1There is created in the Department of Education the Just Read, Florida! Office. The office is fully accountable to the Commissioner of Education and shall:26(1) 27Train reading coaches.
30(2) 31Create multiple designations of effective reading instruction, with accompanying credentials, to enable all teachers to integrate reading instruction into their content areas.
53(3) 54Work with the Lastinger Center for Learning at the University of Florida to develop training for K-12 teachers, reading coaches, and school principals on effective content-area-specific reading strategies; the integration of content-rich curriculum from other core subject areas into reading instruction; and evidence-based reading strategies identified in subsection (8) to improve student reading performance. For secondary teachers, emphasis shall be on technical text. These strategies must be developed for all content areas in the K-12 curriculum.
130(4) 131Develop and provide access to sequenced, content-rich curriculum programming, instructional practices, and resources that help elementary schools use state-adopted instructional materials to increase students’ background knowledge and literacy skills, including student attainment of the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards for social studies, science, and the arts.
177(5) 178Provide parents with information and strategies for assisting their children in reading, including reading in content areas.
195(6) 196Provide technical assistance to school districts in the development and implementation of district plans for use of the research-based reading instruction allocation provided in s. 2211011.62(9) 222and annually review and approve such plans. 229(7) 230Review, evaluate, and provide technical assistance to school districts’ implementation of the K-12 comprehensive reading plan required in s. 2491011.62(9)250. 251(8) 252Work with the Florida Center for Reading Research to identify scientifically researched and evidence-based reading instructional and intervention programs that incorporate explicit, systematic, and sequential approaches to teaching phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and text comprehension and incorporate decodable or phonetic text instructional strategies. Reading intervention includes evidence-based strategies frequently used to remediate reading deficiencies and includes, but is not limited to, individual instruction, multisensory approaches, tutoring, mentoring, or the use of technology that targets specific reading skills and abilities.
332(9) 333Periodically review the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards for English Language Arts to determine their appropriateness at each grade level.
353(10) 354Periodically review teacher certification requirements and examinations, including alternative certification requirements and examinations, to ascertain whether the examinations measure the skills needed for evidence-based reading instruction and instructional strategies for teaching reading, including reading in content areas.
391(11) 392Work with teacher preparation programs approved pursuant to ss. 4011004.04 402and 4031004.85 404to integrate effective, research-based and evidence-based reading instructional and intervention strategies, including explicit, systematic, and sequential reading strategies, multisensory intervention strategies, and reading in content area instructional strategies into teacher preparation programs. 436(12) 437Administer grants and perform other functions as necessary to help students read at their highest potential.
