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
MEMORANDUM
Contact Information:
Elise Lynch
TO:
Exceptional Student Education Directors
(850) 245-0478
elise.lynch@fldoe.org
FROM:
Bambi J. Lockman
K12: 2006-132
DATE:
September 14, 2006
SUBJECT:
READING REQUIREMENT FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
In an effort to provide further guidance as districts work to increase the proficiency of all
students, the Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services has revised the Question and
Answer document entitled
Reading Requirement for Students with Disabilities
.
The attached
document replaces the document with the same title disseminated in December 2005 via
memorandum K12: 2005-163.
The revisions are based on the most recent K12 Comprehensive Reading Plan Guidance, the
most recent question and answer document addressing highly qualified requirements for
exceptional student education teachers, and House Bill 7087, referred to as the A++ Bill. Each is
referenced according to relevance within the attached question and answer document.
Should you have any questions or need further clarification, please contact Elise Lynch, Program
Specialist, Florida Department of Education, by telephone at (850) 245-0478 or by electronic
mail at elise.lynch@fldoe.org.
BJL/elt
Attachment
cc: Reading
Coordinators
BAMBI J. LOCKMAN
Chief
?
Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services
?
325 W. GAINES STREET • SUITE 614 • TALLAHASSEE, FL 32399-0400 • (850) 245-0475 • www.fldoe.org
Florida Department of Education
?
Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services
?
Reading Requirements for Students with Disabilities
Questions and Answers
ELEMENTARY
1. Do
all
elementary students with disabilities scoring level 1 or level 2 on the Florida
Comprehensive Assessment Test
®
(FCAT) reading portion need to receive 90 minutes
of reading instruction daily?
Yes. Through the K-12 Comprehensive Reading Plan,
all
students in grades K-5 are
required to receive 90 minutes of daily, uninterrupted, scientifically based reading
instruction. Schools may use this block to deliver instruction in all content areas
(social studies, science, humanities, health, research for reports, etc.). This
requirement also includes students who are exempted from the FCAT. However, for
students who have significant cognitive impairments, the individual educational plan
(IEP) team may determine that other instruction, such as language acquisition or
other pre-reading skills taught in smaller increments throughout the day, is more
appropriate for the student to benefit from the 90-minute reading requirement. All
students must be provided with remedial or supplemental instruction until the student
reads on grade level.
2. Can an IEP team make the decision to decrease the 90-minute reading requirement in
elementary school for a student with disabilities?
No. All students in grades K-5 are required to receive 90 minutes of daily,
uninterrupted, scientifically based reading instruction. However, for students who
have significant cognitive impairments, the IEP team may determine that the 90
minute reading block be broken into smaller increments throughout the day.
3. Can the 90-minute uninterrupted reading block in elementary school be divided
between settings (i.e., a general education setting and an ESE resource setting)?
No. At this time, the uninterrupted reading block must take place in the same setting
throughout the entire 90-minutes. Schools are encouraged to include all students in
the general education setting for the 90-minute reading block. An ESE teacher or a
speech/language pathologist (SLP) may provide services in accordance with the IEP
in the general education setting during the reading block. The ESE teacher or the SLP
is not required to remain in the general education setting for the entire 90-minute
reading block. An IEP team may determine that a student should receive the entire
90-minute reading block in an ESE setting. Students may also receive the 90-minute
reading block in the general education setting and receive additional instructional
time in the ESE setting.
4. Is the reading endorsement or reading certification required for an ESE teacher
teaching reading to ESE students at the elementary level (courses 771002, 5010020,
and 5010050)?
No. The elementary ESE teacher does not have to have the reading endorsement
and/or certification. However, because of the Title II monitoring finding, the ESE
teacher must meet the highly qualified (HQ) requirements for an elementary teacher
using one of the options listed in the
ESE Teachers (K-6) Teaching Elementary
Education
chart accessible at
http://www.fldoe.org/NCLB/documents.asp#ESE_Requirements. If the ESE teacher
meets the HQ requirements of a general education elementary teacher, then the ESE
teacher also meets HQ for reading, grades K-6. An ESE teacher certainly can go
beyond this requirement and obtain the reading endorsement or reading certification.
5. Is the reading endorsement or reading certification required for an ESE certified
teacher teaching reading to ESE students in grade 6 (course 7810020)?
No. However, the ESE teacher must meet the elementary highly qualified
requirements (see question four).
MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL
6. How many minutes of intensive reading instruction are required for students in middle
and high school?
The number of minutes of reading instruction in middle and high schools will vary
according to the district’s approved K-12 Comprehensive Reading Plan and course
schedules, such as traditional or block scheduling. As a general rule, students with
intervention needs in the areas of decoding and/or fluency are required to have
increased time in a reading intervention course.
7. Can an IEP team make the decision to decrease or waive the reading requirement in
middle and high school for students with disabilities?
No. The amount of time students are scheduled into a reading class must be
congruent with the K-12 Comprehensive Reading Plan. Students with disabilities
scoring level 1 or level 2 on the FCAT reading portion (or working below grade level
if FCAT scores are unavailable) are required to receive intensive reading instruction.
Within the confines of the district K-12 Comprehensive Reading Plan, level 1 and 2
students whose reading intervention needs are limited to the areas of comprehension
and vocabulary may be provided intervention
in any class
as long as the teacher is
highly qualified to teach reading or working towards that status (pursuing the reading
endorsement or reading certification). In addition, there must be the assurance that
the classroom infrastructure (class size, materials, etc.) is adequate to implement the
intervention class as described in the “Intensive Reading” course description, which
can be found at
http://data.fldoe.org/crsCode/68/Language%20Arts/Remedial/pdf/1000010.pdf
The IEP team may determine that the student’s functioning level is not appropriate
for the intensive reading course, or that other instruction is more essential for the
student. The IEP team may determine that other instruction, such as language
acquisition or applied functional reading in a community, vocational, or work setting,
is more appropriate for the student. This instruction may occur in an ESE reading
course per the course code directory (7810020, 7910100, and 7910400) or could be
addressed in another ESE course.
All students must be provided with remedial or supplemental instruction until the
expectations are met, the student graduates from high school, or the student is no
longer subject to compulsory school attendance and has chosen to withdraw from
school [Section 1008.25 (4)(c), Florida Statutes].
8. Is the reading endorsement or reading certification required for an ESE teacher
teaching reading to ESE students in grades 7–12 (courses 7810020, 7910100,
7910400)?
It depends on the level of instruction. If the student is significantly cognitively
impaired, taking the alternate assessment, then the ESE teacher must meet the HQ
requirements for elementary education. If the level of instruction is above the
elementary level and the student is not significantly cognitively impaired, taking the
FCAT, then the ESE teacher is required to have the reading endorsement or
certification. For additional information you may access the document titled
Questions and Answers Regarding Highly Qualified Teacher Requirements for
Exceptional Student Education Teachers
at
http://info.fldoe.org/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-3680/k12_06_54att.pdf.
9. Can the Progress Monitoring Plan requirement be satisfied by the IEP?
The 2006 Legislature passed House Bill 7087, which amended several sections of
1008.25 (4), Florida Statutes (F.S.). The reference to an academic improvement plan
(AIP) was deleted and replaced with progress monitoring plan (PMP). The legislation
now requires the school in which the student is enrolled to develop, in consultation
with the student’s parent, and to implement a progress-monitoring plan. A PMP is
intended to provide the district and the school flexibility in meeting the academic
needs of the student and to reduce paperwork. The frequency of progress monitoring
and the monitoring tools are established in the district K-12 Comprehensive Reading
Plan.
A student who is not meeting the school district or state requirements for proficiency
in reading and mathematics shall be covered by one of the following plans to target
instruction and identify ways to improve his or her academic achievement:
1. a federally required student plan such as an individual education plan
2. a schoolwide system of progress monitoring for all
3. an individualized progress-monitoring plan
The plan chosen must be designed to assist the student or the school in meeting state
and district expectations for proficiency.
The legislation requires that each student must participate in the statewide assessment
tests required by Section 1008.22, F.S. Each student who does not meet specific
levels of performance, as determined by the district school board, in reading, writing,
science, and mathematics or who scores below level 3 in reading or mathematics
must be provided with additional diagnostic assessments that will determine the
nature of the student’s difficulty, the areas of academic need, and the strategies for
appropriate intervention and instruction.
If the IEP does not address the student’s deficiency in reading or mathematics as
required by Florida law, then the school must address these deficits in either a
schoolwide progress-monitoring system or an individual progress-monitoring plan.