Welcome to _________________________ School where the Business Technology Education Department plays an important role. We have many goals to accomplish, many objectives to meet, and many roads to cross to make our mission a reality.

The Business Technology Education Department team is composed of the best teachers in the county. Working together as a TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More) we will accomplish all of our goals and dreams.

Philosophy and Goals

School Philosophy: (Insert Your School’s Mission Statement)

Business Technology Education Program Philosophy: Business Education provides a variety of specialized programs structured to prepare students to enter and/or upgrade employment in a cluster of business occupations upon completion of the prescribed competencies. The occupational proficiency program areas include industry-standard software on state-of-the-art office equipment in accounting, networking, clerical, secretarial, information technology and international business. Business education students attaining the prescribed competencies are prepared to meet the projected employment opportunities in a changing technological society.

Business Technology Education Goals

1. To meet the requirements of positive placement for all program completers.

2. To provide a complete program of courses that will meet all of the students’ needs.

3. To integrate FBLA in the curriculum in a way that will enhance the educational program.

4. To encourage as many students as possible to apply for the Bright Futures Scholarship, Supervisors Award of Excellence, BCE Scholarship and DCBTEA Scholarship.

5. Enhance the business technology curriculum with FCAT standards, skills, and activities.

6. Expand the opportunities for students to be tested and certified in MOS and other Information Technology (IT) areas.

Personnel

For the 2004-2005 school year, the Business Technology Education Department is composed of the following teachers:

Teacher	Subjects Taught	Classroom

A comprehensive listing of department faculty including e-mail addresses can be found in Appendix A.

Department Layout

The Business Education Department is located at the ________________ of the _________ floor of the building. It is composed of ___ computer labs. A floor plan of each classroom should be developed and submitted to the department head for district supervisor approval.

Equipment

All Business Technology labs are equipped with state-of-the-art technology. Your responsibility as a facilitator in the lab is to keep the labs in excellent, working condition. Any item that has a cost of $750 or more must have a property control (PC) number. You should have your classroom equipment inventory database up to date at all times. Equipment cannot be moved or taken off property without the proper documentation on file and without the department head’s approval. Computers in the classroom should be labeled for easy identification.

Each teacher is required to create a seating chart assigning students to their individual workstations to facilitate the management and tracking of equipment. Any equipment needing repairs should be reported on the school’s computer repair request form with a copy to the department head.

Class Schedules

At the beginning of the school year or course, every student receives an individually printed class schedule. During the first week of classes, student schedules need to be initialed by you and then returned to the students. Your official classroom roster should be checked and the student’s name should be added to your roster. The class schedule for each teacher is listed in Appendix B.

FBLA

FBLA is an integral part of the business technology education curriculum. Although we may have only one designated adviser per school for supplement purposes, all business technology education teachers MUST consider themselves as advisers since FBLA is correlated into the curriculum frameworks. Business Technology teachers should encourage all students to participate in the organization as well as assist with student preparation for competitive events and activities. It is also encouraged that each class select officers who will attend the general meetings and disseminate information to members in their classes. In-class meetings will be held once a month on the __________________ of each month. For a listing of dues, forms and additional documentation, please refer to the FBLA Adviser’s Manual and the BTE website http://bte.dadeschools.net.

Scholarships

There are many scholarships available to our students; however, students are often unaware and therefore do not take advantage of these opportunities. It is our responsibility as teachers to guide students, make them aware of available scholarships and help them complete these applications. Encourage your students to visit the CAP office for scholarship bulletins. Typical scholarships that come through our Business Technology organizations include: FBLA, BCE, Supervisor’s Award of Excellence, DCBTEA , FBTEA, NBEA, DAVACCE, FACTE, etc. In addition, all students who complete a vocational program in Business Technology are eligible to apply for the Bright Futures Scholarship if they meet the stipulated criteria.

Curriculum Frameworks and Course Outlines/Program Completers

A complete set of curriculum frameworks and course outlines are located on the BTE website, http://www.firn.edu/doe/dwdframe/be/be_frame.htm. A printed copy of your curriculum framework for the courses that have been assigned to you should be placed in your grade book.

It is strongly encouraged that at the beginning of each school year and during the school’s Open House, time should be allotted to discuss the curriculum frameworks and the college/career opportunities available to students as Business Technology graduates. The BTE Brochure (http://bte.dadeschools.net/Documents/BTE Brochure 2002-03.pdf) can be referred to at the Open House.

Syllabi/Lesson Plans/Gradebook

A syllabus (course outline) should be prepared and distributed to each incoming student in every Business Technology course. This syllabus should detail the course description, requirements, evaluation criteria and should include documentation that it was read by a parent. According to the UTD handbook, planning is essential for effective teaching and learning. Lesson plans should be made available for any administrator to see at any given time. Although there is no prescribed format for a lesson plan, there are certain minimum criteria that must be adhered to in lesson plans. Written plans should be developed in accordance with the required indicators of PACES domain I. A suggested lesson plan format can be found in Appendix C. For additional information about union contract guidelines, please refer to the Article XI, Planning for Teaching and Learning of the union contract, at http://www.utofd.com/PDF%20Files/UTD.pdf.

Field Trips/Special Projects

Many of our courses lend themselves to having field trips or other types of projects and/ or outings. I would like to encourage you to do so. Let us cooperate with each other in planning these projects and try to help cover classes for those involved in field trips. Please follow the rules for field trips given in the Faculty Handbook. For specific field trip forms click here.

Professional Dress

As Business Technology Education teachers, we are preparing our students for the business world. There is no better way to teach than by example. Our students will know how to dress appropriately in the business world and when they participate in our activities ( FBLA conferences, etc.) by following our example. Remember that FBLA has a very strict dress code to which our students must adhere. If we as teachers follow the same code, our students will have an edge. Please refer to the FBLA Adviser’s Handbook for dress code guidelines or visit http://bte.dadeschools.net/downloads.htm - FBLA.

PACES Observations

The focus of PACES is the ongoing assessment of teaching and learning by teachers for the purpose of professional development. The need for continual professional growth is a priority for teachers because teachers have the most direct, ongoing influence on student learning. The PACES system (Professional Assessment and Comprehensive Evaluation System) is expected to:

§ raise expectations for teaching and learning;

§ promote ongoing professional growth for all educators;

§ promote student achievement by enabling higher levels of learning;

§ reduce paperwork and more fully integrate assessment and evaluation processes with new technologies; and

§ accommodate individual differences among educators.

All annual contract teachers are supported by a PACES Professional Growth Team to assist them in the Professional Growth Process. The principal or supervising administrator will conduct an observation of teaching and learning. New teachers will be observed within the first 45 calendar days of assignment, excluding the first 10 days of student contact.

Specific procedures for the PACES Professional Growth Process can be found at http://paces.dadeschools.net

SACS Study

Our school is accredited through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

The SACS School Improvement Process is a five-year continuous cycle that provides the school with the tools to conduct a comprehensive needs assessment, analyze the data associated with student performance, establish specific goals for student learning, and create meaningful action plans focused on improving student performance.

As a teacher in the Business Technology Department, you may be asked to serve on a committee that will review one of the required components for certification.

Textbooks

Most business courses have class sets of books for each student. All classrooms will have class sets of textbooks for the courses taught in the particular room. All books must be bar-coded, or have a M-DCPS number. Each teacher is responsible to verify that all books are in place at the end of each marking period. You will be given a set number of books at the beginning of the school year. At the end of the school year, a textbook count must be given to the department head for textbook inventory purposes.

School Forms

Most forms that you will need to carry out your responsibilities are located either on the school’s website or at http://forms.dadeschools.net. Once you get on the website, you can either search using a keyword, the name of the form or just use the form number. You will need to have Acrobat Reader software on your computer and the full version of Acrobat in order to save and make changes to the form.

Storage

Most classrooms have either a closet or a cabinet where books and classroom materials can be stored. It is imperative that class sets of books be properly identified and counted periodically. You may want to implement a system where the textbook number coincides with the station number for efficient classroom management.

Department Meetings

The department meetings will be held once a month (hopefully during lunch). They will be scheduled to follow the countywide department head meetings for Business Technology Education. If there is a need, emergency meetings will be called, but they will be kept to a minimum.

Classroom Policies

A standardized handout, “Rules of Professional Behavior” has been developed for use by all teachers in the department. Please review these rules at the beginning of the school year and as appropriate so that procedures can be followed that allow for an effective classroom learning environment. Please refer to Appendix D for a copy of these rules as well as additional rules for computer usage. Additionally, there is an acceptable use policy from Miami-Dade County Schools.

Emergency Plans

Each teacher must provide up to five (5) sets of emergency plans to be used during any unexpected absence. Please refer to the Faculty/Staff Handbook for complete instructions on this subject.

Supplies

District funding for supplies are based on FTE enrollments. Your supply needs should be made known to your department head with plenty of lead time given to place the order. Your department head will make every effort to honor your request as long as it meets district guidelines.

Lab Fees

Our school has an established and region approved lab fee assessment of $____ . Collections for this fee should be done on a “Recap of Collections” form. (http://forms.dadeschools.net/webpdf/1004.pdf) Each student should sign the recap form and include their student identification number and the amount of the payment. A record of each student who has paid should be recorded in your grade book and any outstanding fees should be recorded on a financial obligation form and submitted to the treasurer at the appropriate time.

Equipment and Textbook Inventory

The Business Technology Department maintains a database for both textbooks and equipment. Any item with a value of $750 or more has a property control (PC) number and must be placed on this list. Please do not move any equipment from your classroom that has a PC number without notifying your department head.

A textbook inventory database is also maintained by your department head. A textbook inventory log (Appendix E) will be provided to you to keep track of textbooks issued to students as well as for class sets. It is your responsibility to keep a complete and accurate list of textbooks issued to students by having each student sign for each book and keeping track of returned/lost/stolen books at the end of the school year or when a student transfers out of your class. A student financial obligation form needs to be filled out in case of a lost/stolen or damaged textbook.

Use of Classrooms

Most of the labs and classrooms are shared by a few teachers. Let us be courteous to others by observing the simple rules of making sure the room is left in proper order, books are in the right place, the board is clean, etc. If there is a problem, please try to work it out with the individual teacher. If it persists, please inform the department head so that the problem can be resolved.

Classroom/Lab Management

For purposes of maintenance of equipment and rooms, each teacher will be responsible for the room they are assigned. Your duty will be to check that all the equipment as listed on the inventory list is in fact in the assigned room at the beginning of the year. Also, if any equipment is not working, please report it immediately. An Equipment Repair Form can be found in Appendix F. Any other problems need to be reported to the department head as soon as possible. Your room assignment is listed in previously mentioned Appendix B.

Security

All of us have keys that will unlock our rooms, closets, offices, staff restrooms, file cabinets. All rooms are to be locked and the lights turned off at the end of the day. The department office should be kept locked unless there is someone present. Extra keys for items that must be opened when you are absent must be kept in _______________.

Sign Out Early

If an emergency arises that requires you to leave during the day, please notify the department head and the administrator in charge to assure appropriate coverage. The required sign out form must also be completed.

Memberships in Professional Organizations

You are encouraged to become a member and participate in the various professional organizations available to Business Technology teachers. Please visit each organization’s website for additional information regarding dues and membership. See Appendix G.

Teacher Certification

Your teacher certification is your license to teach. If you don’t renew your certificate in a timely manner, YOUR CONTRACT WILL NOT BE RENEWED. For information regarding certification procedures, forms, applications, contact numbers, etc., you may want to visit the following website:

http://www.dadeschools.net/ehandbook/LicensetoTeach.pdf

Websites

A compilation of various websites that may be helpful in your classes is included as Appendix H. Please note that web addresses were up to date at the time of this publication and may change without notice.

APPENDIX A

____________________School

Business Technology Education Department Directory

Name	Classroom/Tel. Ext.	E-mail	Home Address	Telephone
Dee Oakley, Supv.		doakley@dadeschools.net	1450 NE Second Avenue , Miami , FL 33132	305.995.1847

APPENDIX B

Include printout of Business Technology Department Schedules

APPENDIX C

See suggested lesson plan and ESOL strategies

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction