Commissioner's Taskforce on Inclusion and Accountability Prepares to Meet in Orlando
DOE Press Office 850-245-0413
Commissioner's Taskforce on Inclusion and Accountability Prepares to Meet in Orlando
Tallahassee - The Florida Department of Education Commissioner's Taskforce on Inclusion and Accountability held several preliminary subcommittee meetings in preparation for the face-to-face taskforce roundtable on March 22 and 23, at the University of Central Florida Teaching Academy in Orlando.The subcommittees met via phone last week to discuss the goals and objectives of the Commissioner's Taskforce on Inclusion and Accountability. To listen to the audio of the subcommittee meetings, visit http://www.fldoe.org/accountability/accountability-reporting/eseaw.stml.
The 21-member taskforce includes the following individuals (*denotes new member):
| Name | Affiliation | Location | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alberto Carvalho | District Superintendent | Miami Dade | ELL |
| MaryEllen Elia | District Superintendent | Hillsborough | SWD |
| Alexis Tibbetts | District Superintendent | Okaloosa | ESE |
| Vickie Marble | Principal | Sarasota | SWD |
| Robin Meyers | Principal | Lake | ESE |
| *Arlene Costello | District ESOL Training & Licensure Coordinator | Escambia | ELL |
| *Celeste Bowker | Teacher | St. Johns | ESE |
| Maria Cardenas | Teacher | Lee | ELL |
| Conney Dahn | Teacher | Martin | ESE |
| Agustin Grana | Teacher | Miami Dade | ESE |
| Patricia Levesque | Parent | Leon | SWD |
| Allison Tant Richard | Parent | Leon | SWD |
| *Charlotte Temple | Parent | Duval | ESE |
| Julie Weinberg | Parent | Orange | SWD |
| Ester de Jong | League of United Latin American Citizens | Alachua | ELL |
| Shirley Johnson | NAACP | Miami Dade | ELL |
| Richard LaBelle | Family Network on Disabilities, Inc. | Palm Beach | SWD |
| Francois Leconte | Minority Development & Empowerment | Broward | ELL |
| Margarita Pinkos | Florida Association of Bilingual/ESOL Supervisors | Palm Beach | ELL |
| Ann Siegel | Disability Rights Florida | Leon | ESE |
| Lyn Stanfield | Apple, Inc. | Leon | SWD |
During the State Board of Education meeting on February 28, 2012, in Tallahassee, the board voted to create a taskforce to develop an implementation plan to include students with disabilities, students who are learning the English language, and students enrolled in exceptional student education centers in Florida's school accountability system and to create recommendations for consideration by the U.S. Department of Education regarding Florida's Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) flexibility waiver.
For more information about upcoming meetings of the taskforce, visit the Department of Education's Calendar.