HCPS FL Logo Curriculum and Instruction
Action Item
DATE: Tuesday, July 28, 2015
TO: School Board Members
FROM: Jeff Eakins, Superintendent
SUBJECT / RECOMMENDATIONS
Approve Purchase of Making Connections Interventions (MCI), Specialized Program Individualized Reading Excellence (SPIRE), and Academy of Reading (AOR) from Educational Publishing Services (EPS) (Sole Source) (Curriculum and Instruction Division)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In 2010, the Board approved the county adopted instructional materials for MCI, SPIRE, and AOR, which focused on a clinical intervention for students performing at the lowest level on the state reading assessment in grades six and nine for our most at-risk students. Our past success rate with this diagnostic and prescriptive intervention program, when implemented with fidelity, is between 60-78 percent of the students making annual gains on FCAT 2.0. Teachers of this curriculum must be adept at identifying the specific weaknesses of the individual student through a clinical diagnostic process. The instruction is conducted through whole group, small group, and individual instructional sessions. The materials and licenses include the following: MCI includes teacher editions, anchor videos, data driven differentiated instruction support materials, computer adapted support component, and student materials; SPIRE includes teacher editions, student manipulatives, student readers, and student workbooks; AOR includes teacher support for the daily adaptive computer component including ongoing progress monitoring; and professional development for teachers and coaches including training, site visitation support, and support to ensure student placement in the program is correct and differentiation is occurring based on students identified areas of deficiencies.

This purchase is exempt from the bidding process per the Florida Department of Education 6A-1.012 (11)(b) purchasing policy as copyrighted materials.
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES
• Increase promotion rates at all grade levels and the percentage of high school graduates
FINANCIAL IMPACT (Budgeted:  Yes)
Funds in the amount of $76,500 are available from the Comprehensive Reading Plan budget, Project 4526.
EVALUATION
Student impact from program usage will be monitored through quarterly online assessments, the district’s formative and progress monitoring assessment, and by review of student outcome data at the end of the school year.
SUBMITTED BY:  Rebecca T. Kaskeski, Ed.D., Instructional Leadership Director, Middle
Leslie Granich, Instructional Leadership Director, Secondary
Denny B. Oest   Gretchen Saunders
Assistant Superintendent, Curriculum and Instruction
(813) 272-4221		   Chief Business Officer
(813) 272-4270
    A 6.06
Hillsborough County Public Schools (Florida) * Mtg.#20150728_697 (Board Meeting followed by Public Hearing) * Section A Item# 6.06