FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
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STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
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John L. Winn
Commissioner of Education
F. PHILIP HANDY,
Chairman
T. WILLARD FAIR,
Vice Chairman
Members
DONNA G. CALLAWAY
ROBERTO MARTÍNEZ
PHOEBE RAULERSON
KATHLEEN SHANAHAN
LINDA K. TAYLOR
May 1, 2006
M E M O R A N D U M
TO:
District School Superintendents
FROM:
John
L.
Winn
Commissioner
of
Education
RE:
Update on reading class enrollments for 2005-06
In January, I sent you information about the current implementation of the K-12 Comprehensive
Reading Plan in your district. The specific data included depicted the enrollment of your
district’s Level 1 and Level 2 students in reading classes. As you know, for the first time in
Florida’s history, the Legislature funded reading as an allocation within the Florida Education
Finance Program (FEFP). The main thrust of this funding is to make sure that students reading
below grade level are receiving extra support in reading instruction.
Included with this memo are two attachments pulled from October’s survey 2 and February’s
survey 3:
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Attachment A: data showing statewide reading course enrollment for all FCAT
achievement levels, grades 6-12.
•
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Attachment B: data showing the percentage of Level 1 and 2 readers enrolled in a
reading course this year, grades 6-12, for each district. The green highlight
indicates the districts serving at least 90 percent of their Level 1 and 2 students in
a reading course.
325 W. GAINES STREET • TALLAHASSEE, FL 32399-0400 • (850) 245-0505 • www.fldoe.org
Memo to District School Superintendents
Page 2
Data showing the percentage of students enrolled in a reading course, grades 6-12, for each
middle and high school in your district, is being sent by separate email.
This information is more comprehensive than the data I shared with you in January, as it includes
a full year look at enrollment, including block scheduled courses and developmental language
arts as an appropriate course for reading intervention for students with limited English
proficiency.
As you continue to update your district reading plans, I again urge you to serve 100 percent of
your Level 1 and 2 students in a reading intervention class for the 2006-07 school year, using the
new course description approved by the State Board of Education in April 2005.
The FCAT retake scores of 11
th
and 12
th
graders will be included in next year’s school grading
formula. These students who are determined to stay in school deserve all that you can give them
in preparation for their retakes, not the least of which is enrollment in intensive reading courses.
Please review district and school-based policies and program to ensure 11
th
and 12
th
grade
students get as much help as possible.
For questions about any of this data, please contact Evan Lefsky, Director of Secondary Reading
for Just Read, Florida!, at evan.lefsky@fldoe.org or 850.245.0503.
Thank you again for all you do for reading in Florida.
JLW/mlo
Attachments