FCAT Summer Reading Camp Update

The camps aren't your typical summer camps. It is 20 days of intensive instruction for third graders who failed the reading portion of the FCAT and are struggling to read at grade level.

When you think of summer camp, reading doesn’t usually come to mind, but this is reality for 255 third graders in Leon County, students who scored a level one on the reading portion of the FCAT.

"People had the wrong misconception. This isn't baby, it's an intense academic full time on task reading," says Leon County Schools Superintendent, Bill Montford.

So instead of spending their summer seaside, they've spent four weeks in a classroom with two weeks still to go of intensive instruction for struggling readers at the critical gateway of third grade.

At the end of this summer camp comes the ultimate reward, the chance to move on to the fourth grade, but school officials say the purpose isn't just to push the child through to the
next level, but to help close the gap and build knowledge with a laser-like focus on reading achievement.

The students have this week off as sort of a mini break, but that's when the school to home connection kicks in. During this time off the kids are given 9 books to read with activities for families and students to do together.

To help determine promotion the SAT 9 will be given, Leon County kids take it July 14.

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