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M-DCPS LAUNCHES BOLD EDUCATION PROGRAMS, UNVEILS NEW OFFERINGS Superintendent of Schools Alberto M. Carvalho unveiled new offerings to School Board members in preparation for the school year. Carvalho presented new programs and improved procedures specifically designed to better serve the needs of Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) students and educational partners. Fifty-three new choice/magnet program offerings were created for the 2015-2016 school year, bringing the total of choice programs to over 500. This total includes 16 magnet programs at 12 schools in the areas of Science, Mathematics, Multimedia Entertainment Technology, Legal Studies, and Visual Arts; 37 choice programs at 30 schools, which include Advanced Placement (AP), Capstone Diploma (7), Cambridge (18), International (3), and Cybersecurity (1). New magnet programs include:
Non-magnet choice programs coming to several schools include:
New initiatives include: Digital Convergence – U.S. History Classroom Tablet and English Language Arts (ELA)- Student Tablet Programs- The program provides 32,000 tablets to all middle school 8th grade U.S. History classrooms and all 10th grade high school students enrolled in ELA, bringing the total number of devices to more than 100,000. Digital Convergence – Tablets for Middle School Students with Autism - The program provides tablets to students in self-contained Autism Centers to allow access to web-based tools that promote language learning, emotional development, and the development of social and communications skills. School Mobile App- The mobile application, for iOS, Android and Windows, that provides a personalized user experience based on the individual logging in to the application. Principals can keep parents and students up to date with both District and school specific information. Parents will have access to a school directory that will include email addresses, a school calendar of events and links to the schools social media sites. Universal iCode Education 2.0 – The program strengthens the educational opportunities for students in the areas of coding and programming by initiating Launch Code at the high school level, increasing participation in coding and robotics competitions, and launching introduction to computer science units in seven middle schools. WiFi-on-the-Go–The program creates opportunities for mobile learning by providing mobile “Hot Spots” on District-owned school busses which may be accessed by students on their way to and from school. Flex Stops – This pilot program satisfies the need to transport magnet students that do not reside within the Transportation Service Zone area but are near a bus route with available seating capacity. The program is created near a school or park and will pick up several students at a time and it is established based on the number of magnet students residing in the area. Global Positioning System (GPS) Bus Pilot – The GPS Bus Pilot establishes a school bus tracking system, which will provide parents and students the ability to track the whereabouts of their assigned bus. Miami-Dade Schools Police Department Explorers Program – The program provides high school students an opportunity to gain insight into a career in law enforcement through the nationally recognized “Learning for Life” Police Explorers Program. Students engage in lessons that focus on the importance of clear and consistent rules, limits, and discipline. Students also learn the significance of personal character and being a role model for personal behavior change. Health Clinic at Miami Northwestern- This school-based, primary healthcare clinic at Miami Northwestern Senior High School in Liberty City is funded by a $1.45 million grant awarded to FIU’s Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration.
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