Lee Burkett, Director of Career and Technical Education for the Pennsylvania Department of Education was on hand for the monthly meeting of the Joint Operating Council of the Carbon Career and Technical Institute to present a prestigious award to the school. Burkett presented the JOC with a Certificate of Achievement for exceeding the expected levels of increase in performance in reading and mathematics set by the state Department of Education.

The state was looking for an increase in the number of students achieving math proficiency of 13% and an increase in the number of students achieving reading proficiency of 11%, both based on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) test baseline. The baseline year is the 2006-2007 school year.CCTI increased its percentage of students achieving proficiency in math and reading by approximately 21% and 20% respectively, well above the standard set by the state."We are extremely proud of the commitment of our students and parents to work in harmony with our talented staff to focus on academic achievement," said Administrative Director David Reinbold. "Over the past few years, CCTI has implemented an array of reform efforts designed to improve student achievement in reading, mathematics, and technical skills. Clearly, our dedication to achieving these goals is producing positive results."Previously, CCTI received a Keystone Achievement Award for meeting Annual Yearly Progress for two consecutive years and was recognized by the Bureau of Career & Technical Education as one of four schools in the state to be named an Outstanding Career & Technical School."I strongly believe that the school improvement measures being implemented at our five sending schools, Panther Valley, Weatherly, Jim Thorpe, Lehighton, and Palmerton are working. Students are coming to us in 9th and 10th grade with the skills they need to achieve their academic and career goals," Reinbold said.