Sanctioned To Read

“There is a direct correlation between juvenile crime and academic success,” stated Chief Judge Belvin Perry, Jr. who has been instrumental in establishing the Ninth Judicial Circuit’s Sanctioned to Read Program. In fact, studies have shown that a common thread among juvenile defendants is their inability to succeed in academics.

To break this cycle, the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court has established a new program under the Orange County Teen Court umbrella - - Sanctioned to Read. The program’s purpose is to achieve literacy and improve reading skills for each defendant sentenced to the program. Knowing how to read and comprehend is the foundation of a good education and the ticket to becoming a productive citizen of our community.

The program is funded through Orange County’s Teen Court Program at no cost to the participants or their families. Youth who participate in the program must be ordered into Sanctioned to Read by a Juvenile Judge as a condition of probation or referred by the Orange County Teen Court Program.

What is Sanctioned to Read?

Sanctioned to Read is an individualized, highly motivational, diagnostic and prescriptive reading program. Each child is provided with a distinctive plan of action or “prescription.” It is not a one-size-fits-all program. The program helps youth master reading skills by using an innovative curriculum, reward and incentive program. The program is designed to make learning a positive experience.

What is the goal of the program?

The goal is to help students build strong academic skills while they develop the desire and confidence to succeed. The Ninth Judicial Circuit Court is committed to improving the reading skills of those youth sentenced by the Court. “If the Court fills in the missing educational links for these youth, they will be given the opportunity to succeed in school and in life,” stated Chief Judge Perry. “We have to break the cycle,” added the Chief Judge. “We must catch juvenile offenders early on.”

How does it work?

First through third grade students concentrate on learning to read. From that point on, school revolves around reading to learn. So, if any basic skill gets lost, learning takes a back seat to frustration.

The Ninth Judicial Circuit Court has opened an after-school tutoring center at the John H. Jackson Community Center in downtown Orlando. Lora Doncsecz-Horton, the Reading Coordinator, and Josann M. Fernandez, Assistant Reading Coordinator, will oversee the program and provide the tutoring. Lora is a certified teacher in the State of Florida. Josann has worked with other children’s reading programs.

Students who participate in the Sanctioned to Read Program begin with interactive diagnostic testing that allows tutors to pinpoint the areas in which each student struggles. The testing will be conducted at the Thomas S. Kirk Juvenile Justice Center. Then, an individual prescription is designed for each student that helps the youth improve at least one full grade level in reading during his or her first 40 hours of instruction. After months of frustration in the classroom, the youth will taste success by mastering skills necessary to completing lessons in their own comfort level. This will set a whole new pattern for learning and ultimately, a whole new pattern for life.

What is the Curriculum?

The methods used in the Sanctioned to Read Program are structured in a step-by-step management system designed to allow the youth maximum growth in a minimum time frame. The program utilizes KnowledgePoints, a national company based in Portland, Oregon started by W. Berry Fowler, the creator of Sylvan Learning Centers. The local sponsorship of the KnowledgePoints program is handled by Learning Centers of Central Florida which is owned by Neal and Jill Kimball of Orlando.

Who Can Participate?

Only those youth who are ordered into the program by a Juvenile Judge as a condition of probation or youth who receive a sanction ordered by the Orange County Teen Court can participate.

Juvenile student offenders from Juvenile Court will be sanctioned to the center for tutoring two to four times a week after school with a minimum of 40 hours.

Success?

"The community needs to ensure that juvenile offenders receive the skills necessary to succeed,” stated Chief Judge Perry. “This program will do just that. It will give the youth in our community a chance to learn under the arm of the Court."

"Reading competence is an important part of a child's path to self-respect and self-worth. The Sanctioned to Read Program will provide us with an effective tool to raise our children's self-esteem and assist us in knocking down barriers to academic success. Naturally, a better citizen is molded and a more effective taxpayer and future voter is created,” stated Judge Jose Rodriguez, Administrative Judge of Juvenile Court.

Once the basic reading skills are firmly in place, their self esteem will be higher. The youth will feel more confident about school, which will afford them the opportunity of success. The Judges of the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court, through the Orange County Teen Court Program, are committed to seeing that the youth sentenced by the Court achieve literacy and improve their reading skills.

“Learning is its own exceeding great reward.”
William Hazlitt

Contact Information

Lora Doncsecz-Horton
Reading Program Coordinator
407-836-9313

Thomas S. Kirk Juvenile Justice Center
2000 E. Michigan Street, Orlando, Florida 32806

Orlando Sentinel - October 16, 2003

Ninth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida