Title: 1.  Materials for intensive reading and ramp up courses

Requested Action:

APPROVE THE PURCHASE OF SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS FOR THE REQUIRED INTENSIVE READING AND RAMP UP COURSES AS FOLLOWS:

·         CRISS student workbooks and teacher materials

·         Assessment materials including the Gates MacGinitie and QRI-3

·         Supplemental reading materials including leveled texts, student workbooks, and audio books

·         Vocabulary Power Lessons

·         Fluency, vocabulary, and skimming and scanning drills

·         Critical reading sourcebooks

·         Test taking strategies workbooks

2.     AUTHORIZE THE EXPENDITURE OF FUNDS TO THE IDENTIFIED VENDORS FOR THE SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS NOT TO EXCEED $925,000.

·         Project CRISS

·         Jamestown Educational Materials/Glencoe McGraw-Hill

·         Great Source/Houghton Mifflin

·         Recorded Books

·         Riverside Publishing

·         Renaissance Learning

Summary Explanation and Background:
The need for this agenda item was discussed with both Dr. Snyder and Mrs. Broner. Staff at the Just Read, Florida! Office notified district staff on June 29, 2005 that the district will receive the first installment of the reading funding on or about July 7. In order for staff to requisition the materials for the reading classes for Level 1 and Level 2 students, School Board approval is required because the purchases to individual vendors will exceed $50,000. The materials were included in the K-12 Comprehensive Research-Based Reading Plan submitted to the Just Read, Florida! Office. Costs are based on approximately 400 classrooms. Delaying the agenda item until August would impact the implementation of the reading classes.

New Century Commission Recommendation/OPPAGA Recommendation/Council of Great City Schools Recommendation:
R27, R36, R45

Financial Impact:
Approximately $925,000

For Additional Information, contact:
Dr. Janice Hunter     390-2133