The New Jersey Department of Education recently announced the launch of the second of two professional learning initiatives designed to support and bolster literacy instruction.
The first Reading Acceleration Professional Integrated Development initiative began last fall, and the second initiative, RAPID Plus, begins statewide this month. Both reading initiatives are tightly aligned with the knowledge and skills featured within the revisions to the New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts, adopted in October 2023 by the New Jersey State Board of Education.
The RAPID Plus Initiative will provide educators with tools to support developing readers in upper elementary grades (grades four through six). The NJDOE has partnered with five institutions of higher education to provide professional development opportunities in upper elementary literacy. The RAPID Plus initiative features four educator sessions addressing topics such as the neurobiology of reading, advanced word study, fluency, and comprehension, as well as one school leader webinar that focuses on designing and supporting high-quality literacy instruction in schools.
RAPID sessions began last fall and ended in late winter, while RAPID Plus sessions will continue throughout the summer of 2024.
Below is information on the RAPID county partners and their respective registration links:
| Counties | RAPID Plus IHE Partner |
| Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Salem | Rowan University |
| Bergen, Passaic, Sussex, Warren | William Paterson University |
| Essex, Hudson | Montclair University |
| Hunterdon, Middlesex, Morris, Somerset | Rutgers University |
| Mercer, Monmouth, Ocean, Union | Kean University |
Please email the Division of Teaching and Learning Services if you have questions regarding either of the RAPID initiatives.