Middle Grades Reform Task Force

Purpose:

The purpose of the Middle Grades Reform Study Task Force is to convene a cross-section of education stakeholders and persons with expertise in Florida middle grades education identified in Senate Bill 354 to help develop recommendations for increasing the academic performance of middle grade students and schools. Task force members will assist in reviewing and analyzing data and information on specific areas identified in the legislation, the current delivery of middle grades education in Florida, the latest national research on reading and middle grades education, and information collected from other states on their delivery systems. Task force members will also review feedback collected through this web site and regional public forums. Recommendations formulated by the task force will address all aspects of middle grades education, including academic expectations, diagnostic testing, teacher quality, leadership, attendance policies and student mobility, personnel, and parental and community involvement.

Recommendations will provide the foundation for achieving the goal, set forth by Governor Bush and the Florida Legislature in Senate Bill 354, that every student promoted from eighth grade will be ready for success in high school.

Members:

The Legislature directed the Department of Education to include, at a minimum, the following groups in the study. Representatives will serve on the task force from these specific groups:

• Florida Center for Reading Research (FSU)
• Just Read, Florida! Office
• Key education stakeholders, including:
• District School Board Members
• District School Superintendents
• Principals
• Parents
• Teachers
• District Curriculum Supervisors

Meeting Schedule:
NOTE: Due to hurricane recovery, the Task Force meeting schedule has been revised. Please check this web site before making plans to attend a Task Force meeting or public forum.