FLDOE has revised the state statutes for the Reading Endorsement requirements.  As such, new courses have been developed.  All new enrollments beginning July 2023 must be in the new version of the courses.  The new version of the courses will all have a "-2" at the end of the course number.

For enrollments that were completed prior to July 31, 2023

Competency 1: Foundations of Reading Instruction

The building blocks to effective reading comprehension begin in the primary grades with explicit instruction, modeling, and practice. Fluency, word recognition, vocabulary, oral and receptive language, the role of phonics and phonological awareness will include strategic instruction with multiple opportunities for planning and practice. Reading as an ongoing strategic process will be taught through knowledge and practice with fluency approaches, teacher modeling, guided practice, writing, listening, and speaking activities. Under this umbrella, participants will learn to design, teach, scaffold, and differentiate reading lessons and activities effectively using applied strategy that builds student capacity up through grade 5. Story structure, graphic representation, reciprocal questioning, oral retelling, summarizing activities, writing strategies, vocabulary strategies, balanced literacy and critical literacy are just some of the approaches under study. Problem solving strategies geared toward building student reading stamina, coupled with ongoing formative assessment approaches, will serve as catalyst to instructional planning and decision-making. Participants will receive a treasure trove of field-tested tools and resources for effective implementation with multiple opportunities for classroom implementation throughout the course.

Course Outcomes:

  • Acquire and use new skills needed to effectively teach reading comprehension in primary grades with an understanding of the oral and written language that facilitates it through phonology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics as they relate to comprehending print.
  • Understand the importance and function of receptive and expressive vocabulary instruction, semantics, domain specific vocabulary (academic vocabulary), and morphology as it relates to vocabulary development.
  • Understand the role of vocabulary as it works into students’ understanding of word meanings, repeated practice, and comprehension of print through the use of context clues, explicit teaching, and the use of assessment data to make ongoing decisions directed to individual student needs.
  • Apply strategy that builds student capacity through teacher modeling, guided practice, particularly as it impacts text readability, complexity, coherence, structure, and overall comprehension by understanding the interdependence among reading components and their effect on the reading process for native speakers of English as well as English language learners.
  • Understand the impact that linguistic and cultural background has on English language learners’ comprehension, along with importance and role of home languages.
  • Plan and prepare to teach using scaffolded strategy to move their students along a continuum of reading success as it builds comprehension.
  • Plan and practice with numerous formal and informal assessment approaches for comprehension, using data to make informed decisions with which to meet the individual needs of students.

This course is 60 hours

For enrollments that were completed prior to July 31, 2023

Competency 2: Application of Research-Based Instructional Practices

Participants will be introduced to sound and scientific research as it promotes literacy across all content areas to help students build foundational skills across reading, writing, speaking and listening. Teachers will learn how to scaffold student learning through the application of research-based reading instruction to include and integrate the six components of reading: oral language, phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary. Participants will learn the scaffolds behind each approach that aid students in the important transition process across all content areas. Intentional, consistent, and rigorous teaching of reading and writing strategy that improves student achievement will engage the 90/90/90 principled approach to consistently streamline curriculum, curriculum resources, and assessment. Participants completing this course will embed field-tested implementation tools to into planning, preparation, and implementation.

Course Outcomes:

  • Move scientific theory into classroom strategy, practice, and implementation across specific content areas.
  • Acquire and use the skills needed to effectively teach reading comprehension in primary grades with an understanding of the oral and written language that facilitates it through phonology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics as they relate to comprehending print.
  • Understand the importance and function of research-based receptive and expressive vocabulary instruction to include semantics, domain specific vocabulary (academic vocabulary), and morphology as it relates to vocabulary development.
  • Understand, and apply to planning and instruction, the research behind vocabulary instruction, and its role in students’ overall understanding of word meanings, repeated practice, and comprehension of print through the use of context clues, explicit teaching, and the use of assessment data to make ongoing decisions directed to individual student needs.
  • Scaffold research-based strategy as it builds student reading muscle through writing practice, teacher modeling, and guided practice using applied principles of research-based reading strategy, particularly for text readability, complexity, coherence, structure, and overall comprehension for native speakers of English as well as English language learners.
  • Understand and plan for the impact that linguistic and cultural background has on English language learners’ comprehension, along with importance and role of home languages through sound principles of research-based methods that scaffold work into student achievement.
  • Plan and prepare to teach using research-based strategy to move their students along a continuum of reading success as it builds reading muscle.
  • Plan and practice with numerous formal and informal assessment approaches for comprehension, using data to make informed decisions with which to meet the individual needs of students.
  • Import research-based literacy strategy into lessons for rigorous application and implementation.
  • Glen and use new strategies for rigor in reading and writing across all subject areas.
  • Understand, plan and practice with the scaffolding of research-based methods, strategies, and field-tested tools for classroom implementation to aid all learners across all content areas.

This course is 60 hours

For enrollments that were completed prior to July 31, 2023

Competency 3: Foundations of Assessment

Participants will learn and understand how to select and administer appropriate assessments using data from multiple sources to include informal reading inventories, running records, writing samples, and performance tasks among others, to inform their planning of reading instruction to meet the needs of all students. Systemic problem solving will involve the use of a tiered instructional framework model for instructional assessment and ongoing student support to include screening, diagnosis, and progress monitoring. Participants will learn how to deliver sound, research-based instruction focused on identified student challenges. Through high quality, differentiated and research-based instructional approaches, participants scaffold learning strategy carefully with increased intensity to meet students at their identified level of performance and rate of progress as leveraged with SLOs, IEP goals, objectives and learning targets. Increased achievement and closing learning gaps are intervention priorities that will be used to intervene with strategy for Tiers II and III.

Course Outcomes:

  • Understand and practice with tiered instructional models to close achievement gaps among Tiers II and III students.
  • Understand the purposes of multiple informal assessment types to include reading inventories, informal assessments, and analyzing writing samples.
  • Match readers to text and use data to scaffold strategy for text complexity.
  • Understand and apply various measurement concepts to the characteristics of reading assessments to include test reliability, validity, standard of error of measurement, and derived scores from standardized tests.
  • Apply ongoing progress monitoring effectively in order to deliver effective and timely interventions for MTSS students using effective assessment procedures.
  • Use data as a systemic problem solving process to differentiate instruction, intensify instruction, and apply intervention methods to meet the needs of all students using scientifically based instructional strategies and techniques.
  • Identify appropriate criteria for selection of materials to include in student portfolios for ongoing progress monitoring and implementation of curriculum with content geared toward meeting the instructional needs of Tiers II and III students using effective tiered intervention strategies.
  • Use assessment data to plan and implement appropriate and allowable accommodations as determined by the student’s IEP or 504 Plan.

This course is 60 hours

For enrollments that were completed prior to July 31, 2023

Competency 4: Foundations and Applications of Differentiated Instruction

Participants will understand and apply knowledge of the socio-cultural, socio-political, and psychological variables that constitute differentiated reading instruction for all students through all content areas. Through an understanding of the stages of language progression and proficiencies within the English language for ELLs, participants will learn how to apply leveled instruction to increase language proficiency among students. The factors that impede student reading, characteristics of language and cognitive development, and overall language proficiencies will be effectively differentiated using age and grade appropriate methods. Participants will select and use developmentally appropriate tools, materials, and resources to address sociocultural and linguistic differences as they import to planning and instruction. Participants will embed increased use of complex print and digital text sources into assessments, scaffolding techniques, and re-teaching opportunities for individual and small group instruction. Differentiation will include scaffolding reading instruction for struggling learners in all six of the reading components, as well as for English language learners at various levels of language proficiencies. Participants will be taught how to apply student progress monitoring and use of data to design, plan, and implement a differentiated curriculum that includes research-based approaches for comprehension, oral language, phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, higher order thinking to further critical reading among students.

Course Outcomes:

  • Create differentiated lessons and apply differentiated strategy through design and strategy reflective of an understanding and application of knowledge of socio-cultural, socio-political, and psychological variables to differentiation.
  • Use design strategy for grouping and classroom environment.
  • Use online and print tools for differentiation such as learning profiles, interest surveys and tiered questioning.
  • Use research-based strategy to differentiate for writing development and to reinforce text comprehension.
  • Plan for and implement allowable and appropriate instructional accommodations as specified in students’ IEP or 504 Plans.
  • Modify assessments for students with cognitive disabilities without interrupting rigor, high expectations, and opportunities for achievement as they reflect grade appropriate levels of access to general education.
  • Design, re-design, scaffold, and acquire new strategy to develop lessons with using research-based, effective methods for differentiation in instruction and assessment of students.
  • Use and scaffold with learning profiles, student-facing scaffolds, organizers, interest surveys, cognitive-friendly learning materials, tiered questioning prompts, and other student "hooks" for rigorous learning and assessment.

This course is 60 hours

For enrollments that were completed prior to July 31, 2023

Competency 5: Demonstration of Accomplishment

Participants will, through a scaffolded curriculum and culminating practicum, demonstrate knowledge of the components of reading, as well as assessments and data analysis, to implement a self-planned, comprehensive research-based reading plan of instruction for all students. Participants will implement plans in their classrooms, discuss and reflect on instruction in learning forums, make adjustments to plans, and return to classrooms for more implementation as they engage in the systematic problem solving process.

Course Outcomes:

  • Design and develop a culminating curriculum for classroom implementation.
  • Embed research-based reading concepts, assessments, strategies, and tools into plans to aid in implementation.
  • Monitor student learning and make adjustments to curriculum as necessary to differentiate and individualize instruction.
  • Use data to adjust planning and instruction. 
  • Implement with fidelity the effective reading concepts and strategies that support student achievement to include the components of reading.

This course is 60 hours