FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
     
    S
      
    TATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
     
    T. WILLARD FAIR,
    Chairman
     
    Members
     
    PETER BOULWARE
     
    AKSHAY DESAI
     
    ROBERTO MARTÍNEZ
      
     
    PHOEBE RAULERSON
     
    K
    SHANAHAN
     
    LINDA K. TAYLOR
     
     
     
    Dr. Eric J. Smith
    Commissioner of Education
      
     
      
     
      
     
     
     
     
     
    CONTACT INFORMATION
    Beth Bouchard
    (850) 245-9965
    Beth.bouchard@fldoe.org
    DPS:2009-027
     
     
     
    MEMORANDUM
     
    TO:
    District Superintendents
     
    FROM:
    Dr. Frances Haithcock
     
    DATE:
    March 13, 2009
     
      
     
    SUBJECT: DISTRICT CHARACTER EDUCATION PLANS
     
    Section 1003.42(2)(s), Florida Statutes, states that each district school board shall develop or
    adopt a curriculum for a character-development program that shall be submitted to the
    Department of Education for approval for grades K-12. In 2004, districts submitted these plans
    to the Florida Department of Education for review and evaluation. In February 2005, the
    Department notified district school superintendents that the district plans were found to be
    comprehensive, containing well-constructed curriculums.
     
    These plans are on file in the Bureau of Curriculum and Instruction, Florida Department of
    Education, and were recently reviewed. Several observations were made in this review:
     
     
    These plans are correlated to the 1996 Sunshine State Standards.
     
    Some of these plans were written in 2002-2003, making them six and seven years old.
     
    Some of these plans are based on instructional materials that are no longer state adopted.
     
    The Department would like to give you the opportunity to update your district plans for character
    education. These plans should align to the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards (NGSSS)
    and benchmarks and should continue to include grades kindergarten through 12. They also
    should promote the core ethical values of patriotism, responsibility, citizenship, kindness,
    respect, honesty, self-control, tolerance, and cooperation. If your district is using a completely
    new program, remember that Section 1003.42(2)(s), Florida Statutes, requires that the program
    be secular in nature and that it stress such character qualities as attentiveness, patience, and
    initiative.
     
     
    DR. FRANCES HAITHCOCK
    CHANCELLOR OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS
     
    325 W. GAINES STREET • SUITE 514 • TALLAHASSEE, FL 32399-0400 • (850) 245-0509 • www.fldoe.org
     

    District Character Education Plans
    o allow time for incorporation of the revised Next Generation Sunshine State Standards for
    ing
    March 13, 2009
    Page 2
     
     
    T
    Language Arts, District Character Development Updated Plans should be mailed to the follow
    address or submitted electronically to beth.bouchard@fldoe.org by August 1, 2010:
     
    Beth Bouchard, Director
    cation
     
    cluded with this memorandum is the document
    Next Generation Sunshine State Standards for
     
    Office of the Humanities
    Florida Department of Edu
    325 West Gaines Street, Suite 432
    Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400
     
    In
    Social Studies and Health Related to Character Education
    . If you have any questions regarding
    the requirements of the character development plan, please call Beth Bouchard at (850) 245-9965
    or e-mail her at beth.bouchard@fldoe.org.
     
     
     
    FH/tc
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

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