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
    July 13, 2006
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    CONTACT INFORMATION
    Holly Radcliffe
    MEMORANDUM
    Holly.Radcliffe@fldoe.org
    (850) 245-5030
    TO:
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    District Superintendents
    K
    -12: 2006-85
    Principals
    FROM:
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    Cheri Pierson Yecke, Ph.D.
    Chancellor, Division of K-12 Public Schools
    Evan Lefsky, Ph.D.
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    Director, Just Read, Florida!
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    RE:
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    SAVE THE DATE: Guinness Book of World Records Read Aloud
    Florida’s middle school students have a lot to celebrate. This year, 223,000 more students are reading on
    grade level compared to 2001, and improvements in middle school reading tripled that of any previous
    single year gain. Additionally, there has been a renewed focus on reading at the middle school level and
    great participation in the Department’s “Shoot for the Stars: A Record-Breaking Year for Middle Schools”
    initiative.
    Earlier this week at the Just Read, Florida! Conference, Commissioner John Winn announced that we will
    be leading Florida’s middle grades students in breaking a Guinness World Record as the latest in our
    “Shoot for the Stars” projects. We invite you to join us as we make history.
    The current record for
    Most People Reading Aloud Simultaneously at Multiple Locations
    was set in 2004
    by 155,528 students in the United Kingdom. To date, over 203,000 Florida middle schoolers in 291
    schools have signed on to break the record.
    The record-breaking event is scheduled for the morning of Thursday, September 28, 2006.
    A formal
    announcement will go out next month that will include the time of the event and the excerpt of text that will
    be used for the read aloud.
    For more information, please visit www.justreadflorida.com
    Holly.Radcliffe@fldoe.org, (850) 245-5030, or Sun Com 205-5030.
    325 W. GAINES STREET • SUITE 514 • TALLAHASSEE, FL 32399-0400 • (850) 245-0509 • www.fldoe.org

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