Bureau of Standards & Instructional Support News

Tobacco Prevention Training Supports the State Substance Use and Abuse Health Education Rule

Tobacco Prevention Professional Development courses are sponsored by the Florida Department of Education and the Florida Department of Health. Participants are required to teach tobacco prevention lessons and build the capacity for ongoing instruction in substance use prevention. Teachers may choose to take a 60-hour comprehensive course, a 30-hour course, a 10-hour EVP (Electronic Vapor Products) course, or a 3-hour SUA (Substance Use and Abuse) course that focuses on vaping. The 10-hour EVP and 20-hour courses are also available for school nurses. Since youth vaping is an epidemic and research shows tobacco prevention education is effective, educators may take the 10 - hour EVP course and the 60-hour comprehensive course, or the 30-hour course. Registration is available at http://tobaccopreventiontraining.org.

For further information, please contact Jakiera Gosa at jakiera.gosa@palmbeachschools.org or TobaccoPrevention@palmbeachschools.org.

Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST)

The Nation's Highest Honors for Teachers of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM, including Computer Science)

The 2023-2024 cycle honors science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and/or computer science teachers working in kindergarten-6. Nominations begin in August of each year. Up to six state finalists are announced on the PAEMST webpage in March.

Each cycle, up to 108 STEM teachers are announced as national recipients of the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, two from each state and the U.S. Territories.

Florida’s most recent finalists include:

2024 Elementary Science:

Sara Berge Lowry Elementary Hillsborough County Public Schools
Lainie Clowers-Gwynne Dream Lake Elementary Orange County Public Schools
Kaye Ebelt The Greene School Palm Beach

2024 Elementary Math:

Nicolette Barone Oak Park Elementary Hillsborough County Public Schools
Stephanie Roehm Plumosa School of the Arts Palm Beach County School District
Cynthia Tennell Rawlings Elementary Alachua County Public Schools

2023 Secondary Science:

Amy Herman Minneola Charter School Lake County Schools
Alicia Pressel Creekside High School St. John’s County School District

2023 Secondary Math:

Jacqueline Sheffield Fort Walton Beach High School Okaloosa County School District

2022 Elementary Science:

Madge Nanney Darnell-Cookman School of the Medical Arts Duval County Public Schools

2022 Elementary Math:

Montana Lowe Everglades Elementary School Palm Beach County School District

2021 Secondary Science:

Euan Hunter Vanguard High School Marion County Public Schools
Michael Mury All Saints Academy Hillsborough County Public Schools
Yung Romano Strawberry Crest High School Hillsborough County Public Schools

2021 Secondary Math:

Benjamin “Corey” Ellis Seminole High School Seminole County Public Schools
Laszlo Nagy Cypress Bay High School Broward County Public Schools

For further information, please contact Alicia Foy at Alicia.Foy@fldoe.org.

Art in the Capitol Competition

Each year, middle school students, from sixth grade to eighth grade, enter their artwork in their respective school district’s Art in the Capitol Competition, judged by a panel of art teachers; winning pieces are delivered and displayed at the capitol in a coordinated effort with their sponsoring legislator.

https://www.floridacapitol.myflorida.com/the_capitol/art

Instructional Materials

The 2024-2025 English Language Arts K-12, Personal Financial Literacy and Money Management 9-12, Mathematics Intervention Materials K-4 and English Language Arts Intervention Materials K-3 state adoption review of instructional materials is underway. The Bureau of Standards and Instructional Support is seeking qualified expert reviewers for these materials. Please keep an eye out for the Call For State Expert Reviewers on the Instructional Materials webpage, https://www.fldoe.org/academics/standards/instructional-materials, for qualifications and how to be an expert reviewer for the state. Please visit the Instructional Materials website for more information to be posted after summer of 2024.

Fostering Civic Literacy in Florida

Please visit Florida’s Civic Literacy webpage.

Required Instruction

The Florida Required Instruction Portal is now open to districts for planning and reporting.

Section 1003.42, Florida Statutes
Rule: 6A-1.094124 Required Instruction Reporting
Florida Required Instruction Portal