Florida Science of Reading Mandate

Florida Science of Reading Mandate

Legal Requirements (Florida Statute 1008.25)

Core Requirements: 1. Evidence-based instruction grounded in Science of Reading 2. Explicit, systematic, sequential, cumulative instruction in: - Phonemic awareness - Phonics (decoding AND encoding) - Fluency - Vocabulary - Comprehension 3. Minimum 90 minutes daily uninterrupted reading instruction 4. Small group differentiated instruction based on student needs

PROHIBITED Practices (HB 7039)

Three-Cueing System is ILLEGAL in Florida: - Visual cues (looking at pictures to guess words) - Structure cues (does it sound right?) - Meaning cues (does it make sense?)

Florida law explicitly states: "Instructional strategies may NOT employ the three-cueing system model of reading or visual memory as a basis for teaching word reading."

Florida's Formula: 6 + 4 + T1 + T2 + T3

Six Components of Reading: 1. Oral Language 2. Phonological Awareness 3. Phonics 4. Fluency 5. Vocabulary 6. Comprehension

Four Types of Assessment: 1. Screening 2. Progress Monitoring 3. Diagnostic 4. Summative

Three Tiers of Instruction: - Tier 1 (Core): Explicit, systematic, scaffolded, differentiated for ALL students - Tier 2 (Targeted): Additional time with evidence-based intervention for at-risk - Tier 3 (Intensive): Individualized intervention with increased time and intensity

What This Means for Teachers

DO: - Teach phonics explicitly and systematically - Use decodable texts aligned to phonics scope & sequence - Provide explicit instruction in blending and segmenting - Use Elkonin (sound) boxes for phonemic awareness - Teach high-frequency words through phonics when possible

DO NOT: - Allow students to guess words from pictures - Use leveled readers for core instruction (only intervention) - Skip systematic phonics instruction - Rely on "balanced literacy" approaches - Use three-cueing prompts like "Does that look right?"

CERP Requirement

Every Florida district must submit a Comprehensive Evidence-based Reading Plan (CERP) annually demonstrating compliance with Science of Reading mandates.

Resources

• Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR): fcrr.org
• Just Read, Florida! office
• CPALMS for aligned materials