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Frequently Asked Questions: For Teachers
What is FOR-PD?
Florida Online Reading Professional Development is an online staff development project designed to help teachers, reading and others, to improve reading instruction for students in grades preK-12. FOR-PD meets Competency 2 [PDF: 6 pages / 187k] of the Florida Reading Endorsement and Certification.
Is FOR-PD for me?
If you are a certified Florida teacher, FOR-PD may be for you. You will need access to the Internet and time to complete the course. You will need to know how to send and receive email messages, including attachments.
What is FOR-PD about?
FOR-PD course topics include the five essential elements of teaching reading: phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency. Additional topics include principles of reading instruction, teaching second language learners, using technology in instruction, teaching the struggling reader and information on formal and informal assessment. A complete list of FOR-PD topics is available online.
How much does it cost?
The FOR-PD course is free for Florida's certified teachers. If you are interested in receiving graduate credit, you will need to contact your nearest state university to learn more. You can locate a university near you that offers the course by visiting the Participating Districts and Universities page.
How do I sign up?
To sign up for inservice credit, simply contact your district inservice representative. For graduate credit, you will need to contact the nearest state university to enroll. You can locate a university near you that offers the course by visiting the Participating Districts and Universities page.
How do I know if my district is participating?
You can contact the staff development office in your district for specific details about their plans to participate. The FOR-PD website will also list participating districts.
Can I get credit...either inservice or graduate?
Yes. Inservice credit (60 credit hours) is available by contacting your district inservice representative. Graduate credit (3 graduate credit hours) is available by contacting your nearest state university. You can locate a university near you that offers the course by visiting the Participating Districts and Universities page.
Will there be future courses offered for Reading?
This course will be offered as many times as the district wishes to offer it. There are no definite plans to develop another reading course. Contact your district to see what other courses they are offering and how to sign up.
Can this course lead to reading certification?
Yes. In order for it to count for reading certification, it must be taken for credit. Contact your nearest state university for information about taking the course for credit.
Will it work on my computer?
You will need Internet access and a current web browser that supports Javascript. Many home and school computers meet the minimum hardware and software configurations for the course.
What's it like to take an online course?
Some people find online learning the perfect complement to their busy lifestyle. Courses can be completed from any Internet connected computer. In-depth information is available through additional web links and resources. To help you determine if this online learning experience is for you, please visit the Course Overview and look at "Is Online Learning for You?"
Will there be tests and quizzes?
The course will involve discussion postings and online quizzes if taken for inservice credit. If you choose to take the course for graduate credit, the professor may have additional requirements.
How long is the FOR-PD course?
The course is 14 lessons with a lesson each week (2 lessons each week in the shortened 7 week summer course). For specific information about what content is covered in each lesson, please visit the course outline.
What are FOR-PD's accommodations for participants with disabilities?
FOR-PD has made every effort to ensure that the FOR-PD course is section 508 compliant and web accessible. If you have a disability that may require reasonable accommodations to ensure that you have equal access to this course, you are encouraged to self-identify as soon as possible. Self-identification will allow FOR-PD to begin making reasonable accommodations for you. Please contact the office with a description your individual needs via phone (866) 227-7261 (FL only) or email at forpd@mail.ucf.edu.
How much does it cost to use FOR-PD's resources?
FOR-PD has an elaborate resources page which can be used for FREE by anyone anywhere!
Since FOR-PD satisfies the second competency for reading endorsement, is it alright if I complete the second competency before I do the first competency?
We recommend that teachers follow the reading endorsement course sequence, but realize that this sequence may not be followed at the district level for various reasons.
Where can I learn more about reading endorsement?
Information regarding reading endorsement can be found here.
What will I learn in the course that I can use in my school?
For a lesson-by-lesson description of the content covered in the course, please take a look at the course outline.
I am not a certified teacher. May I still take the course?
The Department of Education requires that all participants enrolled in the course have a valid Florida's professional teacher certificate. Only those with a teacher's certificate may take the course.
I teach at a private school. Can I still enroll in the FOR-PD course?
FOR-PD is available to all of Florida's certified teachers, including those at private schools. Individuals at private schools may enroll during open enrollment (information on open enrollment is posted on our site frequently, so please see the FOR-PD website for details).
I am a teacher in a state that is not Florida. May I still take the course?
We appreciate your interest in our course, however, at this time we only offer the course for certified teachers in Florida.
I still have more questions?
Most of your questions should be answered somewhere on the FOR-PD web site. If you can't find the answers to questions you have, you can email us at forpd@mail.ucf.edu.
