The Osceola School District was awarded a competitive grant of $2.2 million from the Florida DOE to improve STEM teaching and learning in 2014.

Transcription

1 The Florida Department of Education recognized the Osceola School District as one of only five Florida counties to improve in all seven academic assessment areas on the 2014 FCAT. Osceola is the only Central Florida school district with no schools identified on the state s Lowest 300 Performing Elementary Schools list developed by the Florida Department of Education. Our Technical Education Center Osceola (TECO) and Adult Learning Center Osceola (ALCO) opened campuses at two new locations this school year one in Poinciana and one in St. Cloud. Thanks to outstanding partnerships the Superintendent and the district has with both Osceola County and the City of St. Cloud, many adults now have the convenience of attending classes closer to home. Equally as important to economic development is the progress Superintendent Luciano has made to expand STEM Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics offerings to our students at all levels across this county. She was instrumental in asking for support and getting a $1.2 million donation over the next several years from Osceola County government, as well as funding from Walt Disney Resorts and the Education Foundation. As a result, our district will grow from one current STEM feeder pattern (elementary, middle, and high) to 10 feeder patterns by The Osceola School District was awarded a competitive grant of $2.2 million from the Florida DOE to improve STEM teaching and learning in Because of Superintendent Luciano s initiative, the district will soon be piloting the State s first mobile STEM lab. The mobile lab is being funded with Title I funds, and it will visit each of the Title I elementary schools in the district. The purpose of the lab is to provide students with the experience of hands-on, real-world related activities that serves to enhance the curriculum being taught in the traditional classrooms. The National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth selected the Osceola School District as the sole recipient of the prestigious 2014 Award for Distinguished Service and Leadership for outstanding efforts to provide service to homeless children, youth, and families.

2 Superintendent was named 2014 Superintendent Literacy Leader of the Year for Florida by Just Read, Florida!, the Florida Reading Association, and the Florida Literacy Coaches Association. Superintendent was named as the 2014 Biliteracy Leadership Award winner by the National Association for Bilingual Education in recognition of outstanding leadership in strengthening and providing support for the expansion of bilingual and biliteracy programs that serve the needs of students, staff, and the community. Through the hard work of school administrators and staff, Superintendent ensured that the Osceola School District has been in full compliance with the class-size amendment for each school year. This monumental task, which is an unfunded mandate for local school districts, involved ensuring that 16,390 Osceola classes across the district met the requirements. The Osceola School District s School Nutrition Department won the 2014 Innovative Idea Award for the serving line idea at Thacker Avenue Elementary School for International Studies from the Florida School Nutrition Association. Osceola schools earned a total of 62 Golden and Silver School Awards last school year in recognition of outstanding school volunteer programs. The district had the highest number of volunteer hours donated by community members last year ever. Thirty-seven Osceola schools have been designated this year as Five Star Schools by the Florida Department of Education in recognition of exemplary family, school, and community involvement. The Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting was awarded to the Osceola School District this year by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States. This is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting. Harmony Community School is one of only 92 schools in the world and the first K-8 school ever to be awarded the Lighthouse Milestone Distinction from Franklin Covey. Osceola students crushed the Superintendent s Summer Reading Challenge of 12 million minutes by reading over 24 million minutes this past summer.

3 The Osceola School District's 2014 graduation rate held steady at 78%, which continues to be higher than the state's average at 76.1%. The Osceola County School Board has approved for the first time an articulation agreement with the University of Central Florida (UCF). This agreement provides high school students in Osceola County the opportunity to enhance their learning in Dual Enrollment courses that meet educational, career, and personal needs while enrolled in high school. A similar agreement is in the works with the University of Florida. Under Superintendent Luciano s tenure, Got College? is in its second year of community collaboration being led by the school district, Valencia College, and the Education Foundation. Hundreds of volunteers from business, government, and nonprofits have stepped up to work on projects designed to help Osceola s students plan for careers and post-secondary education. Numerous projects have been identified and are being worked on including: --1,100 high school juniors attended a mock college day at Valencia College in October. --Valencia provided funding for the district to hire three college transition coaches to work with students on applying for college, and the Education Foundation hired an AmeriCorps intern to provide additional assistance to students. --The district and Valencia have partnered to align curriculum to ensure our students are best prepared for college-level work. Under her tenure as Superintendent, the district has successfully launched a district-wide Bring Your Own Device initiative where students can safely access the internet for district educational content. Superintendent Luciano has made school attendance a priority for students and parents by implementing new attendance awareness efforts. For example, a new School Board Policy states that five tardies or early releases equal one unexcused absence. Students can t learn if they are not in school.

4 The Osceola School District's Professional Development Department was recognized by the Florida Association for Staff Development as a leader in the state this school year for providing exemplary training opportunities -- TeachLivE -- to our teachers and staff. For our highest achieving and academically-dedicated students, we now have International Baccalaureate accreditation at all levels. A student can go through Kindergarten through Grade 12 with the IB curriculum in the Osceola School District. This opens up doors to the leading colleges and universities in the world. We have also expanded the number of our AVID Programs across the district to 21 elementary, middle, and high schools. AVID, which stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination, is a college readiness system for elementary through higher education that is designed to increase school-wide learning and performance. We have seen the tremendous impact AVID has had: It increases enrollment in advanced academic courses (Pre-AP/AP/Honors) and increases the rigor of all courses. It implements instructional best practices for all students in the school It creates a college-going culture throughout the school This school year, with the help from the Celebration Foundation and the Education Foundation, we have increased our Campus Express opportunities for students to go on field trips to visit Valencia College and TECO. For many students, it is the first time that they have ever stepped foot on a college or postsecondary institution campus. Many do not even know such opportunities exist here in Osceola County. New high school Career Academies have been added to provide rigorous and relevant instruction which focus on preparing students for both the workplace with industry certifications in many cases and college.

5 Some of our newest Academies: --Business Academy at St. Cloud High --Digital Arts and Gaming Academies at Celebration High, Harmony High, and Poinciana High in partnership with EA Sports --Cambridge International Program at Liberty High --Horticulture at Osceola High --Lodging Operations at Osceola High Under the Superintendent s direction in conjunction with Celebration Foundation and the Education Foundation, our Medical Pipeline has expanded to inspire interest, ignite possibilities, and develop skills in our students for the pursuit of pathways to careers in healthcare. As part of the program, we are now offering: --Elementary Health Careers Experience: One-day exploration field trips for third graders to Florida Hospital Celebration --Health Careers Experience for Middle and High: One-day exploration field trips to Florida Hospital Celebration --Health Leaders Summer Academy: Two-week summer academy for 35 rising juniors. Students participate in lectures, hands-on labs, and conduct research The district is also working with The Education Foundation and area business leaders to develop a program similar to the Medical Pipeline but giving students from elementary through high school the opportunity to examine careers in the construction trades. This new Building Osceola Program will highlight high demand/high wage careers and how students can begin working towards industry certifications and go on to college or technical school training. We are also in the planning stages of a Grow Your Own Teacher program to fill the demand of critical-need vacancies in the subjects of math, science, language arts, and elementary education. Superintendent and staff are working closely with Valencia College and UCF, with the end goal of students being able to graduate from UCF right here in Osceola County with a Bachelor s Degree in education with very little out-of-pocket expenses. Boggy Creek Elementary ranked number one in the world on minutes read by students as part of the world-wide Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge.

6 Koa Elementary School has been named as a 2014 National Blue Ribbon Lighthouse School by Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence, Inc. This prestigious recognition recognizes Principal Virginia Scott and her dedicated team of educators and professional support staff for working so diligently to fulfill the many learning needs of students. The U.S. Department of Education has selected Discovery Intermediate in Osceola County as one of only eight Florida schools to participate in a joint STEM initiative with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). With the goal of ensuring the children of Osceola County are provided with the best and safest mode of school transportation, Osceola School District's Transportation Department will soon implement a new dynamic software package that will positively impact student safety. The new Student Tracking System, to begin being piloted by regular-education high school students starting February 9, 2015, will track when and where students board and exit the bus.