FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
?
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
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
August 23, 2006
M E M O R A N D U M
TO:
District School Superintendents
FROM:
John L. Winn, Commissioner of Education
SUBJECT:
Florida Literacy and Reading Excellence Center (FLaRE) Site-Based Support
As we begin another exciting school year, I am pleased to inform you about a new professional
development initiative sponsored by Just Read, Florida! During the past two years, area
coordinators from the Florida Literacy and Reading Excellence Center (FLaRE) at the University
of Central Florida have been providing free Reading Endorsement in-service in districts
throughout the state. The goal of the in-service was to build capacity through creation of a cadre
of local Reading Endorsement facilitators in your district. With this goal accomplished, the role
of the FLaRE area coordinators will now shift to site-based support for our neediest middle and
high schools.
During the 2006-2007 school year, coordinators will be assigned approximately 10-12 schools
with whom they will work to create an individualized literacy professional development plan for
the faculty. This systemic plan will be created in partnership with the principal, reading coach,
and reading leadership team at each school. The schools targeted for support include all middle
and high schools graded “D” or “F”, as well as any middle or high school with less than 40
percent of their students proficient in reading on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test
(FCAT). A list of each area coordinator with the schools they will serve in each district is
attached.
325 W. GAINES STREET • TALLAHASSEE, FL 32399-0400 • (850) 245-0505 • www.fldoe.org
Memo to District School Superintendents
Page 2
Those schools in your district that are not targeted for site-based support will be offered the
opportunity to participate in any professional development that occurs at neighboring site-based
support schools.
In order to ensure the success of this support initiative, the principal from each school targeted
for site-based support must agree to the administrative assurances that are attached. Prior to the
start of services, each FLaRE coordinator will confer with the principal and reading coach at
each school to ensure that all expectations are clear and all questions regarding the support
offered are answered.
If you have questions about this initiative, please contact Evan Lefsky, Executive Director, Just
Read, Florida!, at 850/245-0503; e-mail address evan.lefsky@fldoe.org or Enrique Puig, Director
of the Florida Literacy and Reading Excellence Center (FLaRE), at 407/823-0844; e-mail
address epuig@mail.ucf.edu.
I look forward to visiting your district during the school year and witnessing first hand the
impact of your hard work. Thank you for all you do for reading in Florida.
JLW/el
CC:
Middle and High School Principals
Attachments
