Cash Incentive Offered; Scholarship Funds Available

Certified Achievement Program (CAP)
The Certified Achievement Program (CAP)  was designed to provide a financial incentive for clerical employees to attend staff development courses to improve their skills and abilities in their present position or prepare themselves for professional advancement.  The program is part of a negotiated agreement between the School Board of Broward County, Florida and the Federation of Public Employees (Secretarial/Clerical), with input from the Confidential Office Personnel Association.

Secretarial and clerical employees who complete 54 hours of staff development are eligible to receive a $300 incentive award each year for three years.  If they complete an additional 54 hours during the next three years, they receive a $600 incentive award each year for the next three years.   If they complete yet another 54 hours, they will receive an incentive award of $900 each year for three years.

Project Opportunity
The Project Opportunity Scholarship is offered annually through the Broward Education Foundation to Non-Instructional (i.e. Paraprofessional, Clerical, Bus Drivers) personnel who are currently enrolled in an accredited college seeking an Education degree to become a K-12 classroom teacher.  To be eligible, courses must have been completed between July 1st and June 30th of the application year. The individual must attained a minimum of a "C" grade and complete a minimum of 9 credit hours.  A completed application and official transcript must be submitted to HRD no later than May 15, 2005 for 2004-2005 consideration.   If a course does not end until June 30th, an unofficial transcript may be sent with the original application, however, an official transcript must be forwarded to HRD within 3 weeks following the June 30th completion date.

The amount of scholarship funds available varies each year and is determined by the amount of money earmarked for Project Opportunity and the number of qualified applicants approved to receive the scholarship from the Broward Education Foundation.  Reimbursement for coursework is only for courses completed between July 1st and June 30th of the application year.

For more information please call HRD at 754-321-5000 or you can visit the CAP webpage at
www.broward.k12.fl.us/hrd/cap and/or the Project Opportunity Web page at
www.broward.k12.fl.us/hrd/programs.



Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr. Middle
School Marks First Year
Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr., Middle School, home of the Patriots, celebrated a dedication ceremony in late May marking the school's first year. City of Fort Lauderdale representatives, business and community partners and School Board officials and administrators participated in the dedication activities and ribbon-cutting ceremony. The event included student tributes to their school's namesake - tennis legend and humanitarian Arthur R. Ashe, Jr. Butch Bulcholz, a friend of Mr. Ashe and chairman of the NASDAQ 100, also made a presentation and read a special message to the school family and community from Mr. Ashe's widow, Jeanne Ashe. Several other members of the Ashe family attended, including Mr. Ashe's brother, who expressed gratitude to the District and shared words of inspiration and encouragement with the student body. The ceremony concluded with a reception in the school's media center.

Virtual Education Reaches
Beyond Classrooms
BECON's distance learning programs will reach students throughout Broward County during the 2004-2005 school year through expanded online courses and an exciting line-up of new and returning videoconferences designed to bring the global community into our classrooms. Broward Virtual Education (BVEd) offers a full curriculum online for high school students and - beginning this year - for middle school students, as well. "More than 100 Broward County students are registered full-time and will benefit from anytime, anywhere learning that will meet their non-traditional needs," explained Mary Ann Butler- Pearson, BECON's distance learning coordinator. "Students in traditional classes can also take online courses to augment their studies."

Who's Eligible?
All students are eligible for online classes but Ms. Butler-Pearson said it should be the educational delivery option that suits their needs. "For a student to be successful in an online teaching environment they should be reading at or near grade level," she said. The rigorous classes - based on Sunshine State Standards - are not designed to replace traditional classes but rather offer another option.  Students can take from one half credit to a full course load. Those who particularly benefit include home-schooled students, homebound students, students who are away from campus for an extended period of time, teen parents or students who want to accelerate their program or make up credits.

How Do Online Education Students Fare?
"Our virtual education students who took standardized tests last year performed exceptionally well," says Butler-Pearson. "In the Florida writing assessment test, the average score was a four, which placed the Virtual School third in the District. Seventy-nine percent of 10th grade online students who took the test scored at grade level or above on FCAT math."

What Courses Are Offered?
Fifteen full-time teachers will be teaching almost 6,500 half credits online this year, including standard curriculum courses as well as advanced placement (AP) courses. Among those AP classes offered online this year are: American Government, American History, Art History, Biology, Calculus, Computer Science, English Literature, English Language, Macroeconomics and Microeconomics. Spanish II and Latin III are new to the standard curriculum this year.

How Can Courses Be Paced?
Students can self-pace their studies in three different ways: 
1. They can take the one-credit courses as designed for 36 weeks of study.
2. They may request an accelerated pace to complete the course sooner, which will accommodate block schedules.
3. They may request an extended pace for additional time when needed.

Can Teachers Benefit?
Teachers can also take advantage of the offerings through BECON's distance learning programs. Weekly videoconferences and special one-time only broadcasts enhance curriculum and allow students to interact with experts and fellow students from around the world.  Weekly programs include BECON Book Buddies, Integrating the Arts into FCAT, Windows on the World, Mr. G's Math Marvels, Science from the Museum of Discovery and Science with Mrs. T and After School Connection.

For more information on BECON's distance learning programs call, 754-321-2000.