Our Mission

At P.S. 120, we are committed to preparing our different types of learners to compete in the ever-changing 21st Century workforce by guiding them to recognize the importance of finding the balance between doing what they love, and what the world will need them to do. The faculty at PS 120 will: 

  • Commit to the use of data-driven instruction and decision-making to provide equity-based instruction in all classrooms. 

  • Provide opportunities for  students to take responsibility for their own learning by participating in classroom discussion and be able to predict how they can use what they are learning in their everyday lives and goals

  • Engage students  in problem-solving and critical thinking activities

  • Foster  leadership opportunities for students in and out of the classroom

  • Expose and engage students in the cultural arts

  • Enable digitally literacy by teaching students to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information, requiring both cognitive and technical skills

  • Empower students to apply their talents to the service of others

Instructional Focus 2024-25

Teachers will strengthen high-quality core literacy instruction (Tier 1) by focusing on building background knowledge, vocabulary acquisition, and explicit phonics and literacy instruction. We will know our students well by studying and utilizing multiple data sets to inform our instruction and, therefore, provide equitable learning experiences for all students while focusing on closing achievement gaps among our subgroups.

Theory of Action

If we strengthen high-quality core literacy instruction and engage in ongoing data analysis, then we can strengthen learning experiences for our diverse learners, leading to academic achievement.

If we strengthen Tier 1 instruction and engage in ongoing data analysis…: 

  • Understanding and accessing various curriculum resources within HMH Into Reading, Fundations, and Heggerty

  • Regularly collect and analyze data to understand our students’ unique needs (iReady, Acadience, HMH Module Assessments, FUNdations)

  • Identify learning gaps, patterns, and areas for improvement for different student groups

  • Strengthen explicit instruction practices


…then we can provide a more equitable learning experience for all our learners, leading to academic achievement:

  • Create flexible groups based on different areas of need 

  • Utilizing literacy centers and small groups to provide targeted instruction based on student needs, including phonics instruction for students in grades 3-5 who are still struggling with foundational skills

  • Monitoring and tracking the progress of individual students

Vision for Learning

Students who attend P.S. 120Q will graduate feeling empowered, having developed their academic, kinesthetic, social, and emotional intelligences in a school that fosters practices to deepen their 21st-century skills (conceptual understanding, critical and creative thinking, collaboration, leadership, problem solving and digital literacy).