|
START OF NEW SCHOOL YEAR BRINGS MIAMI – As students in Miami-Dade County Public Schools start the 2006-2007 school year, the District continues to build on its success through a host of changes that will bring better efficiency in technology, innovative curricula, and greater capacity to schools. A new program has been implemented that will make tracking grades easier and more effective. The Electronic Gradebook, an interactive tool used by teachers and administrators to maintain student grades and attendance, will now be available online for parents to access. Parents must create a user ID and password at the District’s Parent Portal, http://myportal.dadeschools.net/paDocs/, in order to access their child’s records. Parents may also access the Gradebook via telephone by calling 305-995-1234. This new system allows for better planning and will allow parents to see their child’s grades in progress. Also on the technology front is a new teacher evaluation system. The Instructional Performance Evaluation and Growth System or IPEGS, goes beyond once-a-year formal visits by the principal to the classroom to include the success that students exhibit in reaching academic goals, parents’ views, and a record of documents demonstrating teachers’ work throughout the year. IPEGS will be implemented as a pilot in 30 schools. Secondary School Reform, which aims to ensure that every graduate leaves high school fully prepared for college or a good career, is another change that will be seen in 11 senior high schools across the District. The heart of the reform plan is an eight-class flexible schedule that will allow every student the opportunity to participate in an internship or a dual enrollment in college before graduating. The new schedule also will permit common planning for core teachers on teams or in career academies, allowing them to tailor instruction to the specific students they teach. The new schedule also will increase the number of electives available to students. On the construction front, the District will open four new schools: Ronald W. Reagan/Doral Senior High, Norma Butler Bossard Elementary, David Lawrence Jr. K-8 Center, and the Young Women’s Preparatory Academy. These schools, plus projects at existing facilities, bring the number of new students seats to an unprecedented 20,000, bringing the District much closer to its goal of eradicating overcrowding by 2010. One important change parents and students need to be aware of is the cost of lunch, which will increase by $.50 for students who pay full price. The price of an elementary school lunch will rise from $1.25 to $1.75; secondary school lunches will rise from $1.50 to $2. This increase does not affect students who receive free or reduced price lunch. As the school year gets underway next Monday, it is important to remember that students will be walking and taking the bus to school, with more than 72,000 students traveling on 1,600 buses. The presence of students at bus stops and the increase in pedestrian traffic calls for extra caution while driving. The community is urged to be vigilant in helping students enjoy a safe school year. ### 06-LJG/017/TEL |
