Credit: Abington School District.
The Abington School Board of Directors has outlined its goals for the upcoming school year, focusing on supporting student success both inside and outside the classroom. From strengthening academic achievement and expanding access to mental health resources, to fostering equity, inclusion, and opportunities for all learners, the board remains committed to preparing students for a bright future.
These priorities were recently outlined at the most recent Abington School District Board Meeting.
“The plans this evening you will see represent a commitment to continuous improvement and to ensuring that every student has the support and opportunities needed to succeed,” Abingotn Superintendent Dr. Jeffrey Fecher said.
Elementary Core Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment
Ongoing Actions
● Providing professional development in structured literacy with particular focus on foundational literacy skills and knowledge building skills, in mathematics discourse and math instructional routines, and in Science, Technology & Engineering, Environmental Literacy and Sustainability Standards (STEELS).
● Supporting utilization of “look fors” during walkthroughs and observations that focus on fidelity of program implementation.
● Utilizing formative assessment and analysis of student understanding.
● Creating opportunities for peer to peer observation and for teacher collaboration.
● Establishing independent reading time to promote high-interest, nonfiction text.
● Identifying opportunities across the content areas for explicit vocabulary instruction and experiences with nonfiction reading and writing.
● Developing self-efficacy among students by conferencing with students, promoting discourse, and using teacher-student and student-student
feedback to foster greater engagement.
● Conducting gap analysis of standards aligned instruction from grade to grade to identify eligible content needing more instructional time.
● Identifying strategies for small group instruction, such as repeated exposure and development of math language.
New for the 2025 - 2026 School Year
● Providing extensive professional development for the successful implementation of Amplify CKLA 3rd edition and mCLASS Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) 8th edition.
● Ensuring teacher feedback on administrator walkthroughs and observations of Amplify CKLA and Illustrative Mathematics lessons.
● Implementing Silent Sustained Reading (SSR) daily for 15-20 minutes to promote independent reading habits and engagement in literature and informational texts of choice.
● Ensuring ELA and Math blocks are uninterrupted to maximize student focus and time on task.
● Aligning curriculum and adjusting pacing to allow for content area instruction through the literacy block.
Abington Middle School Core Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment
Ongoing Actions
● Continued delivery of targeted professional development on effective reading and writing strategies to reinforce and enhance instructional literacy practices schoolwide.
● Sustained focus on building a reading culture by maintaining regularly scheduled library visits and dedicated independent reading time for all students during the school day.
● Delivery of aligned mathematics instruction through the continued use of a common pacing guide for all math courses, incorporating daily pre-class questions focused on reinforcing key skills and preparing students for standardized assessments.
● Ongoing implementation of a structured assessment cycle that supports continuous progress monitoring, data-driven instruction, strategic reteaching, and flexible grouping to meet the diverse learning needs of all students.
● Continuing to implement PBIS with fidelity, recognized as a Tier 1 Fidelity School through consistent application of school-wide expectations, positive reinforcement, and data-driven decision-making.
New for the 2025 - 2026 School Year
● Introducing Silent Sustained Reading (SSR) twice a week in place of Advisory/Workshop to foster independent reading habits and increase students’ daily engagement with text.
● Integrating rigorous, discipline-specific vocabulary instruction across content areas with a focus on morphology to strengthen and deepen the impact of the existing school-wide vocabulary program.
● Delivering targeted professional development for ELA teachers on evidence-based instructional strategies embedded in the StudySync curriculum, while ensuring all ELA courses follow a consistent pacing guide aligned with the PA ELA Standards and implement the Reading Routine with fidelity.
● Launching a newly adopted Health curriculum for grades 7 and 8 to provide students with relevant, age-appropriate instruction that supports physical, emotional, and social well-being.
● Implementing Staff and Student Advisory Committees.
● Increasing student ownership of the school-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (PBIS) by connecting the Student Leadership Team with other student organizations, such as Student Council, to plan and promote school-wide initiatives that reinforce positive behavior expectations.
● Celebrating excellence through the implementation of a new Honor Roll recognition program that publicly acknowledges and rewards academic achievement each marking period.
Abington Senior High School Core Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment
Ongoing Actions
● Allocating time for teacher collaboration in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) and department meetings to share strategies, review student data, address learning gaps, and plan targeted lessons.
● Focusing informal walkthroughs on Danielson Framework components 3a (Communicating with Students) and 3c (Engaging Students in Learning) to strengthen teacher-student interactions and active engagement.
● Aligning English courses through a centralized curriculum with clear learning goals, common assessments, and research-based instructional practices.
● Recognizing student achievement at the classroom and school-wide levels to promote a positive academic culture.
● Assessing reading proficiency in Grades 9 and 10 using STAR Reading to guide instruction and monitor progress.
● Providing professional development to equip all teachers with literacy strategies that integrate reading, writing, and critical thinking across content areas.
● Implementing targeted math instruction to build foundational skills and address individual student needs.
● Using an evidence-based student perception tool to gather information on school climate and restorative culture goals.
New for the 2025 - 2026 School Year
● Extending the school-wide “Word of the Day” vocabulary initiative to strengthen academic language and comprehension.
● Providing professional development on intervention programs, data-driven instruction, and resources such as Get More Math to reinforce Algebra I skills.
● Expanding inclusive practices through co-teaching and classrooms designed with Universal Design for Learning (UDL).
● Engaging students in setting literacy growth goals.
● Revamping the Keystone Scholar Program during Lunch and Learn to help students achieve proficiency on the Keystone exam.
● Using findings from the student perception tool to set Tier I Restorative Practice priorities and identify Tier II and Tier III target groups.
● Providing additional training on restorative practices, monitoring progress on implementation efforts and analyzing data to inform intervention plans.
