THE LAC LOOKOUT
Your one-stop-source for all things happening at LAC School
From the Chief School Administrator
Our last day is June 17
Summer Hours
Preschool & Kindergarten registration still open
BOE Meeting
Tuesday, Jun 16, 2015, 07:00 PM
967 Main Street, Salem, NJ, United States
FutureReady
Future Ready Schools is a bold effort focused on maximizing digital learning opportunities and moving school districts toward preparing students for success in college, a career, and citizenship. The effort provides districts with resources and support to ensure that local technology and digital learning plans align with instructional best practices, are implemented by highly trained teachers, and lead to personalized learning experiences for all students, particularly those from traditionally under-served communities.
The Alliance for Excellent Education and the U.S. Department of Education are leading this effort with the support of the Leading Education by Advancing Digital (LEAD) Commission and a vast coalition of organizations.
What Is Future Ready?
At the center of the effort is a series of regional summits where district teams will develop action plans and metrics to measure their progress in using digital tools to improve teaching and student learning outcomes. The summits will focus on a comprehensive set of issues that drive student learning, will highlight the experiences of districts in each region, and will offer district leaders tangible ways to build capacity among their teams and throughout their districts.
Why now?
This effort comes at a critical time as districts embrace college and career readiness as the goal for all students and recognize the potential of digital tools to help teachers personalize learning for each student. While less than 30 percent of U.S. schools have the bandwidth they need to teach using today’s technology, federal and state efforts are expanding this capacity to ensure that at least 99 percent of the nation’s students have access to high-speed internet in their schools within the next five years. Such connectivity, along with strategic planning by districts to maximize its availability, has the potential to transform the educational experiences of all students, regardless of their background.
District leaders must respond to these changes with thoughtful planning to align necessary technologies with instructional goals to support teaching and learning. LAC School is excited to be a part of this fantastic educational adventure.
myON reading + LAC School = success!
Students in Lower Alloways Creek School District, located in southern New Jersey, have a school chief who understands firsthand what it takes to engage them in reading and learning. It’s all about choice, according to Superintendent Jason Eitner, who admits that he was “not a big fan of reading” as a youngster, primarily because it seemed he was always being told what to read.
The power of choice available to students through myON, including access to a broad array of digital books matched to their individual interests and Lexile® levels, was an important consideration for the superintendent as he was evaluating myON for his rural, 200-student, K-8 district. So, too, was the availability of information on an individual student’s Lexile® level, which he described as a “tangible” for teachers, parents and students themselves.
Eitner brought myON to the district on the heels of a transformation in the technology infrastructure, which he likens to “hitting the building with a lightning bolt of tech.” His recipe for “crock pot” professional development -- “low and slow” -- enabled the staff to step up and embrace the technology changes that were taking place. That required a big shift in their instructional practice and earned them his praise.
Respect for families is a cornerstone of the school and parent engagement is another critical component of their successful transition to digital. School personnel work hard to keep clear, two-way communication flowing between school and home. “As a result, our parents are willing to take some risks with us if they can see that it’s in the best interest of their children,” Eitner explained. “For example, we tell kids that if they have their own devices and want to bring them to school, that’s ok.”
These key elements made possible the superintendent’s decision to implement myON, which is funded from the school’s operating budget. “We need to differentiate,” he explained. “With an abundance of technology, there’s no reason we can’t reach every student in a way that’s beneficial for that student. It’s 2015 … no one-size-fits all! No excuses!”
Students and their families have had such a positive reaction to myON as a supplemental resource that Eitner is recalibrating staff assignments for next school year to add a dedicated myON class to the schedule. That will give all students an extra 50 minutes a day to read with myON, in addition to the usage that is already taking place through integration into their other classes.
To continue the momentum from the school year and ward off summer learning loss, students will be encouraged to keep reading over the summer break. Those who don’t have access to devices at home will be permitted to sign out Chromebooks from the school library at the end of the school year.
“The excitement associated with myON is huge,” Eitner said. “Students are saying that reading is cool. They like to read and want to read. And, the data doesn’t lie. We are seeing steady growth.”
LAC Field Day 2015
The Lower Alloways Creek School District
Email: admin@lacschool.org
Website: www.lacschool.org
Location: 967 Main Street, Salem, NJ, United States
Phone: 856.935.2707
Facebook: facebook.com/lacschool
Twitter: @lacschool