BOSTON, Nov. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- 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
holistic, student-centered approach to improving reading and
literacy skills. APSD's implementation of the reading
intervention programs READ 180 and System 44 and
iRead, embodies best practice for promoting literacy gains at
every grade level and offers a strong example for educators
nationwide.
As a result of the district's comprehensive approach to reading
intervention, every APSD school surpassed their 2015-16 literacy
improvement targets, with 68 percent of students in
Asbury Park's reading acceleration
program exceeding one year's growth and 41 percent exceeding two
years' growth. These students entered the program reading three to
six+ years below grade level and previously averaged 0.4 to 0.5
years of growth per school year. These gains are being matched by
rising graduation rates, which grew from 49 percent in 2014 and 66
percent in 2015 to 73 percent in 2016.
ASPD's state-level assessment results also show strong literacy
gains. In six of the nine grade levels tested (3-12), there was a
marked decrease in the percent of students performing below grade
level in language arts. Four grades outpaced New Jersey's overall performance, with the
biggest improvement seen in grades 7 (16 percent), 10 (25 percent)
and 11 (13 percent). This decrease was met by corresponding
increases in students performing at grade level, with students in
grades 9 and 10 showing particularly dramatic gains in meeting
college and career readiness standards (8 and 12 percent,
respectively).
HMH's recognition of APSD honors the district's unrelenting
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 turnaround
efforts district-wide 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. The response has been
overwhelmingly positive and 80 percent of teachers agree that
active community involvement is encouraged.
- High expectations of students: The APSD team has made
raising expectation 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.
"It is truly remarkable to see the improvement that has been
made across the Asbury Park School
District in little more than a year," said Margery Mayer, Executive Vice President,
Intervention Solutions Group, HMH. "While the work is ongoing, the
entire team is achieving remarkable results and exemplifies
literacy improvement instruction at its best. It is a privilege for
us to work in partnership with APSD and see how students are
gaining confidence every day, which will lead to even more academic
and lifelong success."
"We are honored to be named a District of Excellence," said
Sancha Gray, Director of Curriculum.
"Teachers, students, families and faculty believe in the work that
everyone is undertaking on behalf of our students. I see this every
day; teachers pushing their students to achieve more, tackle harder
books and more challenging math, all because they share in the
belief that success is possible."
"This recognition is a testament to the students, teachers, and
families of APSD," said Superintendent Dr. Lamont Repollet. "I am so proud of our entire
community; its incredible efforts are truly helping to guide and
reinforce our work to build a brighter future for the young people
of Asbury Park."
About Asbury
Park
Asbury Park Public Schools is a
comprehensive community public school district headquartered in
Asbury Park, NJ, serving children
in pre-K and Kindergarten through twelfth grade. Asbury Park School District is a community of
lifelong learners, all invested in education. Its staff is the
lifeblood of the Building a Brighter Future movement and fosters
and learning environment where every child can reach their
potential.
About Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (NASDAQ:HMHC) is a global
learning company dedicated to changing people's lives by fostering
passionate, curious learners. As a leading provider of pre-K–12
education content, services, and cutting-edge technology solutions
across a variety of media, HMH enables learning in a changing
landscape. HMH is uniquely positioned to create engaging and
effective educational content and experiences from early childhood
to beyond the classroom. HMH serves more than 50 million
students in over 150 countries worldwide, while its award-winning
children's books, novels, non-fiction, and reference titles are
enjoyed by readers throughout the world. For more information,
visit www.hmhco.com.
Follow HMH
on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
Media Contact
Meghan
Daly
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
617 351 5163
Meghan.Daly@hmhco.com
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151116/287902LOGO
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hmh-names-asbury-park-intervention-district-of-excellence-for-holistic-approach-to-advancing-literacy-achievement-300357564.html
SOURCE Houghton Mifflin Harcourt