Frequently Asked Questions
When was the Westwood Learning Lab founded?
The Westwood Learning Lab was researched and developed in the late 1970’s and was created in the fall of 1980. The founder, Mrs. Grace Adkins, made it her mission since her first year of teaching in 1946 to find out why some bright students were non-coping children in the classroom. The motto of the Lab is “Every Child a Winner.”
Which students are helped by Learning Lab professionals?
What role does the Learning Lab play in helping young students?
All K-5 students at Westwood are screened during the first two weeks of school each year. The Search Screening was researched and developed at the New York Medical Center to detect students whose pre-academic skills, necessary for academic success, were not in place.
Those who score five or below are worked with on a one-on-one basis in the Learning Lab each day to get these skills in place. Our Learning Lab Elementary staff and Learning Lab Director meet with the Kindergarten teachers in January to discuss the students who scored a six or seven. If there are concerns, then these students are brought into the Lab.
How does the Learning Lab help in benchmarking and testing students?
Learning Lab personnel evaluate each student in grades K – 8th grade each year in April using the WRAT III. Beginning in April of Grade 3, each student in grades 3-8 is given a 100 paragraph silent reading comprehension test. Then in April of the 8th grade, each student is given a 60 paragraph silent reading comprehension test for High School students.
These evaluations and the ERB evaluations of each student given by classroom teachers are reviewed in May of each year by Lab personnel. These are used to set up summer programs and to decide which students need to come to the Learning Lab to build foundation and/or fill in gaps. Enrichment is provided through the Lab for all students starting in first grade and going through 8th grade.