FL Taps Libraries to Boost Reading
State program enlists 18 systems to aid struggling third graders
Kathy Ishizuka -- School Library Journal, 7/1/2003
Why focus on third graders? Florida Department of Education officials say it's a critical year for students to gain the fundamental reading skills they'll need to successfully tackle future subjects. Third graders who score at Level 1 are considered to be reading below a basic literacy level, and those who score below Level 2 will not advance to the fourth grade unless they receive additional help over the summer and pass the FCAT, or an equivalent test, before next fall.
Funded by a $135,000 grant through the federal Library Services and Technology Act, the program granted Alachua County Library $7,500 to hire two part-time staff members for outreach activities at nine recreation centers in Gainesville and at the local Metcalfe Elementary School. Each of the 31 Metcalfe third graders attending the summer program will receive up to 20 new books, including boxed sets of the popular Captain Underpants series.
Meanwhile, the Orange County Library used its $10,000 grant to provide parent-child workshops, among other reading-incentive activities, at 32 summer school locations. Up to 2,400 kids, or 26 percent of Orange County's third graders, participated in the four-week program. Library staffers plan to meet with local media specialists in August to train them in using library databases. The nearby Winter Park Public Library used its $5,000 grant to hire reading tutors for the city's summer recreation program.
"The number of students scoring at Level 1 shows we still have much work to do," said Bush when FCAT results were released in May. "Through a concerted effort this summer among parents, teachers, and educators statewide, I am confident a significant number of students who scored at Level 1 will build the skills they need to move to the fourth grade."
Florida has used the FCAT to evaluate schools since Bush took office in 1999, a move that continues to stir controversy. Black community leaders who object to such high-stakes testing recently threatened to use the issue to galvanize voters against President George W. Bush's 2004 reelection bid.
