Administrators in the Lehighton Area School District have recommended to the school board it approve the Additional Targeted Support and Improvement school improvement plan for 2026-27.

The plan is designed to provide district students every opportunity to learn, grow and succeed, with emphasis being placed in the plan for the special education population. It recently drew the approval of the Carbon-Lehigh Intermediate Unit 21.

At its workshop this week, the board was advised that high school Principal Suzanne Howland, in a letter to parents of students in the district, stressed the district’s desire to participate in the ATSI program as required under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act.

An ATSI designation identifies schools in which a specific student group needs additional support to improve academic outcomes. At Lehighton Area High School, this designation applies specifically to the students with disabilities subgroup, Howland said, noting the designation does not reflect the performance of the school as a whole; rather, it provides a focused framework for strengthening instruction, interventions and support systems for this group of students.

Since receiving the ATSI designation in 2018, Lehighton Area High School has worked collaboratively with the Pennsylvania Department of Education to develop and implement a comprehensive school improvement plan. The plan is based on a careful review of student achievement and growth data, and identifies evidence-based strategies to strengthen teaching, learning and student support.

Both Howland, in her letter, and Superintendent Jason Moser, told the board and parents the district continues to demonstrate strong overall academic growth, graduation rates above the statewide average and 100% completion of career standards benchmarks.

Moser said the plan aims to help struggling students reach designated achievement levels.

The district’s priorities, Howland said, are to strengthen standards-aligned instruction and specially designed instruction for students with disabilities, and to provide targeted reading and mathematics interventions based on individual student needs.

By identifying skill gaps, monitoring student progress and adjusting instruction, the district officials feel students will have strengthened reading comprehension, vocabulary development, written responses and foundational mathematics skills.