Approve the Partnership Agreement Between Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS) and the College of Education, St. Petersburg College, as Part of the Paraprofessional Transition to Teaching Program, CFDA# 84.350. (Student Services and Federal Programs Division)

The United States Department of Education (USDOE) awarded $1,978,732 to HCPS in 2004 for the five-year Transition to Teaching federal grant project. Year Five of the project will be implemented between October 1, 2008 and September 30, 2009, and will provide the baccalaureate-earning teacher-training program to paraprofessionals currently working for HCPS. Under the partnership agreement, HCPS will provide scholarships for paraprofessional teacher training, training sites, computer lab access, internship placement opportunities for participants, clinical education training for supervising teachers, salary and benefits for the Project Director, course credit reimbursements to participants, and evaluation data as needed. The College of Education, St. Petersburg College, will provide financial aid officers to assist the paraprofessionals in applying for financial aid, coursework, and instructors for the B.S. degree program at sites designated by HCPS after normal school work hours for the convenience of the paraprofessionals and access to the College of Education Student Commons interactive website.

Funding for the Paraprofessional Transition to Teaching Program is provided by the U.S. Department of Education, Transition to Teaching Program (CFDA# 84.350). HCPS is the fiscal agent for the project and funds reside with the District.

Under the terms of the grant HCPS is responsible for facilitating the project evaluation. HCPS will coordinate the collection of assessment data to the outside evaluator for the grant. The outside evaluator will provide a copy of the annual evaluation report to HCPS Office of Assessment and Accountability. The anticipated date for project evaluation for the 2008/2009 school year is December 30, 2009.