Polk County Public Schools, Staff
Congratulations Exceptional Student Education Department!
JoAnne Stidham, Speech/Language LAAT
Nancy Woolcock, Assistant Superintendent of Learning Support
Polk School District received approximately $95,300.08 for the Polk County Assistive Technology Outreach Program. This purpose of the program is to increase access to learning and academic achievement for many of our exceptional student education (ESE) students through the use of communication devices and assistive technology. This program is a three prong program to expand the accessibility of assistive technology to the students in our schools. The first phase of the proposal includes the purchase of augmentative communication devices to be included in evaluation kits for several evaluation teams throughout our county, the second prong would create a teacher/parent lab where visual supports can be created to help students with special needs in their classroom setting and at home, and the third prong of the request is to fund the purchase of additional software and assistive technology to support our students who are struggling readers. The program will serve primarily ESE students, pre-school through age twenty-two, from throughout the Polk County school district. A county-wide as well as six school-based assessment teams will receive Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) evaluation kits for use during evaluations with their students. The county wide Local Augmentative and Assistive Technology Team (LAT) evaluates seventy to one hundred new students each year. Additionally, they continue to follow previously identified students to determine if their supports are still appropriate
Congratulations Information Systems & Technology Division!
Cristie DeVane, School Technology Services Senior Manager
Abdu Taguri, Assistant Superintendent of Information Systems & Technology
Polk School District received sixty percent of $1,200,000.00 for equipment incentives and professional development. The District’s Information System & Technology Division staff entered in partnership with Osceola County and collaborated to design, coordinate and implement a grant program that benefits staff in both districts.
The primary purpose of this funding opportunity is to expand teacher and instructional program administrator involvement in the Florida Digital Educator Program. Increasing teacher exposure to innovative classroom instructional activities that promote and support effective digital resource integration and engaged student learning are important priorities for the program, in addition to the development of digital tools for teachers and students. The Florida Digital Educator Program is dedicated to authentic, data-driven, relevant, rigorous integration of technology across the K-12 curricula for the purpose of providing educators with the technology skills necessary to provide their students with opportunities to participate in project-based learning.
The objective of Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT), Part II project is to increase teacher exposure to innovative classroom instructional activities that promote and support effective digital resource integration and engaged student learning. The project will also expand teacher and instructional program administrator involvement in the "Florida Digital Educator Program.
The grant will combine the Florida Digital Educator training with the Peer Mentoring & Collaboration training to be offered at Florida Southern College several times during the summer for administrators and teachers from both districts. All training participants will receive instructional technology incentives, classroom visits for evaluation purposes by Florida Department of Education evaluation team and in service points once they have completed of training plus follow-up assignments.
Congratulations to the 2008 Best Buy Award-winning schools!
The above referenced schools are among over fifty schools throughout the United States that were awarded $2, 000.00 gift cards during the first round of the Best Buy Te@ch Award. In February, 2008 Best Buy te@ch Award grant program. The award-winning schools received a package from Best Buy containing a Best Buy te@ch Gift Card for $2,000, along with a PNY USB flash drive loaded with tools to help garner recognition for the school in the community. Again congratulations!
Note: Upon receipt of your award notice, please forward a copy to Dell Griffin Quary, Analyst: eRate/Technology Grants Developer. Thanks.