TAVARES — Jessica Noblin, a Multi-Tiered System of Supports coordinator at Leesburg Elementary School, and Carol Tracy, a fifth-grade teacher at Eustis Elementary School, have completed a year of professional learning through the Florida High Impact Teacher Corps.
The program prioritizes teachers who have been identified as “high impact” and are working in D and F schools, though it also includes some schools graded C. Eustis Elementary and Leesburg Elementary both earned Cs for the 2024-25 school year. The training includes in-person sessions, virtual sessions, and individual coaching, aiming to encourage teachers to remain at their current schools, where they are needed most, and to help teachers develop the knowledge, skills, and networks necessary to improve student outcomes.
Educators selected to apply for the High Impact Teacher Corps have shown statistically significant positive impacts on student learning according to Florida’s value-added model (VAM), which is used to measure learning growth for teacher evaluations. About 9,000 teachers in Florida are considered “high impact” based on VAM. Each year, only 50-60 high-impact educators are selected for the Corps.
The state benefits from the program through the retention of high-impact teachers in high-needs schools. About 80% of program completers report returning to their school the year following their participation. Other benefits include an emphasis on supporting vulnerable students in reaching their full potential and leveraging roles and expertise to further teacher leadership and develop at participants’ schools.
“This is a huge accomplishment,” Lake County Schools Superintendent Diane Kornegay said. “Participation was certainly a commitment of time, but it also demonstrated a commitment to improving teaching and learning not only in Lake, but across Florida. Lake County is honored to have been represented by Ms. Noblin and Ms. Tracy.”
