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
CONTACT PERSON(S)
NAME:
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Lisa C. Saavedra
Barbara
Elzie
PHONE:
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(850) 245-5074
(850)
245-0503
SUNCOM:
205-5074 or 205-0503
E-MAIL:
lisa.saavedra@fldoe.org
barbara.elzie@fldoe.org
K-12:
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2006-121
MEMORANDUM
TO:
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District Superintendents
FROM:
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Cheri Pierson Yecke, Ph.D.
Chancellor,
K-12
Public
Schools
Evan
Lefsky,
Ph.D.
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Executive
Director,
Just Read, Florida!
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DATE:
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August 28, 2006
SUBJECT:
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Reading Endorsement for Teachers of Developmental Language Arts Courses
in Grade 6-12
In 2006, seventy percent (70%) of English language learners (ELLs)/limited English proficient
(LEP) students in the lowest twenty-five percent (25%) made learning gains in reading; the
highest learning gain of all subgroups. While Florida teachers continue to close the achievement
gap for all students, and as we move towards full implementation of the annual assessment of the
progress ELLs are making toward mastery of English, assisting schools in increasing the number
CHERI PIERSON YECKE, PH.D.
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CHANCELLOR, K-12 PUBLIC SCHOOLS
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325 W. GAINES STREET • SUITE 514 • TALLAHASSEE, FL 32399-0400 • (850) 245-0509 • www.fldoe.org
Memorandum – District Superintendents
August 28, 2006
Page 2
of students reading at grade level continues to be a major focus of the Department of Education.
As previously communicated in June 23, 2005, the Department issued K-12 Memorandum
200502,
Enrollment of Limited English Proficient Students in Required Intensive Reading
Courses,
in an effort to address the issues regarding the requirements to enroll students scoring
Level 1 or Level 2 on FCAT in intensive reading courses and to provide guidance to school
districts. This memo and attachment may be viewed at the following URLs:
http://info.fldoe.org/dscgi/ds.py/Get/File-3062/k12_05-82.pdf (Memo)
http://info.fldoe.org/dscgi/ds.py/Get/File-3063/k12_05-82a.pdf (Attachment)
In accordance to the above memo, the Department recommended the following instructional
services and teacher qualifications for non-English speaking ELLs or very limited English
proficient students who scored at Level 1 or Level 2 on FCAT:
Grades K-6
Recommended for ELLs who are non-English speaking and/or at the beginning or intermediate
level of English language proficiency
: Intensive reading instruction in addition to grade-level
instruction in English/language arts or Speakers of Other Language (ESOL).
Teacher qualifications: Teacher with appropriate grade-level certification and ESOL
Endorsement, or K-12 ESOL coverage. Example: 90-minute block of instruction in reading
which incorporates a language development focus, including instruction in the acquisition of
listening, speaking, reading, and writing in English.
Grades 7-12
Recommended for ELLs who are non-English speaking and/or at the beginning or intermediate
level of English language/proficiency:
Developmental Language Arts course. Delivery of
instruction under this option requires a focus on language development, but incorporates
instruction on grade level Sunshine State Standards reading benchmarks.
Teacher Qualifications: Teacher with appropriate grade-level certification and the ESOL
Endorsement, or K-12 ESOL, and who has obtained (or is working on) the Reading Endorsement
or Reading Certification.
Middle School Example: Course Number: 1002180 M/J Developmental Language Arts through
ESOL (Multiple Credits)
High School Example: Course Number: 1002380 Developmental Language Arts through ESOL
(Multiple Credits)
Our purpose is to ensure that teachers teaching reading to ELLs would also be qualified to
address the linguistic and language acquisition needs of ELLs who are learning to read, and
reading to learn. Even though the June 23, 2005, memo clarified, the deadline for obtaining the
Reading Endorsement was June 30, 2006; there has been confusion regarding whether or not
teachers assigned to teach Developmental Language Arts Courses to ELLs are required to obtain
the Reading Endorsement; this memo is provided to clarify that beginning with the 2007-08
school year, teachers assigned to teach Developmental Language Arts to ELLs will be required
Memorandum – District Superintendents
August 28, 2006
Page 3
to have the Reading Endorsement in addition to the certification previously outlined in the
Course Code Directory for these courses.
As a reminder, in 2003 the Department conducted a crosswalk between the ESOL Endorsement
and the Reading Endorsement. It was determined that 80-inservice points could be awarded to
reading endorsement candidates across the five competencies if they had earned the ESOL
endorsement.
In addition, the Department developed a specific inservice program, known as Reading
Endorsement for English for Speakers of Other Language (REESOL) Professional Development
Bundle. The REESOL Bundle was an add-on training designed to cover all of the remaining
competencies needed to fulfill the requirement for the Reading Endorsement. The memo, which
outlined the REESOL Professional Development, included a description of the additional
competencies needed for completing the Reading Endorsement. This memo may be viewed at
the following URL:
h
ttp://info.fldoe.org/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-2802/reesol.pd
f
We would encourage you to review the K-12 Memorandum 2005-82,
Enrollment of Limited
English Proficient Students in Required Intensive Reading Courses
, as it also provides
clarification on the requirements for teachers assigned to teach Intensive Reading to ELLs at the
advanced level of English language proficiency. It is important to note that the timelines for
obtaining the ESOL Endorsement are different from those for the Reading Endorsement. A
teacher who is required to obtain the ESOL Endorsement has up to six years from the date of
initial assignment to complete these requirements. The Department is pleased to announce that
we have begun the process of analyzing the competencies earned in the Reading Endorsement to
determine which of these may be applied towards the ESOL Endorsement and will develop what
we call the
Reverse Crosswalk.
Please be certain of our appreciation for your continued commitment to increasing student
achievement and your support in addressing the unique needs of English language learners in
reading. If you have any questions regarding reading instruction for ELLs, please contact Lisa C.
Saavedra, Executive Director, Academic Achievement through Language Acquisition, (850)
245-5074 or via e-mail at lisa.saavedra@fldoe.org. Questions regarding intensive reading may be
referred to Barbara Elzie, Deputy Director,
Just Read, Florida!,
(850) 245-0503 or via e-mail at
barbara.elzie@fldoe.org.
CY/EL/lcsm
cc:
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Barbara
Elzie
Lisa C. Saavedra
Beverly
Gregory
Assistant
Superintendents for Instruction
District Reading Coordinators
District ESOL Coordinators
District Certification Contacts
