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IN THIS ISSUE: |
September
2006
Copyright © 2006, Queue, Inc.
For back issues of this newsletter, as well as current and back issues of our other newsletters, U.S. Education News and Education Research Report, please go to: http://www.queuenews.com/
For the latest education research news, please go to:
http://www.queuenews.typepad.com/education_research_report/
Florida Southern Regional Education Board 2006 State Report
The Southern Regional Educational Board has issued reports for each state in its region. These reports, customized for each state, provide information about SREB states' progress toward meeting the Challenge to Lead education goals. Data related to each of the 12 goals are displayed in presentation-style slides, which include commentary to help states understand their data in a national context. Here is a summary of their findings for Florida:
State Profile
Florida’s K-12 enrollment will continue to increase but at a slower pace.
Florida had a higher percentage of children living in poverty than the nation.
Half of students in Florida lived in low-income households.
The proportions of high school graduates from minority groups will increase in Florida.First-Grade Readiness
Children in poverty had limited access to Florida’s public pre-K programs.Achievement in the Early Grades
Florida has made significant progress in fourth-grade reading since 1998.
Florida fourth-graders beat the U.S. and the region in reading at or above the Basic level.
Black, Hispanic and white fourth-graders in Florida have improved in reading.
Florida's urban and rural youth beat the nation in NAEP reading, but suburban youth did not.Achievement in the Middle Grades
Florida eighth-graders trailed the nation but beat the region in NAEP math.
Florida's black and Hispanic eighth-graders improved in math.
Florida eighth-graders eligible for the lunch program trailed the nation in NAEP math.
Florida beat SREB states in students taking algebra or pre-algebra in eighth grade.High School Graduation
Florida’s high school graduation rate trailed the national average.
In Florida, all groups graduated at lower rates than their national counterparts.College and Career Readiness
Florida does not require an essential core of mathematics for college-prep students.
Florida requires courses in a career pathway for some, but not all, students.
Student participation in Advanced Placement in Florida exceeded the national average.
Florida’s percentage of students taking the SAT academic core trailed the national average.
The average SAT score declined in Florida and trailed the national average.
Achievement gaps among student groups on the SAT did not close in Florida.School Performance Standards
Florida's state standards for fourth-grade reading appeared lower than NAEP Basic.
Florida's state standards for eighth-grade math appeared higher than NAEP Basic.
One-third of Florida's public schools were on the NCLB “school improvement” list.School Leadership
Florida is making some progress in reforming school leadership.Qualified Teachers
Many middle grades and high school math teachers in SREB states were not certified in math.
Florida paid beginning teachers less than Georgia and about the same as Alabama.Education System That Is Aligned
Too many eighth-graders in Florida were not ready for high school.Education System That Is Accountable
Florida decreased K-12 per student funding, adjusted for inflation.
Florida's four-year institutions fell behind in per student funding, adjusted for inflation.
Florida's two-year colleges declined in per student funding, adjusted for inflation.
Florida reported that it had implemented nine of the 10 essential elements.
To see full report, please go to:
http://www.sreb.org/main/Goals/Publications/06Color_PDF/FL-color.pdf
For Power Point presentation:
http://www.sreb.org/main/Goals/Publications/State_Goals_Reports_2006.asp
The Study
The Florida High School Best Practice Study was part of a larger national research study to investigate the practices of schools that consistently outperform their peers. Research teams studied schools in 20 states to identify key practices of consistently higher performing schools in a variety of policy contexts. In Florida, research teams investigated 10 consistently higher performing and five average-performing high schools to determine the differences in practices between higher and average-performing high schools.
Schools were identified through an in-depth analysis of academic achievement developed by the National Center for Educational Accountability (NCEA) using data publicly available from the state. Conducted by the Council for Educational Change, the 2004-2005 Florida High School Best Practice Study received funding from The Education Trust and The Broad Foundation. Researchers used site-based interviews and observations, as well as the analysis of supportive documentation, to investigate the practices of each of the 15 schools in the study. District-, school-, and classroom-level practices were studied using the five themes of NCEA’s Best Practice Framework: Curriculum and Academic Goals; Staff Selection, Leadership, and Capacity Building; Instructional Programs, Practices, and Arrangements; Monitoring: Compilation, Analysis, and Use of Data; and Recognition, Intervention, and Adjustment.
The Higher Performing Schools Studied:
The Summary
Research teams wrote individual case studies about each school. Summary findings across the cases are presented in a report which can be found here: http://www.just4kids.org/bestpractice/files/state/Florida/FL_Executive_Summary.pdf
Study, 2004–2005
Just for the Kids, Florida: The Higher Performing Schools Studied
Astronaut Senior High School, Brevard Public Schools
The School
Astronaut Senior High School, which serves 1,604 ninth- through twelfth-grade students, is 1 of 14 high schools in the Brevard Public Schools (73,121 students). Astronaut’s student population is 77.8% White, 17.4% African American, 1.8% Hispanic, 1.3% Asian, and 1.7% other. Within this student population, 0.1% are English Language Learners, and 9.3% receive free or reduced lunch services.*
Major Findings
While providing curriculum guides called “Teacher Notes” to ensure the curriculum is focused on common learning standards, the district also encourages the school to engage students in coursework that is more challenging than the Sunshine State Standards, such as the College Board’s Advanced Placement program. The school provides teachers with documents called vertical planners, which are subject lesson planners showing skills from preceding grade levels and subsequent grade levels. Throughout the school, reading and writing are incorporated into other subjects, maximizing students’ practice with essential literacy skills. To deepen teachers’ appreciation of state assessments, the principal has teachers take the state practice tests. Mathematics teachers often struggle with language arts items, and English teachers struggle with mathematics items, reminding them that “what you don’t use, you lose.” The exercise deepens their interest in integrating skill sets across subjects, in using data to pinpoint curricular and instructional needs, and in providing additional assistance for struggling students.
The entire case study may be viewed at: http://www.just4kids.org/bestpractice/files/state/florida/Astronaut%20Senior%20HS.pdf
Bayside Senior High School, Brevard Public Schools
The School
Bayside Senior High School, which serves 2,061 ninth- through twelfth-grade students, is 1 of 14 high schools in the Brevard Public Schools (73,121 students). Bayside’s student population is 71.2% White, 15.8% African American, 9.5% Hispanic, 1.4% Asian, and 2.1% other. Within this student population, 1.4% are English Language Learners, and 13.4% receive free or reduced lunch services.*
Major Findings
Teacher collaboration is an essential factor in the development of curriculum maps. In addition to planned departmental meetings, lunches are coordinated to allow teachers within the same department to share additional time together. Collaboration extends outside the department also as teachers from different departments create and deliver lessons together. The school provides ongoing instructional support to teachers particularly relative to reading instruction and to applying information derived from data. Respecting the time demands on classroom teachers, the district provides disaggregated data in forms that allow the teachers to extrapolate information quickly. The school has special programs to address the needs of all students, such as the Compass Lab, where students can use computer-based remediation activities to replace prior unsatisfactory work. Students may also enroll in a program coordinated with Brevard Community College that allows students who will be first-time attendees of college in their family to receive both a high school diploma and an Associate’s Degree on graduation day.
The entire case study may be viewed at: http://www.just4kids.org/bestpractice/files/state/florida/Bayside%20Senior%20HS.pdf
Design & Architectural Senior High School, Miami-Dade County Public Schools
The School
Design & Architectural Senior High School, which serves 453 ninth- through twelfth-grade students, is 1 of 47 high schools in the Miami-Dade County Schools (368,410 students). Design & Architectural’s student population is 50.6% Hispanic, 29.6% White, 13.7% African American, 3.9% Asian, and 2.2% other. Within this student population, 0.7% are English Language Learners, and 42.2% receive free or reduced lunch services.
Major Findings
Many of the faculty at Design & Architectural are current or former practitioners in the design field. This orientation requires district-supported training to advance faculty mastery of the state standards and the instructional methods to teach them. Teachers know the curriculum and monitor the effectiveness and actual implementation of the curriculum guides throughout the year. To emphasize her role as instructional leader, the principal teaches a course. She uses the opportunity both to model desired practices and to maintain contact with students’ learning needs. Teachers at this school use data to implement courses for specific student needs. Close study of available data, according to the principal, has a positive result. “There is no child that has not graduated because they have not passed the FCAT, and that is not by accident. We will ‘one-on-one’ tutor a child until we are sure he/she will pass.”
The entire case study may be viewed at: http://www.just4kids.org/bestpractice/files/state/florida/Design%20and%20Architecture%20Senior%20HS.pdf
Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High School, Miami-Dade County Public Schools
The School
Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High School, which serves 3,564 ninth- through twelfth-grade students, is 1 of 47 high schools in the Miami-Dade County Schools (368,410 students). Krop’s student population is 40.1% Hispanic, 31.0% White, 25.2% African American, 2.5% Asian, and 1.2% other. Within this student population, 9.9% are English Language Learners, and 22.6% receive free or reduced lunch services.
Major Findings
Vertical teams extend into the middle schools, effectively laying the groundwork to prepare students to be successful high school students when they arrive at Krop. Upon arrival, high academic expectations are made clear through teacher-developed scope and sequence documents for every course in the curriculum. Teachers demonstrate the belief that students can master challenging content and that, in fact, students’ futures depend on their doing so. The school offers honors, Advanced Placement, and International Baccalaureate programs, but educators stress they are interested in “competencies” not “credits.” While differences in student aptitude are appreciated, an overarching belief in the school is that students do best in challenging situations. To support this belief, there are strong support systems in place for students. Teachers experienced with advanced academic courses also teach courses for struggling students. An additional support, the Parent Internet Viewer, provides parents with online access to information regarding the academic progress and class attendance of their children; students also use the Viewer to monitor their individual performance.
The entire case study may be viewed at
http://www.just4kids.org/bestpractice/files/state/florida/Dr%20Michael%20M%20Krop%20Senior%20HS.pdf
Fort Walton Beach High School, Okaloosa County School District
The School
Fort Walton Beach High School, which serves 1,915 ninth- through twelfth-grade students, is one of eight high schools in the Okaloosa County School District (31,144 students). Fort Walton Beach’s student population is 77.2% White, 11.8% African American, 4.6% Asian, 2.8% Hispanic, and 3.6% other. Within this student population, 0.2% are English Language Learners, and 14.0% receive free or reduced lunch services.*
Major Findings
The Okaloosa County School District plays an active role in ensuring teachers understand the state expectations and where those expectations will be addressed in the school’s curriculum. Attention to these expectations is seen not as a digression from the “real” curriculum, but as a very important component of it. Schoolwide academic improvement projects are developed based on patterns of student performance on standardized tests; for example, all students work on summarization skills across the curriculum. The school offers a broad range of Advanced Placement and honors courses, and extensive tutoring opportunities are available in core academics to support these offerings. An evening program of high school credit courses, which is based largely on online learning processes, is also provided as an alternative for students struggling with regular high school learning approaches.
The entire case study may be viewed at
http://www.just4kids.org/bestpractice/files/state/florida/Fort%20Walton%20Beach%20Senior%20HS.pdf
New Smyrna Beach High School, Volusia County Schools
The School
New Smyrna Beach High School, which serves 1,887 ninth- through twelfth-grade students, is one of nine high schools in the Volusia County Schools (63,360 students). New Smyrna Beach’s student population is 88.7% White, 8.2% African American, 1.8% Hispanic, 0.7% Asian, and 0.6% other. Within this student population, 0.5% are English Language Learners, and 17.9% receive free or reduced lunch services.
Major Findings
“It is very important to have an umbrella set of standards [Sunshine State Standards], but here it is a matter of philosophy that we exceed the content, the stipulated elements of the courses,” according to a teacher at New Smyrna Beach High School. District-developed curriculum maps are “fleshed out” at the school to add this type of enriched content. Vertical teams ensure a coherent, connected, and rigorous learning experience for students. The Deputy Superintendent states that the district “has a fairly aggressive vertical team approach to curriculum and staff development in terms of teacher training.” New Smyrna Beach is being restructured into “smaller learning communities through career-focused academies.” The goals in choosing to do so have been to close the achievement gap by providing rigor and relevance to all students through career academies and to create a more focused and supportive learning climate. Continuously improving achievement levels for all students (with decreasing achievement gaps) on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test will be the evidence that the goals are being achieved.
The entire case study may be viewed at:
http://www.just4kids.org/bestpractice/files/state/florida/New%20Smyrna%20Beach%20HS.pdf
Niceville Senior High School, Okaloosa County School District
The School
Niceville Senior High School, which serves 2,251 ninth- through twelfth-grade students, is one of eight high schools in the Okaloosa County School District (31,144 students). Niceville’s student population is 84.7% White, 4.9% African American, 4.3% Hispanic, 3.1% Asian, and 3.0% other. Within this student population, there are no English Language Learners, and 8.1% receive free or reduced lunch services.*
Major Findings
The academic programs at Niceville are continually reviewed and adjusted to meet the changing needs of the students. A constant part of the curriculum, however, is that reading and writing are teaching obligations of all faculty members. The concept of a “community of learners” pervades the school culture. For instance, peer observation of other teachers’ classrooms is a valued aspect of teacher capacity building. In order to provide a focus on reading skills, Niceville links reading to social studies in the tenth and twelfth grades, while reading and the sciences are linked in the eleventh grade. Broad-based dissemination of school performance data to stakeholders is an integral part of the school’s relationship with the community. The Eagles Institute provides an alternative program in which students can study in the evening through online, computer-based, performance- based courses.
The entire case study may be viewed at:
http://www.just4kids.org/bestpractice/files/state/florida/Niceville%20Senior%20HS.pdf
Palm Bay Senior High School, Brevard Public Schools
The School
Palm Bay Senior High School, which serves 2,300 ninth- through twelfth-grade students, is 1 of 14 high schools in the Brevard Public Schools (73,121 students). Palm Bay’s student population is 63.2% White, 22.0% African American, 9.9% Hispanic, 2.0% Asian, and 2.9% other. Within this student population, 2.5% are English Language Learners, and 14.6% receive free or reduced lunch services.*
Major Findings
Curriculum guides and benchmarks direct the instructional focus at Palm Bay Senior High School. A well established process of curricular revision based on a review of teacher feedback and student performance data is established. The school trains teachers to use the database system called TERMS, a comprehensive student information system, as well as the By the Numbers program through which teachers are able to view individual student’s progress. Teachers are constantly “reteaching and reevaluating instructional plans” based on student data. For college-bound students who are experiencing academic difficulties, The School has implemented the Advancement via Individual Determination (AVID) program through which students are provided “assistance in organizational skills, tutoring within the class, counseling, outside mentors, community service projects, and extra writing and mathematics assignments in order to raise their achievement levels.” In addition, business partners provide professionals to mentor students in mathematics and science.
The entire case study may be viewed at:
http://www.just4kids.org/bestpractice/files/state/florida/Palm%20Bay%20Senior%20HS.pdf
Paxon School for Advanced Studies, Duval County Public Schools
The School
Paxon School for Advanced Studies, which serves 1,516 ninth- through twelfth-grade students, is 1 of 19 high schools in the Duval County Public Schools (127,053 students). Paxon’s student population is 56.0% White, 27.2% African American, 11.4% Asian, 3.6% Hispanic, and 1.8% other. Within this student population, 0.6% are English Language Learners, and 12.3% receive free or reduced lunch services.*
Major Findings
Paxon School for Advanced Studies is marked by a strong standards-based approach to teaching and learning. Even before the state’s movement to a standards-based approach, Paxon was focused on standards. The principal noted that administrators conduct frequent “snapshot visits” to classes where they ask students “What standard are you learning?” and “How do you know what constitutes ‘good enough’ on that standard in this class?” Faculty meetings are designed to be “teaching and learning workshops” and the school encourages teachers to seek National Board certification as another aspect of staff capacity building. According to one teacher, high-quality instruction involves a “student’s conceptual understanding of what they are doing, why they are doing it, and to what skill level they should be doing it.” “Bad news” relative to student performance data is “shared, not hidden” and seen as the impetus to come together and solve problems. That problem solving leads to curricular or instructional adjustments designed to improve student performance.
The entire case study may be viewed at:
http://www.just4kids.org/bestpractice/files/state/florida/Paxon%20School%20for%20Advanced%20Studies.pdf
Pompano Beach High School Institute, Broward County Public Schools
The School
Pompano Beach High School Institute, which serves 819 ninth- through twelfth-grade students, is 1 of 28 high schools in the Broward County Public Schools (270,302 students). Pompano Beach’s student population is 56.0% White, 26.5% African American, 14.9% Hispanic, 1.3% Asian, and 1.3% other. Within this student population, 4.2% are English Language Learners, and 24.8% receive free or reduced lunch services.
Major Findings
“We define success through rigorous academic coursework emphasizing honors, Advanced Placement, and dual-enrollment opportunities,” according to a Pompano Beach administrator. Teachers are instructed in the practical use of a wide array of instructional technology in the school’s Digital Education Teacher Academy. New teachers are provided mentors through the school’s New Educator Support System (NESS). As one teacher said, “A teacher cannot lecture for two hours. Teachers have to use multiple techniques, as well as different forms of evaluation. Also, techniques have to change every day. . . . Teachers do more projects. . . . We all use the instructional focus, guided practice, and modeling.” There are frequent principal walkabouts, the results of which are reported back to the teacher within 24 hours, and teachers can also expect at least four department chair classroom visits per year. Teachers administer bi-weekly Instructional Focus Assessments; data from these assessments are used to determine what instructional adjustments or remediation are necessary.
The entire case study may be viewed at:
http://www.just4kids.org/bestpractice/files/state/florida/Pompano%20Beach%20HS%20Institute.pdf
Florida is often referred to as "school choice central" because of its many publicly-funded school choice initiatives, which include voucher programs for students with special needs and those in low-performing schools, virtual schools, and magnet schools. But among all the programs, none has reached as many children and families as charter schools. In the 2005-2006 school year, there were over 300 charter schools in 42 of the state's 67 school districts. The schools served nearly 100,000 students, about 3 percent of the state's public school students. are experiencing more than a 10 percent increase in student enrollment such as Polk, Lake and Osceola Counties have more than 10 percent of their students in charter schools. And one high-growth district, Sumter County, has over 25 percent of its students enrolled in charter schools. To be sure, the politics of approving a charter school is easier in these booming districts because charters typically absorb new enrollments that might otherwise have required more school construction.
Still, nearly half of the charter schools in the 2004-05 school year were located in the state's five largest school districts: Miami-Dade, Broward, Hillsborough, Palm Beach and Orange. These districts enroll 51 percent of the state's charter school students and 44 percent of all public school students. The remaining charter schools were located in 37 other school districts, the majority of which had five or fewer charter schools. Eleven school districts had just one charter school in operation. The charter school movement in Florida enjoys strong and increasingly bipartisan political support. Republican Governor Jeb Bush has long been a fervent advocate of charter schools. Indeed, Bush and T. Willard Fair, vice chair of the State Board of Education and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Miami, organized Liberty City Charter School, the first charter school in Florida . . .
As in other states, charter advocates in Florida have faced resistance from teachers unions, school boards and some parent-teacher associations. These groups opposed the initial charter legislation and have fought several subsequent amendments. In 2006, however, the Florida School Boards Association, the Florida Association of District School Superintendents and the Florida Education Association decided to neither support nor oppose charter school legislation in their legislative platforms. Instead they planned to battle Florida's school voucher programs. In fact, one might argue that voucher programs have provided political cover for charter schools in Florida; groups that might have spent much of their time fighting charters have focused on vouchers instead.
Since charter schools were first authorized in 1996, state policymakers have tried to promote their growth. They've established a $5 million facilities fund and set a high cap on the number of charter schools that could be authorized in each school district. They also expanded charter renewal terms from three to up to five years. Measured by volume, Florida's first decade of charter schooling has certainly been quite successful. The number of charter schools has grown from five to 334 in less than a decade.
But the rapid growth has raised its own problems—problems that must be addressed if the state wants to continue the experiment. Most notably, the second half of the charter school autonomy-accountability bargain has been largely unfulfilled. Until recently few schools have been shut down for poor academic performance. Although 62 Florida charter schools have been closed, the majority have been shut down due to financial and enrollment issues; academic laggards have largely been allowed to remain open.
To some, this situation represents the charter school ideal: free market experimentation that gives parents a wide range of choices. But it also gives ammunition to charter school critics, who argue that some charter school operators fail to serve their students and fritter away state and federal dollars. In response, the state has passed some measures that help weed out such unsuccessful operators. Specifically, the state has strengthened local application and review standards and enforced charter revocation provisions.
Among the principal findings:
To read full article, please go to:
http://www.educationsector.org/research/research_show.htm?doc_id=372837
To read the full report, please download the entire 32-page PDF:
http://www.educationsector.org/usr_doc/Florida_Charter_School_Report.pdf
Students at J.P. Taravella High School Minding Their Own Business
Students at J.P. Taravella High School of Coral Springs are getting a taste of running a business this year, thanks to a partnership between the school and Ameriprise Financial Services. The program, a Partners in Education initiative gives students practical, hands-on knowledge of the challenges and rewards of owning their own business.
In December, students met Tom Pratt, Financial Advisor at Ameriprise Financial Services and were introduced to their “Partner” who will lead the How to Start and Operate a Business program throughout the year. The first session was a brief overview of “Why” start a business. Every phase of the business was explained, from manufacturing, to sales and distribution and finance.
On February 14th, the students had the “Grand Opening” for their own business. Students used concepts learned in the classroom with Ms. Laurie Acosta as well as “practical application” sessions with Mr. Pratt to provide the knowledge and skills necessary to operate their own company.
For the first session, students had prepared questionnaires to identify and validate a business need. Students then utilized math skills to compute the cost of making the products, sales costs and profit. Through the Marketing segment, students realized the importance English structure and grammar plays in successfully influencing people to invest in their product/service. During the research phase, the students transitioned their Social Studies knowledge into hands on “skills” when collecting and analyzing demographic, geographic, environmental, political and social diversity data.
“Our students combine the knowledge and skills they learn in the classroom with the practical life skills they learn through our partnership with Tom Pratt at Ameriprise Financial Services,” said Mr. Karl Weaver, Assistant Principal of J.P. Taravella High School. “Tom has opened up the world to our students and stimulate them to think beyond what they know today. The partnership absolutely enhances student achievement. We appreciate the time and talent Mr. Pratt has given to our students,” said Ms. Laurie Acosta she is the Marketing Instuctor and DECA Advisor at J.P. Taravella High School.
The partnership is a significant benefit to Ameriprise Financial as well. Companies that support education are widely regarded as high-quality organizations. Partnerships with schools keep employee morale high, and employees find they enjoy the interaction with students.
Companies that form partnerships with schools also know that they are helping educate the workforce of tomorrow. Students introduced to the world of business are more likely to stay in school and pursue their career choice.
“We find that our employees look forward to participating in the Partners In Education Program. Employees plan interesting exercises for the students, and this creativity keeps them engaged in our business. Our customers tell us they admire the enthusiasm and commitment to education demonstrated by our employees.”
Partners In Education is a program of Broward County Public Schools. Founded in 1983, the program is dedicated to improving student achievement by cultivating and integrating business, community and school resources for all students in Broward County Public Schools. All Broward County Schools are available for new partnerships. Businesses may make commitments of time, financial resources or other support, based on the need of the school and the type of business.
Businesses or community organizations interested in forming a partnership with a school may contact the principal of the school directly. Additional information regarding Partners In Education is available at www.browardpartners.com
or contact Nina Randall, APR, Executive Director, at 754-321-1974 or nrandall@browardschools.com
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) rewarded Bak Middle School of the Arts students for pledging to recycle and purchase recycled products this year as part of the America Recycles Day contest. To encourage environmental citizenship, DEP hosted the K-12 Recycling Pledge Card Contest to recognize an elementary, middle and high school classroom for outstanding environmental commitment. Across Florida, more than 10,000 people pledged to recycle in 2005.
DEP Southeast District Assistant Director Timothy Rach visited Bak Middle School of the Arts in West Palm Beach to reward them as the winning middle school classroom with a refurbished computer. Coordinated by Ms. Helen Zientek, Library Media Specialist, the school submitted the largest number of pledge cards of any middle school class in the state. Nearly seventy-five percent of the 1,250 students made the pledge. The school submitted 889 recycling pledges for America Recycles Day contest.
“I am encouraged to see the commitment and dedication of Florida’s students to the protection of our environment,” said Rach. “Recycling conserves natural resources, reduces waste and strengthens local economies by creating jobs.”
In addition to refurbished computers from Creative Recycling Systems, Inc. for the winning classrooms, individuals around the state were awarded Office Depot gift certificates, a two-night stay at the Palm Plaza Oceanfront Resort, a Florida State Parks Family annual pass and a night at the historic Wakulla Springs Lodge. All pledges received are entered into a nationwide America Recycles Day drawing with winners eligible for a near-zero emissions hybrid Ford Escape SUV or recycled aluminum bicycles.
Celebrated each November, America Recycles Day encourages citizens to protect the nation's natural resources and take personal action as environmental stewards. In 2005, over 110,000 Americans took the America Recycles Day pledge to prevent and reduce waste.
In 2003, more than eight million tons of municipal solid waste was recycled in Florida, including 564,000 tons of newspaper, 186,000 tons of glass, 40,000 tons of aluminum cans, and 65,000 tons of plastic bottles. To learn more about recycling or America Recycles Day, visit www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/categories/recycling
Students in Miami-Dade Zone Schools Demonstrate Significant Gains in Scores on the FCAT Writing+
Schools in Miami-Dade's School Improvement Zone are seeing significant improvements in their students' performance on the FCAT Writing+ after participating in an innovative writing program. The program is directly aligned with the FCAT Writing+, and lets students practice writing essays both online and in paper-and-pencil format, while relieving teachers of the time-consuming task of scoring essays.
In January 2005, The Miami-Dade County Public School system, the nation's 4th largest school district, initiated the School Improvement Zone, consisting of 39 schools serving approximately 44,000 students. These schools were targeted based on their chronic low math, reading, and writing scores on the FCAT—53% of their students scored at a level I or II on the 2004 Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). According to Florida's performance rating system, each school had received a D or an F for three years or more.
In May, 2005, Miami-Dade County Public Schools partnered with LearningExpress, LLC to improve students' performance on the FCAT Writing+ assessment. As a result, over 15,000 students in 5 grades throughout the Zone's elementary, middle and high schools responded to writing assessments directly aligned with Florida's Sunshine State Standards and the FCAT Writing+. Each student essay was scored professionally, and returned to the district within 3 days of its administration. Over 35,000 essays have been scored, and student responses, essay results, and diagnostic feedback have been accessible online to administrators and teachers for assessment, targeted remediation, and tracking. LearningExpress has also made it possible for each student's work to be collected in an online portfolio to track students' writing achievements as they advance from one grade level to the next.
All 12 of the Zone's middle schools improved their average scores on the FCAT Writing+, as well as their pass rates. The middle schools' average score improved from 3.4 in 2005 to 3.7 in 2006, while the percentage of students achieving a 3.5 or better (pass rate) improved by 10%, surpassing the average improvement rate of both the district and the state.
One middle school was able to improve its student pass rate on the FCAT Writing+ from 62% in 2005 to 87% in 2006: "The LearningExpress program has provided our teachers with critical feedback that has guided their writing instruction. As a result, this year 87% of our eighth grade students scored a 3.5 and above on the FCAT Writing+, while 68% achieved a score of 4.0. This is compared to only 32% scoring 4.0 the previous year. These scores are phenomenal and unprecedented at any inner city or Zone school in our district, let alone our state." said Edith Green, A.P. Curriculum, Charles Drew Middle School, Miami-Dade County Public Schools.
To learn more about LearningExpress, LLC please go to www.LearningExpressLLC.com
U.S. Department of Education Awards $15.5 Million to Help Students Develop Strong Character and Good Citizenship
Schools in Florida, California, New York, the District of Columbia, Indiana, Texas, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Illinois and New Mexico will share $15.5 million in grants designed to help them implement programs that teach the principles of character development and the responsibilities of citizenship to their students.
"Character education in the classroom supports students on a path to becoming honorable and compassionate," Secretary Spellings said. "Lessons in responsibility and respect are just as integral to a well-rounded education as lessons in reading, math and science."
The Partnerships in Character Education Program awards grants for up to four years to eligible state and local education agencies to design and implement character education programs, which teach students core ethical concepts, such as: civics; citizenship; justice; responsibility; and respect themselves and others. Grant recipients must show how they have integrated character education into classroom instruction and teacher training. They also must involve parents, students and the community in the process. The projects are evaluated to determine their success in helping students develop positive character, reduce discipline problems and improve academic achievement. Projects also must increase parent and community involvement with the school. This year's recipients were chosen from among 227 applicants.
Since 1994, a total of 136 state and local education agencies have received character education grants. No Child Left Behind expanded funding for the Partnerships in Character Education Program from $8 million to $24 million.
More information on Character Education grants is available at: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osdfs/programs.html. A list of the 2006 Florida grantees follows:
Ft. Lauderdale
School Board of Broward County
Contact: Dianne Sepielli, (754) 321-2494
$376,260
Largo
School Board of Pinellas County
Contact: Charlie Eubanks, (727) 588-6299
$452,634
Quincy
Gadsden County Schools
Contact: Jan Anderson, (850) 627-9651
$383,512
Miami-Dade County Public Schools Expel Spyware
Using BigFix, Inc.'s AntiPest, powered by CA PestPatrol, anti-spyware product, Miami-Dade County Public Schools (Dade Schools) have cracked down on spyware on the district's 70,000 personal computers used by students, teachers and administrators. After deploying BigFix AntiPest, Dade Schools have reduced spyware infection rates by 90 percent, going from a 40 percent infection rate to a four percent rate. Dade Schools recently added the AntiPest product to its existing BigFix security configuration management solution that protects networked PCs located at over 360 schools in the county.
While to most computer users, spyware usually is more of an annoyance than a threat, it also has darker side as a tool for cyber-crimes that include identity theft, data and financial misappropriation, unauthorized use of computing assets, and turning computers into zombie machines broadcasting spam without their users' knowledge. Since the majority of the school district's computers are used by K-12 students, spyware has become a critical Internet safety issue at Dade Schools and other educational institutions.
Spyware Shock
Dade Schools suspected it had a problem with spyware, but Information Technology staff were shocked at its magnitude when results of the first-round deployment of BigFix AntiPest on 12,000 computers revealed a 40 percent infection rate. After the Dade Schools IT department reported this finding to senior administrators, they ordered immediate deployment of BigFix AntiPest on Dade Schools' 70,000 computers. After booting spyware off Dade Schools campuses, the remaining four percent of computers that pick up new spyware through routine access to the Internet can be easily identified and remedied by Dade Schools Information Technology staff.
The initial sweep of the Dade Schools network revealed that many variations of spyware had gained a foothold on its computers—including highly malicious key loggers and remote access Trojan horse break-ins. Key loggers capture highly sensitive data, including passwords, personal information, account numbers and other information used for identity theft, privacy violations and financial crimes. Remote access Trojans overcome data security defense measures such as firewalls, password protections and user privilege settings to access sensitive data on a computing infrastructure.
Fast, Effective Solution
The BigFix AntiPest solution has proven to be fast to install, easy to maintain and highly effective. The initial deployment on 12,000 machines required only four hours of installation time and reported results immediately. The production deployment on the district's 70,000 computers took place over four days. The IT department estimates it devotes one hour of staff per week to administrate the BigFix AntiPest solution. This represents a sharp reduction in staff time and effort required to manually intervene in previous spyware outbreaks. This also means that the IT department has progressed from a manual-intervention approach to the spyware problem, to a more proactive stance integrated into ongoing IT operational management.
Currently, Dade Schools checks its network for spyware on a daily basis. BigFix AntiPest automatically eliminates spyware that it discovers during these scans. The AntiPest software also stays current on new types of spyware as it emerges on the Internet through automatic updates to spyware definition files forwarded to Dade Schools by BigFix.
The AntiPest software and the BigFix Agent run on individual PCs. The BigFix Agent manages actions taken by the AntiPest package and reports PC status information in real-time back to the BigFix Console hosted by a central server, providing administrators up-to-the-minute security and compliance status of every computer running a BigFix Agent. In addition to anti-spyware capabilities, the BigFix Enterprise Suite offers a single platform for managing multiple security configuration management functions including software patch and update, vulnerability detection and remediation, asset inventory, software usage and licensing, and compliance reporting.
Miami-Dade County Pubic Schools and BigFix Comment
"The fact that we have 70,000 computers on our network demonstrates that computers are not just lab equipment, but integrated into the educational program at Dade Schools. Exposing our kids to spyware is simply not an option," said Tom Sims, director of networks, Miami-Dade County Public Schools. "We acquired BigFix AntiPest based on our positive experience with other BigFix products and have been pleased at the results. We not only have effectively expelled spyware from Dade Schools, but believe we can keep it off campus as new spyware threats evolve."
José Gonzáles is from Puerto Castilla, Honduras, where he resided for fifteen years and finished tenth grade. Then, he traveled to Florida to face the struggles of a new language and a new culture.
Currently, Gonzáles is working as an assistant plumber in Fort Myers, and has been working with the company for about five years. He had been waiting for a way to complete his education and follow a profession until he found a way of achieving his dream. He explained the situation to me when he arrived from his native country. Gonzáles was not able to complete his basic studies, and had been looking for alternatives to start a career. He finally found the information he needed at the Lee public library.
With one informative brochure in his hand, Gonzáles said that he found, from a variety of good resources, that in order to start his process of becoming a professional, the best option for him was to take advantage of the General Education Development test (GED). For natives who did not complete their high school education, and plan on receiving their diploma with the knowledge level needed to be competitive in high level education, this test is an opportunity to earn a United States high school diploma. By passing a series of five tests which include Interpreting Literature and the Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies and Writing, an individual can demonstrate an acquired level of learning that is comparable to that of a United States high school graduate.
As Gonzáles found out, there are ways to prepare for this test. He contacted an adult education resource center in the area and learned about preparation classes in local high schools, adult education programs, and community colleges. Staff members at these resource centers helped him decide whether he needed to study for all the tests, or whether he should spend time brushing up in just a few areas. He then took a preparation test, and when he felt ready, he contacted the American Council on Education to find the nearest testing site.
When Gonzáles finally got passing scores on the seven and a half hour test, he realized how many opportunities he had ahead of him with a certificate in hand. Not only can he now consider having a better job, but he can further expand his education and achieve the profession he has always desired.
But GED is not the only option foreign citizens can take advantage of to continue their education. The community offers more opportunities to do so, even though the barrier due to a lack of knowledge or the misuse of basic elements of the English language can be described as something very hard to overcome.
In general, native individuals as well as foreigners who have not learned the rudiments during their high school years, or because of their hectic lives, can all find a way to accomplish their goals.
Some resources that are available include: library facilities, tutoring labs and workshops at community colleges, internet sites, online classes and free institutions.
The Lee and Collier library systems offer a variety of programs that are accessible to the community without fees. For people who would like to improve their reading and writing skills, as well as the non-native speakers who want to learn English as a Second Language (ESL), the library offers the Literacy Program. . . .
To see complete article, please go to:
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17056418&BRD=2605&PAG=461&dept_id=523946&rfi=6
Battle of the Books is a tremendously successful reading incentive program designed to encourage students to read quality literature. The concept began in Chicago in the 1930's as a radio program. It is now a thriving business beginning its eighth year of service to schools all over the country. The Battle of the Books program is suitable for individual schools covering grades 3–8 all the way thru school district competition. Before Battle of the Books, classroom teachers, reading specialists and library media specialists had to spend many hundreds of hours selecting the right books, writing questions, and developing all the support material for each year's battle. Battle of the Books is a team of library media specialists with many years experience in running Battle of the Books competitions. Each year they spend months searching the market for just the right selection of books, writing the questions, and developing all the additional material (book talks, award ribbons, etc.) for a competition.
All of the books selected must be available in paperback. Books are carefully selected so that classics, award winners, as well as new favorites are all considered. Books are selected over a range of reading levels so that all students can participate. For example, in the grades 3 and 4 list there is at least one book on the second grade level to appeal to reluctant readers and one on the fifth grade level to challenge those students reading above grade level. Care is taken to ensure that the collection is balanced with respect to male and female protagonists, the genres represented, and the ethnic groups portrayed. They also look for books in series or authors with a large body of work to encourage students to read after the competition.
What particpiants are saying:
“The students have really loved preparing, forming teams, practicing. They are really looking forward to the competition as am I. The students have loved all the books. I just wanted to thank you for the service you are providing. I hope that more schools in my district will do this next year.”
“The teachers and students I work with love the Battle of the Books!”
“Well, our school just completed its first year of participation using your Battle of the Books program and it was a huge success. Our school has 900 5th–8th graders, it was conducted as an after school program, 95 students participated. We had an all school assembly for our final competitions. I hope to have more participants next year. Thanks for all your help!”
“Battle of the Books was a huge success this year. We had 10 out of 13 elementary schools in our district participate and 2 schools won 1st and 2nd place that had never won before. Yea! Two years ago the smallest school in our district won 2nd place with a team of girls who entered 5th grade as non English speakers so I believe if teachers/librarians work with the kids diligently and get the parents and teachers involved that the teams will be competitive. Anyway it is a big part of our reading plan and I will never stop using your program. Even our middle schools are involved now.”
What the students are saying:
For more information, please go to: www.battleofthebooks.com“I was apart of the winning team in the battle of the books. I go to XXX elementary school. It was so fun. I wish I had another chance to go, but I do. I am only in the fourth grade, so next year I get to try.”
“Hi this is a concerned battle of the books contestant. I love your site but you shouldn't post sample questions because those are basically cheats, and most people should just want to be in it to show there passion and love and talent for reading.”
“Hello, my name is XXX, and I'm in the Battle of the Books. My school is XXX. Battle of the Books is awesome, and my team thinks it’s cool. Don't ever stop it!!!!”
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