PARENT GUIDES FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS STANDARDS
The Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking (B.E.S.T.) Standards for English Language Arts (ELA) are literacy standards for Florida students that will shape their education and make Florida the most literate state in the nation. The B.E.S.T. Standards will pave the way for Florida students to receive a world-class education and prepare them for a successful future. Parent Guides have been developed to help families learn more about the new B.E.S.T. ELA Standards.
Parent Guides for English Language Arts Standards

SUPPORTING READING AT HOME
Learning to read begins at home through everyday interactions with children, long before they attend school. Supporting literacy development as children enter elementary school and progress through grades positively affects their reading ability. The Regional Educational Laboratory Southeast provides family activities with easy-to-follow instructions to help children practice foundational reading skills at home. Foundational skills include oral language, phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. Phonological awareness, alphabetic skills and language skills are the best predictors of early reading success (B.E.S.T., Appendix E, p. 206). There are short family videos for tips and support on how to use the activities to help children grow as readers. Using the family activities at home can help children develop language, link sounds to letters, blend letters and word parts to read and write the words and ultimately read for understanding.
Supporting Your Child’s Reading at Home

NEW WORLDS READING
The New Worlds Reading Initiative gives hundreds of thousands of eligible PreK-5 students the chance to build personalized libraries that reflect their unique interests and backgrounds, at no cost to families or schools. Your child may be eligible to receive books and supporting materials each month.
New World Reading Initiative

The New Worlds Scholarship Accounts provide $500 scholarships to eligible K-5 students. The program offers parents/guardians access to education savings accounts to pay for tuition and fees related to part-time tutoring, summer and after-school literacy or mathematics programs and instructional materials (including desktop/laptop computers and tablets and curriculum related to reading, literacy or mathematics). Your child may be eligible for a New Worlds Scholarship Account.
New World Scholarship Accounts