Environmental Literacy and Preparedness Data Sought
September 5, 2019
The Environmental Literacy Indicator Tool (ELIT) is a federally directed effort to collect information from all public school districts in the Mid-Atlantic region every two years to monitor the status of environmental literacy efforts at a district level. The collected data will help the Chesapeake Bay Program Education Workgroup support local efforts to implement strategies that support students’ environmental literacy. In support of the Pennsylvania Literacy Plan, all school districts, charter, and private schools across the commonwealth are invited to participate.
It is requested that you – or the appropriate district staff-person – complete the voluntary Environmental Literacy Indicator Tool (ELIT) by October 15, 2019 to provide important information about activities related to district-wide environmental literacy curriculum and planning activities in your state.
Follow this link to the ELIT questionnaire: https://bwet.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6Vhu2JrZxUpSOCF
The ELIT takes an average of about 90 minutes to complete, which includes the time to obtain needed information about district-wide activities. A .pdf version of the survey is available upon request, enabling review of the questions ahead of time. This should help you collect the necessary information and/or identify the right staff person to complete the survey.
Who should complete the ELIT for your district? Only one person per district should complete the ELIT. The best respondent is someone who works at the district-level and has most familiarity with environmental education activities across the district. If your district does not have a position similar to an environmental education coordinator, consider a science curriculum coordinator or similar role. Teachers or individuals familiar with just one school or grade-range would have difficulty completing these questions.
If you have any concerns, please contact either of the contacts below:
Tamara E. Peffer
Environment & Ecology Content Advisor
Executive Director, Pennsylvania Advisory Council for Environmental Education
Bureau of Curriculum, Assessment, and Instruction | Pennsylvania Department of Education
717-772-0842
Shannon Sprague
NOAA Environmental Literacy Manager
410-267-5644