The Core

2009 FCAT Reading, Math and Science Results Highlight Increases in Student Achievement
A greater percentage of Florida students are performing at or above grade level in reading and mathematics compared to all test years since 2001, according to the 2009 Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) results released. Additionally, more students in grades 5 and 8 are performing at or above grade level in science compared with previous years. The results also indicate a closing of the achievement gap between minority and White students in elementary reading, as well as middle and high school math. To learn more, visit http://www.fldoe.org/news/2009/2009_05_28.asp.

Summer Reading List Encourages Exploration of Florida’s State Parks
In celebration of World Environment Day June 5, the Florida Department of Education (DOE) and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced a recommended summer reading list that promotes the beauty and adventure found in many of Florida’s natural wonders. Selections in the list provide a focus on Florida’s State Parks but also offer information about other unique ecological settings. To view the reading list or to learn more about Florida’s State Parks, visit www.fldoe.org.

Literacy Program Seeking Volunteers
Great Shape! Inc. is currently recruiting educators to volunteer in rural schools in Jamaica. SuperKids is a literacy empowerment program aimed at helping thousands of Jamaican children learn how to read at an appropriate level. The project dates are Nov. 7- 22, 2009. Last year, SuperKids improved literacy in seven schools in the Ocho Rios area. To learn more about this opportunity, visit http://www.gsjamaica.org/.

Sudanese “Lost Boy” Graduates From Pasco-Hernando Community College
Life has taken David Ghai from a burning village in war-torn Sudan to a refugee camp, and eventually to the United States. Now after four years of study, he has graduated from Pasco-Hernando Community College.

Ghai arrived in the Tampa Bay area in his early 20s when he arrived in 2003 with the second wave of Sudanese Lost Boys. The “Lost Boys” of Sudan are composed of thousands of boys who were displaced or orphaned during the Second Sudanese Civil War.

Seminole Community College Nursing Program To Improve Training in Gerontology
Seminole Community College’s (SCC) Nursing Program has been selected to help improve students’ knowledge in the care of older adults. Two SCC faculty members, Sheron Rowe, and Leslie Lorette, will join a panel of experts recruited by Community College of Philadelphia, which has partnered with the National League for Nursing, to develop a set of standards for enhancing student expertise in geriatric care. The three-year effort is being funded by a $600,000 grant from the John A. Hartford Foundation.

Florida Virtual School Launches First-Ever Complete Online Game-Based High School Course
Students who struggle to stay engaged in the traditional classroom will welcome the release of Conspiracy Code, the first-ever series of online game-based courses, released by Florida Virtual School and 360Ed, Inc., an education game development company.

These new courses, presented in 3D, combine instructional practices and academic content with the latest in online gaming tools to produce an active learning environment for high school students. The first Conspiracy Code course to be released is for American History. This complete high school-level course fulfills a full credit of history and will be available in June 2009.

Those interested in arranging a detailed demonstration of the American History course should e-mail to Erik Sand at esand@360Ed.com.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan Earmarks Education Grant For Displaced Workers
The federal government is launching a $7 million grant program to help kick-start training to prepare laid-off autoworkers and other unemployed people for a second career, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said. The grants will provide initial funds for community colleges and other organizations that help adults develop new career skills. The programs will provide services such as tutoring, academic and career counseling, or may remove financial constraints for adults returning to school.

Duncan said, for community colleges or other educational groups to secure a grant, they'll have to show the ability to collaborate and establish programs that will last after the grant expires. The Education Department will take applications immediately and plans to award 28 grants by mid-September. More information about the grant will be published in the Federal Register at http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/.

Seeds of Success

Statewide Reading Leader Awards
The Florida Department of Education congratulates the state winners for the 2009 Just Read, Florida! Literacy Leader, Reading Teacher, Reading Coach, and Reading Leadership Team of the Year for district, elementary, middle, and high schools. All winners were honored by Just Read, Florida! staff at special ceremonies at their district or schools throughout the month of May. To see the winners, visit http://www.fldoe.org/SuccessStories/2008/07-15.asp.

Santa Rosa County Elementary School Recognized as HealthierUS Challenge School
The Food Service Department of W.H. Rhodes Elementary School in Santa Rosa County has received the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Silver HealthierUS School Challenge award. The USDA established the HealthierUS School Challenge as a way to recognize exceptional elementary schools that are creating healthier school environments through innovative menu planning and the promotion of good nutrition and physical activity. For the full story, visit http://www.fldoe.org/SuccessStories/2009/05-26.asp.

Three Florida Students Receive Vocational Youth Exchange Scholarships
Three graduating high school seniors from Florida will have an opportunity to live in Germany as part of the Congress-Bundestag Vocational Youth Exchange Program.

Students Ryan Kelly and Christopher Szczerba, Jr., both from Titusville High School, and Austin S. Miles from Melbourne High School, will live with a host family to learn more about the German language and culture. Additionally, these students will gain hands-on work experience through an internship with a German company. To learn more about the program, visit http://www.fldoe.org/SuccessStories/2009/05-28.asp.

Branching Out

2009 SACS CASI Summer Conference
June 15-16, 2009
The Florida Hotel & Conference Center
Orlando, Fla.

The 2009 Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI) Summer Conference will be held June 15-16, 2009 at the Florida Hotel & Conference Center in Orlando, Fla. Participants will have an opportunity to learn more about school improvement, accreditation Processes, preparation for the SACS CASI Quality Assurance Review (QAR) team visit, and qualifying for a QAR team. To register or to learn more, visit www.advanc-ed.org/florida.

Florida Reading Association 47th Annual Conference
Sept. 10-13, 2009
Shingle Creek Resort
Orlando, Fla.

The Florida Reading Association’s 47th Annual Conference, Reading: Rockets You to the Future will be held Sept. 10-13, 2009, at the Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando, Fla. Topic areas will span PreK-12 grade and will cover all aspects of literacy. Literacy leaders such as Dr. Janet Allen, Dr. Richard Gentry, Dr. Judith Irvin, and Dr. Dorothy Strickland will be presenting sessions. To learn more, visit www.flreads.org.

Florida School Counselor Association 2009 Annual Convention:
Oct. 29 - 31, 2009
Renaissance Orlando Resort at SeaWorld
Orlando, Fla.

The most focused program in school counseling in Florida, the 2009 Florida School Counselor Association Convention will be delivered by thoughtful leaders from Florida and throughout the United States. The hottest and most relevant topics will be explored by leading industry advocates, state officials, counselor educators and, most importantly, professional school counselors. To learn more or to reserve your hotel, visit http://www.fla-schoolcounselor.org/.

Leadership of Mathematics & Science Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment Statewide Conference
Oct. 20-22, 2009
Schultz Center for Teaching and Learning
Jacksonville, Fla

The Florida Center for Research in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (FCR-STEM) has teamed up with the Duval County School District to host a three-day statewide conference for district instructional leaders, school principals/assistant principals, and district mathematics/science coordinators. The Leadership of Mathematics & Science Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment Statewide Conference will be held Oct. 20-22, 2009, in Jacksonville, Fla. To learn more, or to register, visit http://www.lsi.fsu.edu/.

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