NOTE: In those instances when this course is repeated for credit, the content should be differentiated
based on reliable and valid assessment data. If students are making adequate progress (accelerated
growth) in a given intervention, that intervention should be continued. If students are not making adequate
progress, a new intervention should be implemented.
Basic Assumptions for Reading Education:
A. Major Concepts/Content.
The content should include, but not be limited to, the following:
appropriate Sunshine State Standards benchmarks.
B. Special Note.
This course may be repeated by a student as needed; if repeated, the required level of student
proficiency should increase.
C. Course Requirements. The course requirements must be aligned with benchmarks for grades PreK-
2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12 or a mixture of the four, as appropriate to the needs of individual students.
The Sunshine State Standards benchmarks and state-recommended Grade Level Expectations (GLEs)
may be downloaded from the Florida Department of Education website at the following address: http:
//www.fldoe.org/.
based on reliable and valid assessment data. If students are making adequate progress (accelerated
growth) in a given intervention, that intervention should be continued. If students are not making adequate
progress, a new intervention should be implemented.
Basic Assumptions for Reading Education:
- Students entering the upper grades who are not reading on grade level have a variety of reading
intervention needs. No single program or strategy can be successful in remediating the needs of
all students. Therefore, it is necessary to implement a combination of research-based programs
and strategies that have been proven successful in accelerating the development of reading skills
in older struggling readers.
Instruction for struggling readers should be explicit and systematic. It should provide direct
explanations (modeling) and systematic practice opportunities (guided instruction), as well as
carefully managed cumulative review to insure mastery.
- Improving the reading proficiency and achievement of older struggling readers requires intensive
intervention (iii). True intensive intervention can only be provided through increased instructional
time in classes that are below average in size. Students with more severe reading difficulties, such
as those requiring instruction in basic word reading skills such as phonemic awareness, phonics,
and fluency should receive instruction in a daily extended block of time. Students with less severe
reading difficulties, such as those requiring instruction in vocabulary and comprehension may be
taught in class periods of less time. The intensity of the intervention should be determined using the
most recent data available from reliable and valid assessments.
Due to the extensive intervention needs of students in the high school, it is necessary to provide
small group instruction on a daily basis. In order to facilitate small group instruction of three to five
students per group, class sizes should aim for no more than fifteen students.
Students in need of intervention need highly-qualified reading instructors who have demonstrated
success in remediating the reading difficulties of older struggling readers. Highly-qualified
instructors should have at minimum reading certification or reading endorsement, as well as
extensive staff development training in motivating adolescent struggling readers. The use of a
reading coach is an effective practice for increasing the proficiency of teachers.
Reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing competencies are integrated throughout
students’ learning experiences.
Instruction and materials accommodate the individual needs of students, resulting in differentiated
instruction based on reliable and valid assessment data.
Technology is available for students to support and enhance development of competencies in
reading.
Wide independent-level reading practice is incorporated on a daily basis. A classroom library
should provide high-interest leveled materials representing a variety of genres and cultures
allowing for the greatest degree of student choice. Opportunities for practice with audio support
should also be provided. Teachers are responsible for monitoring students’ independent reading
to ensure students are receiving successful practice. Students should be held accountable for their
independent reading through use of a reading log.
Given the relationship between reading fluency and reading comprehension, activities targeted at
increasing both rate and accuracy will be included on a daily basis for those students showing
deficiency in these areas. These activities might include: read-aloud, repeated reading, partner
reading, reader’s theater, and timed readings. Additionally, fluency should be monitored on a
frequent basis, while keeping the focus of the monitoring on comprehension of the text being read
through use of follow-up questions, as well as retell.
The amount of FCAT specific practice (“test prep”) should be limited, given most students’ vast
experiences with the test and the relatively small role that knowledge of test format plays in student
test performance.
A. Major Concepts/Content.
- The purpose of this course is to provide instruction that enables students to develop and strengthen
reading skills and develop independent reading endurance.
The content should include, but not be limited to, the following:
Reading instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics (advanced phonics instruction that includes
an explicit, systematic approach to orthography, structural analysis, and morphemic analysis),
fluency, vocabulary and comprehension as necessary. The relative balance of instruction in these
areas will be determined by screening, group diagnostic, progress monitoring and individual
diagnostic measures of each student. Each student’s instructional goals will be specified in his/her
Academic Improvement Plan (AIP)
- critical thinking,
- problem-solving,
- test-taking skills and strategies,
- reading for meaning through varied reading materials at appropriate independent,
- instructional reading levels representing a minimum balance of 70% /30%,
- informational to narrative text,
- integration of reading with student written responses to text, and
- high frequency content area vocabulary
appropriate Sunshine State Standards benchmarks.
B. Special Note.
This course may be repeated by a student as needed; if repeated, the required level of student
proficiency should increase.
- The instructional approaches used in this course should meet the needs of each student based on
results of individual diagnostic assessments and progress monitoring. State recommended or
district Grade Level Expectations (GLEs) may also be used in this process. It is the responsibility
of the district to ensure that identified benchmarks are consistent with the needs of individual
students.
C. Course Requirements. The course requirements must be aligned with benchmarks for grades PreK-
2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12 or a mixture of the four, as appropriate to the needs of individual students.
The Sunshine State Standards benchmarks and state-recommended Grade Level Expectations (GLEs)
may be downloaded from the Florida Department of Education website at the following address: http:
//www.fldoe.org/.
- 1. Demonstrate improved achievement in reading on the Sunshine State Standards benchmarks
that were identified for improvement in the student’s Academic Improvement Plan. An objective
assessment must be used to demonstrate this improvement.
2. Apply critical thinking, problem solving, and test-taking skills and strategies for assessments in
reading in varied contexts.
3. Demonstrate use of complex cueing systems (i.e., graphophonic, morphemic, syntactic,
semantic, and contextual analysis) to gain meaning from varied text.
- LA.A.1.4.2 use a variety of strategies to analyze words and text, draw conclusions, use context and
word structure clues, and recognize organizational patterns.
4. Demonstrate use of morphological analysis (i.e., prefixes, roots, and suffixes) to construct
meaning of vocabulary.
5. Demonstrate use of appropriate and effective vocabulary, including specific content area
vocabulary.
LA.A.1.4.3 demonstrate consistent and effective use of interpersonal and academic vocabularies
in reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
6. Construct meaning of text through inference, application, and analysis. LA.A.2.4.1 determine the
main idea or essential message in a text and identify relevant details and facts and patterns of
organization.
7. Demonstrate use of appropriate before, during, and after reading strategies and critical-thinking
skills to enhance comprehension of literary, informational, and technical text.
LA.A.1.4.1 use background knowledge of the subject and text structure knowledge to make
complex predictions about content, purpose, and organization of the reading selection.
LA.A.2.4.2 identify the author’s purpose and/or point of view in a variety of texts and use the
information to construct meaning.
LA.A.2.4.3 recognize logical, ethical, and emotional appeals in texts.
LA.A.2.4.8 check the validity and accuracy of information obtained from research in such ways as
differentiating fact and opinion, identifying strong vs. weak arguments, and recognizing that
personal values influence the conclusions an author draws.
8. Demonstrate flexible use of strategies and ability to adjust rate depending on purpose and type
of reading materials.
9. Demonstrate comprehension of multiple sources of information in text and graphics through
critical response (e.g., analysis, hypothesis, evaluation, synthesis).
LA.A.1.4.4 use strategies to clarify meaning, such as rereading, note taking, summarizing,
outlining, and writing a grade-level appropriate report.
LA.A.2.4.7 synthesize and separate collected information into useful components using a variety of
techniques, such as source cards, note cards, spreadsheets, and outlines.
10. Apply study and test-taking skills to enhance achievement.
LA.A.2.4.5 locate, organize, and interpret written information for a variety of purposes, including
classroom research, collaborative decision making, and performing a school or real-world task.
LA.A.2.4.6 use a variety of reference materials, including indexes, magazines, newspapers, and
journals; and tools, including card catalogs and computer catalogs to gather information for
research topics.
11. Respond to reading through thinking, talking, and writing.
LA.B.2.4.3 select and use appropriate formats for writing, including narrative, persuasive, and
expository formats according to the intended audience, purpose, and occasion.
LA.C.3.4.2 ask questions and make comments and observations that reflect
understanding and application of content, processes, and experiences.
LA.D.2.4.1 select language that shapes reactions, perceptions, and beliefs.
12. Demonstrate the ability to select and use materials for a variety of reading purposes, including
reading for independent, recreational purposes.
LA.A.2.4.4 use a variety of reading materials to develop personal preferences in reading.
13. Demonstrate awareness of reading as a complex process, including awareness of the roles of
reader, author, and text.
LA.E.1.4.3 understand various elements of authors’ craft appropriate at this grade level, including
word choice, symbolism, figurative language, mood, irony, foreshadowing, flashback, persuasion
techniques, and point of view in both fiction and nonfiction.
| Florida Department of Education COURSE DESCRIPTION - GRADES 9-12, ADULT |
Subject Area: Language Arts
Course Number: 1000410
Course Title: Intensive Reading
Course Length: 36 Weeks
Course Number: 1000410
Course Title: Intensive Reading
Course Length: 36 Weeks
Intensive Reading