The Foundation for Orange County Public Schools enlists the support of individuals, corporations and foundations to make a difference in the success of Orange County's teachers and students. Below are some examples of how community investments impacted Orange County's students during the 2013-2014 school year:
Middle School Morning Book Club Program
Twelve county schools operated 19 Middle School Morning Book Club reaching a total of 170 reluctant readers.
- 57% of participating students demonstrated their ability to read on grade level by passing the FCAT Reading assessment with a score of a level 3 or higher. Of the students earning a level 1 or 2 on the FCAT Reading in 2014, 37% demonstrated learning gains.
- Teachers observed that students learned more vocabulary, and were able to infer meaning of words they did not know from context. Students also improved comprehension, communication, and collaborative skills.
- Students said that reading is something fun that broadens the mind and creates a space wide enough for their imaginations to wonder.
Read2Succeed provided individualized reading instruction to 336 first grade and 526 second grade students at 45 elementary schools.
- First graders showed a 97% increase in their vocabulary knowledge from pre-test to the post-test, and 60% scored in their grade level for vocabulary percentiles on the FAIR assessment.
- Second graders were reading an average passage number of 1.8 in FAIR Assessment Period I (AP1), increasing to passage 2.4 by Assessment Period III (AP3) which is slightly below the expected passage of 2.5, reflecting signification gains. These students also increased their correct words per minute from an average of 49 in AP1 to an average of 72 in AP3.
Teacher Grant Program
Teacher grants awarded almost $190,000 in classroom grants for STEM, civics, fine arts, classroom libraries, technology, and professional development to 271 teachers for equipment and materials that directly impact classroom learning.
- Primary Classroom Library Grants put nonfiction books in the hands of 3,259 students in 36 schools. A majority of students – 73% – cultivated a growing interest in reading as a direct result of this program.
- Math, Science, Energy Education and STEM grants provide funds for equipment and/or materials for hands on experiential projects. An overwhelming majority of students, 73%, improved their grades in STEM subject, and 85% cultivated a growing interest in science and math as a direct result of participation in grants projects.
- Arts Education Grants totaling over $7,000 supported visual and performing arts programs in 24 schools.