Orange County, Florida Schools Push For Improvement After Poor Reviews

There are many Orange County Public Schools systems throughout the nation. There are Orange Counties in Virginia, North Carolina, California, and Florida to name a few. Issues and challenges may vary from Orange County Schools to Orange County Schools, but the basic drive is the same - to give students the best quality education possible.

Orange County Schools in Orlando are no exception. School choice, as mandated by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, is present throughout these Orange County Schools. Improvements in reading education and reading fluency are also hot topics.

It may be hard to believe that a school district could raise the reading scores of struggling students by as much as two grade levels each year, but Orange County Schools are doing just that. The most challenging group of students to bring up to grade level are students in middle and upper grades. These Orange County Schools students are a lot less motivated, and have even lost a lot of their trust in the learning process, believing they are too dumb to learn. Many educators have come to realize that it's going to take extreme measures to change such these students' lives. Interventions are required at all levels - from the superintendent's office on down to the humble classroom. One Orange County Schools intervention that has been put into place - with amazing results - is the Orange County Literacy Project.

In addition, a recent report was solicited by Orange County Schools from the Phyllis C. Hunter Consulting Firm. The firm recently presented an evaluation of the Orange County Schools, and how the district can best improve its reading instruction. The report, entitled "Reading Leadership in a Standards-based Reform", covered numerous aspects that need to be addressed. Among them:

-All students have the right to reading instruction that enables them to meet high standards

-A Comprehensive Reading Program includes these six elements:

(1) Phonemic and phonological awareness
(2) Systematic phonics
(3) Vocabulary and background knowledge
(4) Fluency
(5) Comprehension
(6) Motivation

-Necessary criteria for increasing reading achievement:

(1) Minimum of 90 minutes of protected time for reading instruction to close the gap

(2) Smaller class sizes for intervention (15 to 20 students per class) to individualize and adjust instruction for all students

(3) Technology in classrooms to create a scope and sequence of individualized instruction for all students

(4) Commitment, by administrators, to learning about reading process instruction and what it looks like in a successful classroom

(5) Continual professional development for intervention program teachers

In accordance with a 1970 court order enacted by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, Orange County Schools offers its students and parents many avenues of school choice. They are:

Majority to Minority Transfers
No Child Left Behind
Opportunity Scholarship
Exceptional Education Program Placement
McKay Scholarship Transfer Academic Transfer
Childcare Transfer
Graduation Transfer
Magnet Transfer
Medical Transfer
Mid-Year Transfer
Psychological Transfer
School Personnel Transfer
Sibling Transfer
Work-Related Transfer

For more information on the requirements to make any of these types of transfers, visit the Orange County Schools district website.