|
M-DCPS WRAPS UP IMPRESSIVE YEAR OF NOTABLE ACCOMPLISHMENTS Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ (M-DCPS) students, teachers, schools and programs wrapped up the year with an impressive array of honors and achievements. Among the accomplishments: Broad Prize Winner: M-DCPS was named the winner of The Broad Prize for Urban Education, an annual award that honors urban school districts across the country that are making the greatest progress in raising student achievement. This is the fifth time that M-DCPS had been recognized as a finalist. General Obligation Bond Referendum: A $1.2 billion General Obligation (GO) Bond referendum was approved by voters on the November ballot. Proceeds from the bond issue will be used to modernize and construct schools throughout the District, including technology upgrades at all schools. Approval of the GO Bond was essential to the District as it sought a sustainable long-term solution to providing 21st Century Schools for all Miami-Dade students. Veteran Educator Named Top Principal: Dr. Rosann P. Sidener, principal of Miami Beach Senior High School was selected as the 2012 Florida Association of School Administrators' (FASA) Principal of the Year. Sidener is a 34-year veteran educator and administrator with M-DCPS. M-DCPS Educator Named Florida Teacher of the Year: Alexandre Lopes, a Pre-K, Special Education teacher at Carol City Elementary School was named the 2013 Florida Department of Education/Macy’s Teacher of the Year Award. Lopes was selected from more than 20,000 teachers from around Miami-Dade and from among 180,000 around the state of Florida for the honor. Superintendent Named District Data Leader of the Year: The Florida Department of Education named Superintendent of Schools Alberto M. Carvalho the winner of the District Data Leader of the Year Award. Carvalho was recognized for his innovative and effective use of data to drive student performance. Graduation Rates at All-time High: M-DCPS’ graduation rate jumped nearly five points for the 2011-2012 academic year, as calculated by following U.S. Department of Education guidelines. The federally calculated graduation rate for 2010-2011 was 71.3 percent; this year it rose to 76.0 percent, surpassing the state both in rate of growth and total percentage points. Principal Receives “Oscar of Teaching”: Dr. Kevin Williams, principal at Norwood Elementary School, was honored with the $25,000 Milken Educator Award from the Milken Foundation. The Milken Educator Awards were created in 1985 by education reform leader Lowell Milken to celebrate, elevate and activate excellence in the profession. Leader in AP: M-DCPS leads the country in Advanced Placement (AP) exam scores among Hispanic students. The school district ranks first in the nation in three categories including, the number of Hispanic AP exam scores of three or above, the number of individual Hispanic students scoring three or above, as well as the total number of AP exams taken by Hispanic students. Miami-Dade is also seventh in the country in African American/Black AP exam scores of 3 or above. M-DCPS Students Continue to Exhibit High Levels of Achievement: M-DCPS students outperformed students in many major U.S. cities in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) in science, mathematics and reading. Ten Schools Named Best High Schools: Miami-Dade County public schools were included in U.S. News & World Report Best High Schools rankings. In the Best High Schools Rankings by State category, five Miami-Dade County public schools made the Top 20 schools in Florida. Five schools made the grade as America’s 2012 Best High Schools. In the Best Magnet Schools category, three Miami-Dade schools made the top 20. # # # 012-JJS/552/VVL
|
