Home Palmyra News Burlington County Institute of Technology announces literary initative

Burlington County Institute of Technology announces literary initative

BCIT provides supplementary skilled development in literacy for high school students.

The Burlington County Institute of Technology (BCIT) has announced a new literary initiative. BCIT has fast-tracked the development of an intervention plan that provides supplemental skilled development in literacy for high school students. Phase one of the literacy initiative includes the purchase of books with a focus on high school topics written at various reading levels. Another part of this phase is the hiring of consultants to guide teachers in the targeted literacy strategies needed. Books and supplemental materials for phase one are estimated to cost $20,000, fully funded by the BCIT Foundation. Consultant costs in phase one will cost about $16,000, and will be provided by the district. “Our Literacy for Life Initiative will encourage independent student reading to build stamina, become more proficient readers, and develop a positive literacy culture,” remarked Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Christopher Nagy.

BCIT Foundation’s mission is to support the school with education-based technology and post-secondary scholarships. “Trustees have discussed ways to go beyond that traditional support, and the Literacy for Life initiative offers that opportunity,” stated Mr. Eric J. Aloi, Foundation President. In addition, this initiative will allow the Foundation to collect the kind of measureable feedback that is not always available with donations for equipment like computers or tools. “None of our results have been as measureable as PARCC scores,” Mr. Aloi added. “After a year of the literacy initiative, when interventions, data collection and test results are reported from the fall 2017 testing, the Foundation will be able to point to district-wide improvement with a measureable impact.”

As part of this initiative, students will have access to high interest, lower reading leveled young adult books, online leveled periodicals and articles, and magazine subscriptions. Students will be tested according to their instructional reading levels using assistive technology and hands-on phonics materials.

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