Global learning company Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) today announced that it has named the Asbury Park School District (APSD) an intervention district of excellence for its student-centered approach to improving reading and literacy skills. APSD’s implementation of the reading intervention programs READ 180,System 44 and iRead sets an example for promoting literacy gains.
HMH’s recognition of APSD honors the district’s commitment to supporting its students and teachers and its targeted focus on executional gains around four key instructional areas:
· Effective and clear communication: The Asbury Park team has structured its district-wide turnaround efforts around a clearly articulated mission of “Building a Brighter Future” and today, 90 percent of teachers agree that their day to day actions are aligned to this goal.
· Focused professional development: every educator in the district receives 90 minutes of professional learning eight times a year that is both targeted to individual teacher needs and focused solely on raising student achievement.
· High level of community engagement: APSD has taken concrete steps to engage families. For example, it opened a new Family Center in April 2015 that offers adult literacy, ESL and GED classes and holds regular parent sessions to connect with the community.
· High expectations of students: The APSD team has made raising expectations for students one of its top priorities alongside its literacy goals and efforts to change school culture is yielding results, with 70 percent of teachers saying in a 2016 survey that their school has high expectations for all students.
