Jim Thorpe Area School District has rolled out its “Targeted School Improvement Plan” for the Penn-Kidder Campus for the 2024-25 school year, focusing on enhancing student performance and addressing key challenges.

The plan, approved by directors Wednesday night, outlines strategic goals to improve regular attendance rates and boost student achievement in English Language Arts.

“We have two subgroups who have not reached the targets from the state so we sat down with the principals and the intermediate unit to come up with a plan based on our comprehensive plan,” Superintendent Robert Presley said.

Attendance issues

One of the primary objectives of the plan, which is available on the district website, is to tackle the persistent issue of low attendance rates. The school has identified regular attendance as a critical area needing improvement, noting that the current rates fall 6.6% below the state average.

To combat this, the school will “establish an Attendance Improvement Committee, which will work throughout the year to analyze attendance data, identify root causes of absenteeism, and implement targeted interventions. “

The committee’s goal, the plan states, is to “elevate attendance rates across all student subgroups to meet or exceed the state average of 72.2% by the end of the school year.”

Boosting ELA achievement

Another significant focus of the TSI Plan is improving student outcomes in English Language Arts. The plan highlights the need to “realign the ELA curriculum and integrate writing across various subjects.”

The school aims to increase the proficiency of all student subgroups by 5% on state assessments. This, the plan states, will be achieved by a series of measures, including “revising the K-8 ELA curriculum and implementing classroom practices that emphasize writing integration across the curriculum. Additionally, targeted interventions will be developed to address the specific needs of underperforming student subgroups.”

Professional development

The plan also emphasizes professional development for educators, with a particular focus on multi-tiered systems of support and writing across the curriculum. Teachers will participate in monthly in-service days to refine their instructional strategies and better support students’ diverse needs.

“The school administration, led by Principal Holly Mordaunt, will closely monitor the implementation of these strategies through regular evaluations of student performance and teacher practices,” the plan states.