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Pine View is a Grade 2 through 12 public school devoted entirely
to educating gifted students, providing unique opportunities for
students and unique challenges for teachers. The turnover rate for
teachers is <2% annually. This affords the district, school,
students, and parents a consistency that is inherent in Pine View's
success. As such, the administration and staff very literally see
little children grow into young adults all in the same nurturing
confines of a single program. This notion is epitomized by the principal,
having been at the school for 15+ years, he is the only principal
many of the students and staff have ever known. Teachers recognize
the challenges that accompany instructing gifted students and respond
by proactively seeking cutting edge approaches to professional development.
The Professional Development Program incorporated by the District
is extensive, and provides summer workshops as well as financial
backing for staff members seeking higher-level certification. An
extensive portion of the budget is allocated for professional development.
The belief by the district, as well as Pine View's administration,
is that empowerment of staff through professional enhancement is
paramount to individual student success.
Results: Experienced teachers (average 16.2
years) with advanced degrees (65.7% of staff); Low teacher turnover.
Practices that Promote High Performance:
- Empowerment of staff through professional development
- Budget to support professional development needs
- Low turnover of staff who are challenged to meet the needs of
gifted students
Teachers
at Pine View work to provide ongoing challenges to students, to
maintain and foster educational growth. One example of this approach
manifests itself in the increased emphasis on laboratory instruction
across disciplines. This articulation promotes an increase in critical
thinking and the extrapolation of information to a much wider scope
through application. Classroom curriculum is aligned across the
board to ensure continuity however, the staff at Pine View takes
it a step further and articulates across departments. There is increased
emphasis on organizational skill development, fostering preparation
and timeliness, two vital elements in the workplace. This is further
supported by the use of the Student Agenda Book. In addition to
the efforts of staff, students actively contribute to the teaching-learning
process. Students at Pine View are accountable for their own 4-Year
Educational Plan & College Admissions Profile and semester schedules.
Students are also instrumental in a "re-teaching" approach,
where seniors re-teach what they have learned to students in lower
grades.
Results: School Accountability Grading: Pine
View scored 537 points on the FCAT Reading, Math, and Writing portions
of the test exceeding the State mandate of 410 points required for
classification as an 'A' school.
Practices that Promote High
Performance:
- Teachers driven to provide ongoing challenges for students
- Curriculum articulated across departments as well as across
levels
- Students actively involved in planning, monitoring and the teaching-learning
process
Several
plans and programs are in place to make sure students are reaching
district, state and personal academic goals. There is the somewhat
standardized Individual Education Plan in place for students, but
this provides merely a framework. On a larger scale is Sarasota's
Research, Assessment, and Evaluation Program. Within this program
is the Educational Quality Improvement Profile (EQUIP) that clearly
documents benchmarks as it breaks down a wide variety of demographics
and their academic quotient improvements or declines. The district
and Pine View utilize the program to assess needs and make the appropriate
adjustments. There also exists extensive Advanced Placement (AP)
Testing and the associated tracking system that demonstrates student
mastery of specific skills.
Results: FCAT: Reading &
Mathematics scores from Grades 6 thru 8 exceeded the State average
by the mean score of 86.5 points, for Grades 9 and 10 exceeded the
State average by the mean score of 84.25 points.
Practices that Promote High Performance:
- Individual Education Plans in place for students
- Utilizing district resources - EQUIP - to assess needs and make
the appropriate adjustments
- Using technology to track student mastery of specific advanced
skills, not just district/state minimum skills
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