Foundation for Florida’s Future Responds to NCTQ Reading Teacher Certification Report

“Florida made incredible advances this year with the passage of a sweeping literacy law that banned three-cueing, the harmful instructional practice that teaches students to guess the words they’re reading rather than sounding them out, in teacher preparation programs and incentivized districts to hire more highly effective reading teachers. We commend that work.

“Yet the report from NCTQ makes clear that our work is not yet done. We need to ensure our teachers are held to high standards, and we must continue our commitment to a system that focuses not just on what happens in the classroom, but what happens to prepare our teachers to be in the classroom.

“We look forward to working with policymakers and the Department of Education to ensure Florida’s new certification exam for elementary education K-6 addresses all five core components of reading instruction including phonemic awareness (including phonological awareness), phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.”

GET THE FACTS

• NCTQ Report: False Assurances: Many states’ licensure tests don’t signal whether elementary teachers understand reading instruction
• Of note: “Florida is transitioning to a new test in January 2024. This analysis reflects the quality of this new version of the licensure test. The outgoing licensure test was also rated weak because it did not adequately address phonemic awareness, phonics, or vocabulary.”
• Earlier this year, Florida lawmakers passed sweeping literacy legislation that requires screenings so schools can better identify students struggling with reading and math. The law improves transparency for parents of K-3 students showing signs of dyslexia and dyscalculia—learning disorders that make reading and math difficult to grasp.
• Florida also incentivizes districts to prioritize placing highly effective reading teachers in K-2 classrooms to optimize reading instruction for Florida’s developing readers.
• Florida also became the first state to ban three-cueing in state-approved colleges of education.