 2003 obtained through the efforts of Representative Thomas Reynolds (R-26th District). The Center provides after-school and summer programs to school-age children and their families in order to assist students with learning disabilities attending partner school districts, in attaining and maintaining state mandated academic standards.
2007-2008 School Year
The Thomas Reynolds Center has hired 6 Graduate Assistants for the 2007-2008 school year to provide strategic academic tutoring in our after-school program. The after-school program takes place from 3:00 to 5:00pm Monday through Thursday beginning on Monday, October 15, 2007 and ending on Thursday, May 22, 2008. Students with identified learning disabilities will receive instruction in the areas of reading, writing, mathematics, and learning strategies. Students also receive homework help. The Thomas Reynolds Center currently partners with Amherst Central School District (Windermere and Smallwood Elementary- grades 3 through 5) and the Buffalo Public School District (Futures Academy #37- grades 3 through 6).
Research
The results are in! Significant gains were determined across both treatment and comparison groups following The Center’s twelve week research intervention project.
In the Spring of 2007, The Center assessed the exposure of students with learning disabilities to writing instruction utilizing a combination of strategic and direct instructional approaches [The Step Up to Writing 2nd Ed. (Sopris West, 2006) program and Writers’ Workshop approach (Calkins, 1994)] as compared to direct instruction alone [Writers’ Workshop approach (Calkins, 1994)]. Each eligible participant was randomly assigned to either the treatment or comparison group. This experimental study utilized a matched-pair (treatment, comparison) repeated measures (pre, posttest) design to address the directional hypotheses that the treatment group (exposure to Step Up to Writing 2nd Ed. (Sopris West, 2006) and Writers’ Workshop approach (Calkins, 1994) will experience more gains in writing outcomes as measured by the Test of Written Language, Third Edition (TOWL-3) (Hammill & Larsen, 1996) than the comparison group (Writers’ Workshop approach only).
One-tailed matched-pair t-tests (alpha=.05) were conducted to detect significant differences in mean gains. The Writing Master Teacher, Catherine Fay trained the tutors/graduate students in the use of Step Up to Writing and the Writers’ Workshop Approach, and also trained them how to administer the TOWL-3. In addition, on-site observations regarding lesson plan implementation were conducted by the all the academy coordinators and The Center’s administrators to ensure the fidelity of lesson plan implementation.
The Daemen College Faculty Research Liaison, Dr. Robin O’Dell statistically analyzed the data collected pre and post treatment. After analyzing the TOWL-3 results it was determined that there was no statistically significant gain made when comparing the treatment groups outcomes to the comparison group. In other words, students who received a combination of strategic and direct instruction did not outperform the students who received a direct instruction approach alone. However, both treatment and comparison groups made statistically significant gains relative to their pretest scores on the TOWL-3, and the urban students actually closed the gap in scores between themselves and their suburban counterparts. These results, like the results of last year’s study will be written up for submission to the Council for Exceptional Children’s peer reviewed journal, Exceptional Children.
Graduate Program
Reynolds Scholar Graduate Assistant Opportunities:
- Graduation with Masters in Special Education (Grades 1-6).
- Partial tuition scholarship.
- Part-time employment: approximately 16 hours per week at $10 per hour.
- Hands-on teaching experience in after-school tutoring program.
- Involvement in scholarly research: contributing author of article
submitted for publication.
- Collaborate/develop relationships with partner school district
personnel.
- Receive direct instruction from master teachers in the areas of
reading, writing, mathematics and learning strategies.
- Workshop and conference participation opportunities.
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Minimum Qualifications:
- Certification in Special Education and/or Elementary Education
(Grades 1-6).
- Acceptance into Daemen College's Graduate Program in Education.
- Status as full-time matriculated Daemen College student.
- Demonstrated academic excellence evidenced by undergraduate
transcript.
- Demonstrated writing ability evidenced by submitted undergraduate
writing sample and essay per application specifications.
- Proof of finger print clearance issued by the New York State Education
Department.
- Availability to work approximately 16 hours weekly as per partner
district calendar and summer program requirements.
- Ability to complete Masters Program curricula in three consecutive
semesters (fall, spring, summer), if required course prerequisites are met.
- Two letters of reference from college professors familiar with
your academic ability.
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The Reynolds Scholar Program for Special Education and After-School Programs provides tutoring services to elementary and middle school students with learning disabilities from partner school districts. The Center’s primary focus is to provide a rich learning and teaching environment where scientifically-based research methods are used to assist students with disabilities in learning essential academic skills in the areas of reading, writing, mathematics, and learning strategies.
2007 Summer Program:
In the Summer of 2007, The Thomas Reynolds Center for Special Education and After-School Programs collaborated for the fourth consecutive year with the Center for Sustainable Communities and Civic Engagement and implemented three two-week summer reading camps throughout the Buffalo Community. Students in grades K-8 participated in each camp. Each reading camp was offered for two weeks, Monday through Thursday from 9:00am-12:00pm with interactive reading instruction based on a “camping” theme provided by the Thomas Reynolds Center Graduate Assistants.
The first reading camp took place in the Fruit Belt Community at the Rev. Dr. Bennett W. Smith, Sr. Family Life Center from July 9th through July 19th. The second camp took place in the West Side Community at the First United Methodist Church from July 23rd through August 2nd. The third camp took place in the Seneca Babcock Community at the Seneca Street Church from August 6th through August 16th.
At each site, the students received two weeks of instruction in reading and focused on strategies to improve their reading fluency and comprehension. On the last day of each camp, the students participated in a graduation ceremony where each student received a bookbag consisting of school supplies needed for their grade level, a certificate of completion and participated in a pizza party.
The Thomas Reynolds Center and the Center for Sustainable Communities and Civic Engagement would like to thank the Children’s Foundation of Buffalo and Erie County for providing grant money to purchase book bags and supplies. In, addition we would like to thank Project Flight from Buffalo State College for donating brand new books to each student.
