Scholastic Achievement Partners™ (SAP) Selected as an External Support Provider to Drive School Improvement in States Across the Country

NEW YORK, Sept. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Scholastic Achievement Partners™ (SAP), a unit of Scholastic Education, has been selected as an external support provider for school and district turnaround assistance in several states across the country.  SAP will now be working with schools in Arizona, Arkansas, Ohio, Michigan, West Virginia and Washington State to help implement academic improvement initiatives, develop the skills and expertise of teachers and leaders, and improve student performance in literacy and math.  

"For the past decade, Scholastic Education has worked in more than 1,500 districts around the country to bring about scalable, sustainable literacy improvement for low-achieving students utilizing innovative technology and print solutions," said Margery Mayer, President, Scholastic Education.  "Now, with the International Center for Leadership in Education (ICLE), a nationally-recognized provider of leadership development and teacher growth, and Math Solutions, a leading authority on effective K-12 math instruction, under our umbrella, we are able to offer schools a unique and powerful combination of comprehensive curriculum programs, professional development and comprehensive school improvement services that are research-based, proven effective, and designed to last."  

"While addressing students' reading and math skills is central to any school reform effort, district leaders around the country are facing an increasingly diverse array of challenges and demands in turning around low-performing schools and investing in the skills of their staff," said Duncan Young, Senior Vice President, Scholastic Achievement Partners.  "In this complex academic landscape, we are excited to be able to deepen our work with districts and states to help every school leader, teacher and, ultimately student, perform at the highest level."

SAP's partnership with schools is designed to cultivate school leaders' existing skills and abilities to create a framework that will produce sustainable gains in student performance.  The work impacts the Five Key Levers™ proven to accelerate achievement.  In each engagement, Scholastic Achievement Partners will tackle:  

1. Comprehensive Literacy Improvement: We will develop comprehensive plans for district-wide literacy, implementing a three-tiered delivery model that includes READ 180®, the most thoroughly documented and proven effective program for low-achieving students; Scholastic Expert 21®, a comprehensive English-Language Arts program that teaches the reading, writing, and thinking necessary for college, career, and life in the 21st Century and System 44®, a foundational reading program designed for the most challenged struggling readers in Grades 3-12.
2. Leadership and School Change: We pair all school leaders with a School Improvement Specialist with proven change management experience, who will develop a continuum of professional development and coaching meant to give all leaders the skills they need to become agents of sustained change.
3. Instructional Excellence: We will create a targeted plan of professional development and job-embedded coaching aimed at improving the quality of teaching in every classroom.
4. College and Career Ready Curriculum: Using Curriculum Alignment Reviews (CARs), we will assess the alignment between a school's curriculum, college and career ready standards and next generation assessments, producing a multi-month plan with actionable recommendations to navigate this transition.
5. Culture and Community/Parent Empowerment: Using a suite of proprietary surveys we will assess the beliefs and attitudes of all stakeholders in the school community, and develop a plan to engage these key groups in school improvement efforts.

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SOURCE Scholastic