District is participating in second year of grant program
A group of CASD teachers gathered recently to begin a second year of training under a Keystones to Opportunity (KtO) Grant literacy program.
Teachers in the Coatesville Area School District from grades kindergarten through six are receiving their second year of literacy training, thanks to a Keystones to Opportunity (KtO) Grant, a district news release said.
Last year, 56 out of Pennsylvania’s 501 school districts were awarded the KtO grant, which supports pre-literacy, literacy and reading along the continuum. Coatesville is the only Chester County district participating in this landmark initiative. With the support of the Chester County Intermediate Unit, more than 200 teachers will be trained in a wide range of literacy modules and courses, the release said.
On Sept. 30, the first contingent of teachers gathered in a classroom at the high school for a full day’s training on “Successful Transitions Along the Literacy Continuum.” Last year, nearly 100 of the more than 200 teachers participated in the grant-funded trainings during summer and Saturday hours.
This year, the remaining teachers will attend the trainings, which are taking place on the Coatesville campus. The state’s expectation for all sub-grantees is that the trainings positively affect instructional practices within the classrooms and school buildings, which, in turn, will affect assessment results positively, the release said.
The KtO initiative is funded under the federal Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy program. It is a five-year grant whose purpose is to advance literacy skills for students from birth through grade 12. Funds thus far have been used for professional development, the execution of new district assessments, the implementation of a new elementary writing program, and the creation of a comprehensive district literacy plan, the release said.
