- The Florida Department of Education
provided funding to the six CARD centers to
enhance the capacity of Florida teachers to
provide quality educational programs to
students with autism. Each CARD center was
provided with funding to offer regional
training workshops on topics that were
identified as important by their catchment
area school districts. Over the 1999-2000
school year, 18 workshops were offered to
teachers across the state. Approximately
1,490 teachers and other professionals were
trained through these workshops.
- In addition to regional training
workshops, CARD initiated the Partnership for
Effective Programs. The Partnership program
was designed to provide training and
technical assistance to teachers who wished
to enhance educational programs for students
with autism. Teachers applied for acceptance
in the Partnership program by describing
their classroom philosophy and their interest
in developing educational innovations. The 36
teachers who were selected to participate in
the project met
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at the CARD conference in a special session
to kick off the partnership activities. Each
participating teacher was assigned a CARD
partner who assisted the teacher in developing
an action plan for implementing innovative
practices. The teacher and CARD partner worked
collaboratively to implement and evaluate the
action plan. The outcomes achieved within the
Partnership program were documented through the
development of a professional portfolio by the
participating teacher. These portfolios will be
on display at the 2001 CARD conference in Ft.
Lauderdale.
The Partnership program offered the unique
opportunity to develop a proactive collaborative
relationship with participating teachers who
wished to develop their capacity and serve as
models for other teachers. The teachers who were
involved were very enthusiastic about their
participation, the impact of their projects on
the programs they provided to their students,
and the support of CARD
professionals.
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