Osceola County School District Ms. Jeanette Eddy, Director 501 Simpson Road Kissimmee, FL 34744 Document Generated On September 24, 2012
TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 Description of the School 2 School's Purpose 4 Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement 5 Additional Information 6
Introduction Every school has its own story to tell. The context in which teaching and learning takes place influences the processes and procedures by which the school makes decisions around curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The context also impacts the way a school stays faithful to its vision. Many factors contribute to the overall narrative such as an identification of stakeholders, a description of stakeholder engagement, the trends and issues affecting the school, and the kinds of programs and services that a school implements to support student learning. The purpose of the Executive Summary (ES) is to provide a school with an opportunity to describe in narrative form the strengths and challenges it encounters. By doing so, the public and members of the school community will have a more complete picture of how the school perceives itself and the process of self-reflection for continuous improvement. This summary is structured for the school to reflect on how it provides teaching and learning on a day to day basis. Page 1
Description of the School Describe the school's size, community/communities, location, and changes it has experienced in the last three years. Include demographic information about the students, staff, and community at large. What unique features and challenges are associated with the community/communities the school serves? The is located at 501 Simpson Road, Kissimmee, FL, 34744. It is centrally located between Kissimmee and St. Cloud in Osceola County on 47 acres just north of State Route 192 and the Florida Turnpike. There is just one campus with six permanent buildings and 24 portable classrooms. To accommodate the students, there is adequate on-campus parking, handicapped access in compliance with the American with Disabilities Act and convenient, affordable access by public transportation. Construction for TECO began in 1991, in Osceola County. TECO opened its doors in April 1994 with fifteen programs and graduated its first class of students in 1995. Twenty-one students graduated from the Practical Nursing program on May 26, 1995. TECO provides initial Workforce Development training for new careers, continuing workforce education, continuing education units (CEUs) in licensure programs and workplace training for local businesses and industries. TECO offers only certificates of completion. Students seeking technical career training are offered twenty-seven certificate programs in business technology, health sciences, information technology, industrial technology and public service. Students may earn certificates of completion from the following programs: Electrical, Commercial Heating and Air Conditioning I & II, Automotive I& II, which are in the Industrial Department. The Business Department offers certificates in Accounting, Administrative Assistant, Business Computer Programming, Web Design, Web Programming and Medical and Legal Administrative Specialist Programs. TECO's Health Science Department boasts a Practical Nursing Department with some of the youngest licensed LPN's in Florida. Students may also choose from the Certified Nursing Assistant, Home Health Aide, Massage Therapy, Medical Assisting, Medical Laboratory Assistant Pharmacy Technician or Phlebotomy Programs. The Criminal Justice Department offers training as Law Enforcement Officer. The Commercial Foods and Culinary Program, Architectural Drafting, Firefighter I, and Emergency Medical Technician are also very popular. Digital Design I & II, and the Wireless Program are also among the different programs that a student may choose. The Professional and Technical High School (PATHS), is the only magnet technical school in Osceola County and is located on the TECO campus. PATHS students have been dual-enrolled in TECO since the high school was founded in August 1999. Any student residing in Osceola County may apply to attend PATHS. Students have the opportunity to earn a high school diploma and certification or licensure in their career/technical program while dual-enrolled at TECO. No tuition fees are charged to high school students. The Council on Occupational Education (COE) accredits TECO. The school is a public institution controlled through the Florida Statutes, Title XLVIII, Chapter 1001.33, governing the State of Florida and the policies of the Osceola County School Board. The total enrollment of TECO adult students by program for the 2010-2011 school year is 1613. The total enrollment of PATHS is 677 with approximately 281 dual-enrolled at TECO. TECO represents a broad spectrum of cultural, national and racial backgrounds. Accordingly, the following demographics of the area are represented in TECO enrollments: (Exhibit 6) TECO African American 137 Asian 32 Hispanic 454 Multi-Racial 19 White 591 American Indian / Alaska Native 2 Page 2
Approximately 250 employees are dedicated to providing the opportunity for our students to integrate technical and academic training in order to meet employment and personal needs. The staff is made up of 25 full-time instructors, 200 part-time instructors (used on an as needed basis), 18 professional support staff, 4 custodians, 2 full-time administrators, 1 guidance counselor and 1 SRO (Sheriff Resource Officer). In addition to education and technical training, TECO provides students with financial aid if they qualify, guidance and counseling, remediation and special needs services. Due to articulation agreements with Valencia College (VC), students in the Accounting, Administrative Assistant, Medical Assisting, Business Computer Programming, Web Design, Legal and Medical Administrative Specialist, Wireless, Commercial Food and Culinary Arts, Architectural Drafting, and Law Enforcement Officer Programs may turn clock hours earned at TECO into college credits from VCC. (Exhibit 8) All TECO/PATHS or other dual-enrolled students with documented special need(s) accommodations are constantly assisted by the TECO instructor. TECO'S calendar system consists of two semesters and a three to eight week summer session. Each semester is divided into two 9-week grading periods. Full-time students are registered for 30 hours per week, part-time students for 15 hours per week; and evening students enroll for 12 hours per week. For summer sessions, classes are offered in June and July. Most technical programs use a modified lock-step entry/exit (as in the health department and criminal justice classes) while others are on an individualized/competency-based delivery system. All high school academic and dual-enrolled technical classes are offered on a 4 x 4 school calendar. All TECO programs are taught in traditional classes with lecture, lab and some work based activities. Page 3
School's Purpose Provide the school's purpose statement and ancillary content such as mission, vision, values, and/or beliefs. Describe how the school embodies its purpose through its program offerings and expectations for students. TECO's purpose is to offer Certificates directly associated with expanding skill level or preparing individuals for entry-level employment in today's highly competitive workplace. Our professional faculty is fully committed and prepared to ensure that each student is afforded the best opportunity to achieve the highest skill levels possible for success in their chosen training area. As you review this website, we are confident that you will find a comprehensive program that will meet your needs. We are excited about the opportunities we offer our students, and we sincerely hope that your experience at the Technical Education Center Osceola will be meaningful and rewarding. Page 4
Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement Describe the school's notable achievements and areas of improvement in the last three years. Additionally, describe areas for improvement that the school is striving to achieve in the next three years. is very proud to announce that it has been re-affirmed by the Council on Occupational Education (COE). The accreditation process included a detailed examination of the schools records and policies in ten different standardized areas. The standards included a review of all career and technical education programs, financial services, human resources, student services and program completion and placement rates, along with facility management. The faculty and staff at TECO, under the direction of their newly appointed administration, Jeanette Eddy and Robert Noll, and with the guidance of their Institutional Effectiveness Facilitator, Leon Deutsch, have exceeded the expectations of the COE team. The team consisted of six highly qualified representatives of COE who traveled here from all over the country. Each team member is an expert in his or her field. These representatives spent 3 full days inspecting all the necessary standards and criteria. The COE Exit Report stated there were no findings or recommendations. A "finding" or "recommendation" would have been made for areas that needed improvement. This is the first time since TECO opened its doors in 1994 that the school met all criteria and standards at 100%. TECO is Osceola County's only adult technical education center and offers 24 different career programs. Over the past three years, TECO has grown over 8% each year. Our school's completeion, placement and liscensure rate continues to exceed the required 70%. TECO has faced some challenges in meeting its overall mission due to the fact that most of our advertising is still by "word of mouth." Many of the faculty and staff have volunteered over the past year to participate in various community activities as a way to promote our school. These activities have included open houses, Education in the Park, local community fall festivals and holiday events. We will continue to develop new and exciting ways to inform the community of the services we provide in an effort to reach more individuals who would benefit from our programs. Page 5
Additional Information Provide any additional information you would like to share with the public and community that were not prompted in the previous sections. Mission Statement: The mission of TECO is to provide education, which prepares and inspires all to their highest career and academic potential by integrating technical and academic training. Page 6