It features various centers for reading, listening, writing and other skills. Students are responsible for checking their portfolios and completing their assignments. Students are encouraged to read the directions themselves or ask classmates for help before turning to Holmes or Castro. The computer lab is open to kindergarten through fifth grade for math, reading, language and writing. A teacher aide, Jennifer Britt, manages the lab's 32 computers.
Students work at their own pace to enhance the regular classroom instruction.
The federal Title I program funds the language arts and computer labs, based on the school's 63 percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunches. Students don't receive grades in any of their learning labs. The third-grade composite score went from 51 to 53. The fifth-grade composite score went from 34 to 49. Participation is up in science and math clubs, writing contests and reading for pleasure.