January 7, 2003
M E M O R A N D U M
TO: All Florida Teachers
FROM: Commissioner Jim Horne
SUBJECT: Just Read, Florida!
Message to Teachers
Happy New Year! A special thanks to each of you for the work you do on
behalf of Florida’s children and our continued gratitude as you begin the
second half of your school year.
With this New Year’s greeting, we want to take the opportunity to share
some information about our highest educational priority: reading. Reading
is the most powerful common denominator in education and is paramount to an
individual's success. Research strongly indicates that failure to read
proficiently is the most compelling reason children are retained in the
same grade or assigned to special education.
I’m happy to report that Florida's students are making progress in
acquiring necessary reading skills and have demonstrated increases in
reading scores in recent years. However, only about half of Florida's
fourth graders read at or above grade level, only four in 10 of our middle
school students read at or above grade level and fewer than four in 10 of
our high school students read at or above grade level. Governor Jeb Bush
has set for us all an ambitious goal - to have all students reading at or
above grade level by 2012. With your help and hard work, we can meet this
goal, which will transform education and so many lives.
Florida is financially committed to implementing scientifically based
reading research as demonstrated by current programs and initiatives as
well as the Secretary of Education’s 2003 Budget Recommendation of $78.7
million for Just Read, Florida! in federal and state funds for an increase
of $15.2 million.
Scientifically based reading research provides the foundation for both
Governor Bush’s Just Read, Florida! Initiative and for the federal Reading
First program. Just Read, Florida! incorporates methods that emphasize the
five key components of reading effective instruction: phonemic awareness,
phonics, fluency, comprehension and vocabulary. Currently, there are a
variety of existing efforts in Florida to improve reading skills, and the
State of Florida is actively working to improve reading proficiency. Some
of our efforts specifically for K-12 educators include:
The Reading First Summer Academies, which will train all K-3 teachers by
2005. These academies will ensure that teachers have the instructional
strategies in the latest research-based methods.
Reading Endorsement for Certification, available since fall of 2002. This
new endorsement will empower every teacher with the necessary skills to
teach reading effectively to their students. Endorsements indicate a
teacher’s special level of expertise and are currently offered in gifted,
middle grades and English for Speakers of Other Languages.
The Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR), the nation’s preeminent
reading research center based at Florida State University and led by Dr.
Joseph Torgesen. FCRR is currently providing reports on reading programs
for teachers. These reports can be accessed at www.fcrr.org
<http://www.fcrr.org>.
The Florida Online Reading Professional Development course (FOR-PD), at the
University of Central Florida. FOR-PD provides K-12 educators with
opportunities to enhance their knowledge of research-based reading
instruction, while working toward recertification as time permits. The
interactive system will include immediate feedback through e-mail, instant
messaging, telephone follow-up and a chat room. Currently in the pilot
stage, this course will be available January 21, 2003. Please call (866)
227-7261 (Florida only) or (407) 207-4962 for additional information.
Summer Professional Development at FSU. This program provides reading
courses for public school teachers and administrators of grades 6-12 and is
offered statewide. The Summer Professional Development program will enhance
the ability to teach reading and provide stipends to educators who
participate. These classes were offered in summer 2002 and will be offered
again in summer 2003. Please contact Dr. Vivian Fueyo at
[log in to unmask] for additional information.
Up to 100 hours per teacher of free reading professional development from
major instructional materials publishers. In January of 2002, the Governor
announced an unprecedented agreement with five major instructional
materials publishers to provide up to 100 hours of free professional
development on the building blocks of reading for teachers in the districts
that purchase their instructional materials.
The Second Annual Just Read, Florida! Leadership Conference will train
principals on how to implement a school-wide research-based system of
instruction. The summer institute is for principals of schools showing the
most need.
Reading and the Critical Teacher Shortage Program. The State Board of
Education added reading to this program for the 2003-2004 school year. The
Critical Teacher Shortage Program provides teacher scholarships and loan
forgiveness to teachers in the identified shortage areas.
The Florida Literacy and Reading Excellence Center, housed at the UCF. The
center offers professional development in reading for teachers of grades K-
12.
Parents, families, neighbors and mentors play a crucial role in helping
children learn to read, and teachers need improved access to innovative,
creative, and effective strategies to help children learn to read
proficiently. With a more comprehensive and coordinated effort from the
Department of Education, with additional assistance and with encouragement
from families and communities, many more students can become successful
readers, pursue their dreams and improve the quality of life in Florida.
Please feel free to contact the Just Read, Florida! Office at
[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> with any questions or
comments.
Thank you for your hard work and your dedication to education and Florida’s
children. I wish you the greatest success in the new year.
Please do not hesitate to send your message to [log in to unmask]
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