Dear Employees,

Welcome back to a brand new school year. I hope you had an enjoyable summer and are returning ready to renew our efforts to provide high quality education for our students. As we begin a new school year, my enthusiasm about the successes our district is having couldn’t be higher. I want you to know that each of you – the teachers, staff and administrators – comprise the infrastructure that makes such success possible.

This June, we received great news about how our schools performed on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). In fact, 95% of our schools earned a grade of A or B on the Governor’s A+ Plan. We also scored in the top six districts in the state in 19 off 22 FCAT measurements in grades 3 – 10 for Reading, Math, Writing and Science. Brevard is also number one in three FCAT data points again this year, specifically Reading for grade 6 and Science for grades 5 and 11.

In addition, the School Board has approved the implementation of our Secondary Schools of National Prominence initiative. Beginning this fall and over the course of the next few years, you will see several changes in our secondary schools. The first and most important part of the Secondary Schools of National Prominence initiative is an increased opportunity for students to earn more credits.

In order to provide these additional courses, all middle and high schools will offer a seven-period day and/or block-scheduling by the 2007-08 school year. We are fortunate this year that 15 of our 23 secondary schools will be offering a seven-period day or block scheduling. The Secondary Schools of National Prominence plan includes Programs of Study for every secondary student, adding the American College Test as an assessment tool for 11^th graders, and an increased professional development component to ensure high quality teachers for our students.

Ultimately, our Secondary Schools of National Prominence initiative will support Brevard’s goal for every student to graduate from high school prepared to enter and be successful in the work place, further career education, and/or complete a postsecondary degree.

As we move into the new school year, let’s work toward an even more impressive future for our district and our students. Their futures depend on our commitment.

Sincerely,

Dr. Richard A. DiPatri