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Goal

Our goal is to provide supplemental support that will aid our students in developing the reading comprehension skills and background knowledge necessary to become proficient, third-grade readers. The Florida Department of Education has a recommended reading list of sample texts that align with the State’s B.E.S.T. Standards. We have some of the texts, but we would like to add to our classroom and grade level sets. We need books to be in the hands of our students to help them learn.  

 

Category

Other -  

 

What will be done with my students

As third-grade ELA teachers, we have been using the State of Florida B.E.S.T. books to teach, review, and practice reading fluency and comprehension skills while also building students’ background knowledge. We have created and continue to develop rigorous and meaningful instruction using the books currently available to us. However, we do not yet have access to all of the books included on the state’s list. Acquiring additional titles would allow us to design and implement more comprehensive lessons that further support students in becoming proficient third-grade readers.

Through these texts, students engage in independent, partner, and whole group reading. They expand their vocabulary, identify main ideas, analyze character development and theme, and apply other key reading standards and skills. Additionally, students use the texts and accompanying activities to reflect on and rate their learning based on the Florida Standards and Achievement Level Descriptors (ALDs). 

 

Benefits to my students

In August, 231 third-grade students participated in the FAST ELA Progress Monitoring 1 (PM1) assessment, with only 26% meeting state proficiency standards. To be considered proficient, students must earn a level 3 or higher. They are required to reach this level on the third administration (PM3) in the spring to demonstrate proficiency. Students who score a level 1 are at risk of retention in third grade.

Our goal is to ensure all students are prepared and successful while supporting our school’s Improvement Plan. Specifically, our third-grade goal is for 69% of students to achieve proficiency on FAST ELA PM3. Based on PM1 data, only 57% of our students are currently projected to reach that goal. Among our students with disabilities (over 22 with IEPs), only 36% are projected to be proficient. Additionally, just 31% of our more than 35 English Language Learners (ELL) are on track to meet proficiency.

Providing students with access to the state-recommended texts will directly support improvement in reading fluency, stamina, and comprehension—all essential skills for achieving proficiency on FAST ELA assessments. Students are already demonstrating excitement and engagement with the texts we currently use, eagerly anticipating new chapters and topics such as landing on the moon. Expanding our classroom collections with these additional texts will allow us to sustain that enthusiasm while deepening comprehension and supporting growth toward grade-level expectations. 

 

Budget Narrative

These books will be used to build on background knowledge and improve reading comprehension and fluency through state recommended BEST books.  

 

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