FOR-PD Update

• 8278 students
• 568 sections
• 65 participating districts
• 6 participating universities

FOR-PD Spring 2005 Sections

FOR-PD Spring 2005 semester is growing in leaps and bounds! We are operating a full schedule with 100 sections and we continue to build more district sections on a weekly basis. We launched our Summer 2005 Open Enrollment registration session and are already receiving hundreds of registrations from teachers from across our state. Thank you for helping us spread the word to other educators who need to complete Competency 2. We are here to support Florida's educators in their professional development efforts.  

Here is our proposed Summer 2005 and Fall 2005 Open Enrollment and Course Schedule:

Summer 2005
3/14/05	Open enrollment registration for Summer begins
5/2/05	Open enrollment registration for Summer ends
5/16/05	Summer classes begin
8/22/05	Summer classes end
Fall 2005
6/20/05	Open enrollment registration for Fall begins
8/15/05	Open enrollment registration for Fall ends
8/29/05	Fall classes begin
12/5/05	Fall classes end

Also available online: http://www.itrc.ucf.edu/register/schedule2005.html

We will continue to inform you of our successes, challenges, and solutions to online professional development. We thank you for your ongoing collaboration with the FOR-PD project.  

 

FOR-PD and Reading Endorsement for ESOL (REESOL) Announced

Memo [PDF: 5 pages / 140k] from the Florida Department of Education.

On March 4, 2005 the Florida Department of Education announced the Reading Endorsement - ESOL Professional Development for teachers who have the 300-hour ESOL Endorsement training. "Increasing the number of teachers endorsed or certified in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) who may also be high qualified to teach reading will assist the state in fulfilling the Florida Department of Education's Strategic Imperative 1: Increase the supply of effective teachers." Last year the Department of Education completed a Reading/ESOL Endorsement Crosswalk to determine what additional hours of reading inservice were needed to complete the Reading Endorsement for teachers who have finished the 300-hours of ESOL inservice training. These teachers are eligible for 80 hours of credit towards the Reading Endorsement. The Florida Department of Education, in collaboration with Florida Literacy and Reading Excellence (FLaRE) has created a third path to the reading endorsement and has developed a Reading Endorsement Bundle (REESOL). The other two paths are completion of the district Reading Endorsement add-on plan or completion of fifteen hours with submission of transcripts directly to the Department of Education certification office. ALL three paths will result in the Reading Endorsement.

 

FOR-PD and Alternative Certification

The Florida Department of Education Bureau of Educator Certification has announced efforts to emphasize reading in every district's Alternative Certification Program. The Department of Education has suggested that districts use one of three options to satisfy this requirement.

1. Florida Online Reading Professional Development (FOR-PD) Program
2. Competency 2 course approved on the district's Add-On Reading Endorsement Program
3. A 3-semester hour college-level reading course that addresses "Foundations of Research-Based Reading Practices"

This requirement is effective for those NEW ACP participants enrolled on or after July 1, 2005. Those participants who are currently enrolled in an ACP program will not be required to add the reading component to their program plan.

 

New Course Features

The FOR-PD Tech team has been working diligently on incorporating new and improved features in the course.

Many participants have asked, "Where is the literacy log?" In response to some confusion, the tech team has now made it very clear where the literacy log is located. Just as the Do This and Try This have their own logo, the Literacy Log now has its own logo. It shouldn't be too hard to locate the literacy log in the course now.

Many participants have asked, "Is there an easier way to navigate through the pages of the lesson? I hate going to the bottom of every page and clicking the forward arrow button, it takes to much time." The answer is YES; the lesson bar at the top of the lesson page makes it very easy to navigate through the content of the lesson. The tech team has also just modified this to make it even easier. The lesson bar looks like the one below and is found in every lesson. If you run the cursor over the bar a drop down menu will appear.

The drop down menu under introduction will allow you to go directly to the introduction or the literacy log.

 

A new feature we have added to the course is the case study. They provide realistic applications to strengthen understanding. The guiding questions are provided for reflection on the content of the lesson and the case studies. We have gotten many questions about the guiding questions. Starting this summer, participants will have a reflection page in their literacy log where they reflect on one of the guiding questions.

Under content, participants can move through the lesson easily by clicking on the section of the text they wish to go. This allows the participants to move through the lesson easily and efficiently. They no longer have to scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the forward arrow.

We continue to improve our course, its user-accessibility, layout, organization, and friendliness. We focus on supporting participants’ successful learning and experiences with online learning. We hope that you’ll enjoy these added features of our course. We welcome your feedback—please email us at: forpd@mail.ucf.edu

 

FOR-PD Literacy e-Newsletter
Please read the March issue of the Literacy Newsletter. 

This issue focuses on policy, legislation, and reading. You will find much information about Florida’s reading policy with a focus on Middle Grades Reform Act. The newsletter is also “loaded” with comprehensive resources and support in literacy for preK-12 educators. Special thanks to Catherine Glass, our reading specialist, for developing this great literacy resource. We receive a lot of positive feedback from past graduates and current participants who enjoy our resources. You may reach Catherine at cc@orion.itrc.ucf.edu.

 

FOR-PD's Reading Strategy of the Month

This month we are focusing on fluency. Our reading strategy is titled Developing and Assessing Fluency. Fluency is the ability to read orally with speed, accuracy, and proper expression. At the secondary level, students who struggle with fluency typically fall behind their peers and struggle with the process of comprehension. One goal of reading instruction is to help students build fluency so that more emphasis can be placed on comprehension. One research-based method of improving fluency is through repeated readings. Students read selections of text aloud repeatedly until the desired fluency is achieved. Check out the FOR-PD Reading Strategy of the Month to learn how to use repeated readings and assess fluency.

Last month we featured an authentic reading strategy called Modified QAR. This strategy was developed by Zygouris-Coe & Glass (2005). Questioning is critical and effective for improving comprehension because it gives the students a purpose for reading. Therefore, if inferential understanding is desired, a student's question answering behavior can be shaped by the questions that require them to connect information in the text to their knowledge base. In the state of Florida, the FCAT Reading Test requires such inferential understanding of text. The Modified QAR will help teachers and students identify and use questioning effectively to strengthen students' comprehension. Check out our Reading Strategy Archive to see past Reading Strategies of the Month. Please share the FOR-PD Reading Strategies with your colleagues. Let us know how you utilize them in your classroom. Email us at forpd@mail.ucf.edu subject heading FOR-PD Reading Strategies. 

 

Facilitating with Felicity
Please also read our March Facilitator Newsletter. 

In our "Facilitating with Felicity" Facilitator e-newsletter, we continue to address issues of quality control and also ways to continue to support facilitators as they monitor teachers' performance in the course. This month's emphasis is on monitoring teachers' growth and online facilitation. This newsletter is a powerful vehicle for providing ongoing professional development and communication with all FOR-PD facilitators. Special thanks to Wendy Bedwell, our Facilitator Support Specialist, for this wonderful facilitator resource. Our facilitators enjoy the support and resources provided through this newsletter. You may reach Wendy at Wendy@orion.itrc.ucf.edu. 

 

Facilitator Leadership Board and Facilitator Professional Development

The FOR-PD Facilitator Leadership Board continues to assist FOR-PD facilitators. We are so excited to have this online study group with educators from across the state of Florida. We continue to learn about effective professional development from Systems for Change in Literacy Education: A Guide to Professional Development by Carol A. Lyons and Gay Su Pinnell. Our Facilitator Discussion Board is inundated by conversations on professional development and ways to apply those principles in our course and process of facilitation.

 

FOR-PD Online Chats

SPECIAL CHAT ANNOUNCEMENT FOR CURRENT PARTICIPANTS AND FACILITATORS

FOR-PD will be holding a special chat on the Florida Reading Endorsement and the Middle Grades Reform Act in March. Our special guest for this chat will be Evan Lefsky, reading specialist for grades 6-12, from the "Just Read, Florida!" office. If you are interested in attending this chat please email Catherine Glass at forpd@mail.ucf.edu and in the subject heading of the email type March Chat. This chat will be by invitation only, so please respond early.

If you have any questions you would like answered by Evan regarding either the Reading Endorsement or the Middle Grades Reform Act please email the same address and we will have Evan answer your questions and post them on our website.

OTHER UPCOMING CHATS

The FOR-PD Team will be hosting a chat for all participants who have questions about technology or the course. The chats are an hour long. The first 30-minutes will be dedicated specifically to technology help and the final 30-minutes will include specific questions about the course or the content of the course. Please make sure you review the chat protocol.

WHEN: Wednesday, April 6, 2005
TIME: 7:00 PM EST-8:00 PM EST
CHAT ROOM: General Chat for All Courses
WHO: Participants who live from the middle of the state (Orange County) and south
TOPIC: technology and general course questions

WHEN: Thursday, April 7, 2005
TIME: 7:30 PM EST-8:30 PM EST
CHATROOM: General Chat for All Courses
WHO: Participants who live north and west of Orange County
TOPIC: technology and general course questions

 

FOR-PD Wrap Up!

Many FOR-PD courses will be coming to a close in May. This chat is all about your experience. What worked well? What didn't work so well? What did you like? What are you still confused about? What do you think of the case studies? How did you use the case studies in your course? We want to hear all about your experiences.

WHEN: Tuesday, April 26, 2005
TIME: 7:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
CHAT ROOM: General Chat for All Courses
WHO: Participants from the Spring
TOPIC: Course Wrap-Up
REQUIRED RESOURCES: Please make sure that you have viewed the chat protocol.

 

FOR-PD New Help Desk Hours

Help Desk hours are:
Monday through Friday 9:30 A.M. - 4:30 P.M. &  6:00 P.M. - 10:00 P.M.  EST
Saturday 10:00 A.M.- 3:00 P.M. EST

866-863-READ: Technical Support Help Desk - Toll Free, Florida Calls Only
407-249-4702: Technical Support Help Desk - Non-Florida Calls Only  

Technical support is also available through AOL Instant Messenger, screen name "forpdhelp", and through email at helpdesk@orion.itrc.ucf.edu.

FOR-PD Notable Quotables

Read what a recent participant said about the FOR-PD experience.

"I was very apprehensive about taking this course, due to my deficient technology skills, but thanks to you and your guidance and your feedback, it has been one of the greatest learning experiences of my life. The wealth of information that this program has provided us with is truly amazing. The practical strategies that we can use directly in our classrooms [are] invaluable. Thanks, Joy [FOR-PD Facilitator], for your leadership.  With one lesson to go, I can see the end, but I can also appreciate how important the facilitator is to the success of the program.  I feel very lucky to have taken this adventure with you." ~ Connie, Spring 2005

Give us your opinion of the course. Email forpd@mail.ucf.edu.