Approve the Agreement with Author, Roland Smith, to Visit Seven Elementary Schools and Present at Hillsborough County Chapter of the International Reading Association (HCCIRA) Dinner $7,200 (Information and Technology Division)

Roland Smith, a popular children's author, has written many top selling fiction titles. He authored "Cryptid Hunter," which is a 2006-2007 Battle of the Books title. Author visits for seven elementary schools with Roland Smith are scheduled October 17 through October 27, 2006. At each school site he will present to large audiences of children. The content of his presentations cover such topics as why he became an author and the many steps in writing a novel. In addition to speaking to students, the author will present at the HCCIRA dinner on October 19, 2006, for K-12 teachers. Also during the visits, an author teleconference will be taped and shown live on the Education Channel.

Goal 1: The percentage of students scoring at level 3 or higher on FCAT Reading will increase a minimum of 5 percentage points.

The $7,200 funding the author visit varies by site from internal accounts, PTA funds, bookfairs, and International Reading Association (List by site and funding source attached). The seven schools are Corr, Mabry, Gorrie, Lockhart, Cork, Lopez, and Summerfield.

Evaluation of the visits will come from students voting for their favorite battle book. The taped author teleconference will also be reviewed by the Education Channel.