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Annual Report continued
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Our Board of Directors and Founders |
Dr. Gillian Richardson
Executive Director, LEAP of WNY
Carol Peszko
Program Director, LEAP of WNY
Reading Specialist, Buffalo Public School District
Mary Margaret Aprile
President, Board of Directors
Time Warner Cable, Corporate Division - Buffalo
Manager, Human Resources
Richard Scalzo
Treasurer, LEAP of WNY
School Counselor, Retired
David Schnettler
Vice President, Board of Directors
Business Manager
Adjunct Instructor Bryant & Stratton College
| Board of Directors |
Katie Chadwick
Secretary, Board of Directors
Food Bank of Western New York
Dr. Susan Mary Paige
Buffalo State College
Faculty Exceptional Education Department
Patricia Merino
Maranair Consulting
Communication & Marketing Consultant
Dr. Barbara J. Porter
Associate Dean for Arts and Sciences
Canisius College
Polla Milligan
Development Coordinator,
Food Bank of Western New York
E. Meghan Barnett, Esq.
Damon Morey, LLP
| Founders |
LEAP of WNY HONORARY/ADVISORY BOARD
Honorable Frank Caruso
Justice, New York State Supreme Court
Dr. Patrick Finn
Professor Emeritus, State University of New York
Dr. Gillian Richardson
Executive Director, LEAP of WNY
Carol Peszko
Program Director, LEAP of WNY
Reading Specialist, Buffalo Public School District
Our Programs and Literacy Activities |
| LEAP ~ ASAP Academic Success Assistance Program |
LEAP ~ ASAP was a program to support all academic content areas, even math, as they all are impacted by a student’s
reading ability. This design also allowed for a focus on reading and understanding informational text. Students worked
one-on-one or in small groups with a tutor, focusing on the content areas in which they were struggling. The first half of
each session was spent on homework; during the final half of each session students were engaged in various nonfiction
reading activities, with a focus on increasing comprehension. A final celebration that included parents, volunteers, and
staff allowed the children to showcase their work and new skills. The final day celebration showed the importance of this
program beyond the academic data. The room was filled to capacity with families who watched their children present
original stories and poems and receive success certificates.
All 44 children tutored in LEAP ~ ASAP are residents of Sheridan Parkside in the Town of Tonawanda. Sheridan Parkside
is a high need community; the average income is $17,490, substantially below the average income of $41,453 in the
Buffalo area, and seventy-five percent of children receive free or reduced lunch. At Holmes Elementary School, the
school attended by residents, only 32.7% of fourth graders meet minimum literacy proficiency standards (New York
State English Language Arts Exam, 2007-2008). Programs were filled to capacity and there was a waiting list of approx-
imately 20 students.
All of the participants in LEAP ~ ASAP were from low-income families who were not able to afford partial scholarships.
Determined not to exclude any child on the basis of inability to pay, we extended 44 full scholarships. The market value
of the 44 full scholarships was $10,560.
Fourteen trained instructors volunteered in the program, for a total of 163.5 volunteer hours. The market value of the
volunteer hours was $2,452.50.
Outcomes
LEAP ~ ASAP produced significantly positive outcomes. The completion rate for both programs was 100%.
Of the four objectives of LEAP ~ ASAP, three were totally met and one was partially met. Below are the
detailed results:
Objective #1:
80% of participants will meet 90% of individualized instructional goals.
Outcome: Fully Met
100% of participants met 98% of individualized goals or more.
Objective #2:
80% of participants will increase their comprehension of informational texts by 10%.
Outcome: Fully Met
92% of participants increased their comprehension of informational texts by 10% or more.
Summary: Every child increased his/her comprehension, with an average gain of 34%. Seventy-one percent made
gains of 30% or more.
Objective #3:
80% of participants will improve their school performance by 15%.
Outcome: Fully Met
86% of participants improved their school performance by 15% or more.
Summary: The average gain in school performance was 20%.
Objective #4:
80% of participants will improve their self-perception as learners and readers by 15%.
Outcome: Partially Met
47% of participants improved their self-perception as learners and readers by 15% or more.
Summary: Though lower than benchmark, substantial improvement in student self-perceptions was accomplished.
All but four children (91% of participants) viewed themselves more positively as readers at the end of the program,
with an average gain of 9.9%. Over half of participants improved their self-perception by 11% or more.
Program Summary
All indicators provide evidence of the success of the LEAP ~ ASAP program. A number of parents have requested
that we offer the program on an on-going basis. As indicated by the substantial number of children who were placed
on a waiting list and not able to participate in the program, families in the Sheridan Parkside community are interested
in assistance for their children. It is our hope to meet this need by expanding the LEAP ~ ASAP program in the future.
We wish to thank the First Niagara Bank Foundation for their grant that helped make this program a reality. We are
appreciative of the support that First Niagara Bank Foundation has continuously given to LEAP of WNY and the
Sheridan Parkside community that we serve.
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