Sunshine State TESOL of Florida Useful Sites for Advocacy and Legislative Contacts

Consent Decree – This is the landmark decision in 1990 in the state of Florida granting rights of English Language Learners (ELLs) in the Florida school system (also available in Spanish and Haitian Creole)

League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) et al. v. State Board of Education Consent Decree, United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, August 14, 1990

Comprehensive English Language Learning Assessment (CELLA) - This is the English language proficiency instrument by which ELLs are placed in and exited from ELL support programs in the state.

http://www.firn.edu/doe/omsle/cella.htm

Florida Department of Education
http://www.fldoe.org/

Florida Department of Education – Office of Academic Achievement through Language Acquisition (AALA)

http://www.firn.edu/doe/omsle/

Florida Department of Education –Legislative Highlights for 2006

http://www.fldoe.org/gr/

Florida Department of Education – State Board of Education

http://www.fldoe.org/board/default.asp

Florida Department of Education – State Board of Education (Meetings and Archives)

http://www.fldoe.org/meetings/

Florida Department of Education – Language Arts Through ESOL

http://www.firn.edu/doe/omsle/egtoc.htm

Florida Department of Education – Students Rights and Services Available to English Language Learners (ELLs)

http://www.firn.edu/doe/aala/omsrs2.htm

Florida State Senate
http://www.flsenate.gov

Florida State Assembly
http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/

Florida Statutes 2006 - Florida Statute 1003.56 English language instruction for limited English proficient students.

http://www.flsenate.gov/Statutes/index.cfm?mode=View%20Statutes&SubMenu=1&App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=CH1003/Sec56.HTM

Give Your Students a Voice - This link describes projects that ESOL teachers can do to make a difference in policymakers’ votes and decisions that impact ELLs’ lives.

http://www.catesol.org/advoinvite.html

Legislation Page for National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition (NCELA) - Contains the full text of the "No Child Left Behind Act of 2001" conference report AND summaries for Titles I, III, V and VII.

http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/policy/legislation/2_enacted.htm

Recent State Policies/Activities Nationwide for Bilingual and ESOL Programs – Education Commission of the States

http://www.ecs.org/ecs/ecscat.nsf/WebTopicView?OpenView&count=300&RestrictToCategory=Bilingual/ESL

TESOL Advocacy Home Page
http://www.tesol.org/advocacy/index.html

Contacting Your Representatives in the U.S. Congress and the Florida Legislature

Contacting Your Florida State Legislators: http://www.leg.state.fl.us

You can search for your legislators in the House and Senate by name, district, and party.  However, the easiest way is to check legislators for your county.  Selecting the county search on this site will provide you with maps of your county displaying district lines for both chambers.  Simply click on the area of the county you live in to get information about your legislators.

Another Way to Find Your Florida Legislators: Find your member of Congress using your zip code.  Match your zip code to your member of Congress and your congressional district.  Using your five-digit zip you can expect an accuracy of just under 90%, as many congressional districts split postal areas.  If you get a response with more than one member listed, use your nine-digit zip code to find your representatives in Congress.  If you do not know your nine-digit zip code, the U.S. Postal Service offers a Zip+4 service (requires a JavaScript-enabled browser).

Florida Counties by District
District 1:   Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa Walton
District 2:   Holmes, Washington, Jackson, Bay, Calhoun, Gulf, Gadsden, Liberty, Leon, Wakulla, Franklin, Jefferson, Madison, Taylor
District 3:   Hamilton, Suwannee, Columbia, Lafayette, Dixie, Union, Bradford, Gilchrist, Alachua, Levy, Putnam
District 4:   Nassau, Baker, Duval, Clay, St. Johns
District 5:   Pasco, Pinellas
District 6:   Hillsborough, Manatee
District 7:   Seminole, Orange, Osceola, Brevard

District 8:   Sarasota, DeSoto, Charlotte, Glades, Lee, Hendry, Collier
District 9:   Palm Beach
District 10: Broward
District 11: Dade, Monroe
District 12: Flagler, Volusia
District 13: Marion, Citrus, Hernando, Lake Sumter
District 14: Polk, Hardee, Highlands
District 15: Indian River, Okeechobee, St. Lucie, Martin

Contacting Your U.S. Congress Senators and Representatives: At Contacting the Congress website http://www.visi.com/juan/congress, click on Florida listings for a full page of personal and contact information for each Florida representative to the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate.

How to Address Members of the House of Representatives

The Honorable _________________
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

How to Address Members of the Senate

The Honorable _________________
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20515

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