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Board of Education Approves African American History Edits to History & Social Science Standards |
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The state Board of Education has approved a series of edits to the Commonwealth’s History and Social Science Standards of Learning and SOL Curriculum Framework to implement recommendations from Governor Ralph Northam’s Commission on African American History Education in the Commonwealth.
The curriculum framework details the essential knowledge and skills students must attain to meet learning objectives in the Standards of Learning for each grade level and course. The edits recommended by the commission will lead to changes in instruction in grades K-2, Virginia Studies, U.S. History to 1865, U.S. History 1865 to the Present, and Virginia and U.S. History.
“Incorporating additional context about African American history into the larger historical narrative has never been more important. The approval of these edits to the standards and curriculum framework begins Virginia’s effort to change the course of history and social science instruction to ensure inclusive and culturally relevant content in all grades and courses,” Board of Education President Daniel Gecker said. “I thank the members of the commission for their recommendations and for their commitment to supporting teachers as they implement these revisions in their classrooms.”
The edits approved by the board expand the content of Virginia’s history standards by adding additional depth and context. For example, the addition of Old Point Comfort to the framework for Virginia Studies (typically taught in the fourth grade) provides more specificity to the standard about the arrival in 1619 of the first African Americans in British North America.
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Franklin County Teacher Named 2021 Virginia Teacher of the Year
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Anthony Swann, a fifth-grade teacher at Rocky Mount Elementary in Franklin County, was named 2021 Virginia Teacher of the Year during a virtual recognition ceremony livestreamed on social media on Wednesday, October 8, 2020. Swann was selected from the eight regional winners announced last month and is now the commonwealth’s nominee for 2021 National Teacher of the Year.
Superintendent of Public Instruction James Lane made the announcement at the conclusion of the ceremony, which included remarks from Governor Ralph Northam, first lady Pamela Northam, Secretary of Education Atif Qarni and state Board of Education President Daniel Gecker.
“First of all, I’d like to thank God for the opportunity to serve his children. It’s been a dream of mine ever since I was 11 years old. Words cannot express how humbled and grateful I am to have this honor,” Swann said. "I plan to utilize this opportunity to give hope to those students who feel that their current trauma or economic hardship is the end of their world. Teachers, together we have the ability to change one life at a time through our influence. Let’s continue to change the world, one child at a time.”
“While tonight’s Virginia Teacher of the Year ceremony was virtual because of the coronavirus pandemic, Anthony Swann is the real deal,” Lane said. “He represents the thousands of Virginia teachers who dedicate every day — whether teaching remotely or in person — to the academic success of their students and their social and emotional well-being. Anthony overcame many challenges to get where he is today, and he shares those life lessons with his students as he prepares them for success in the classroom and beyond.”
Swann, the Region 6 Teacher of the Year, was named Virginia’s top teacher after being interviewed last week by a committee that included representatives of professional and educational associations and the business community.
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VDOE Launches Navigating EdEquityVA Equity Audit Tool |
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The Virginia Department of Education is pleased to release the Navigating EdEquityVA - Equity Audit Tool. This tool is designed to facilitate critical evaluation of education systems and practices through an equity lens. Aligned to Virginia’s 5Cs of EdEquityVA—Continuous Reflection, Compassionate Student and Family Engagement, Curriculum Reframing, Courageous Leadership, and Cultural Responsiveness—the audit tool aids schools and divisions in identifying inequities and establishing equity priorities.
VDOE encourages Virginia’s school division leaders to dedicate time, and the resources necessary, to conduct a comprehensive equity audit. Its use will establish a data informed understanding of policies, procedures, and current practices that may induce disparate outcomes, opportunity gaps, and non-inclusive school culture and climate. The essential questions, which are based on the core competencies necessary to advance equity, will help leaders gather equity framed data about student achievement, family engagement, personnel competencies, disproportionality, instructional equity, and more. It is our hope that the Navigating EdEquityVA - Equity Audit Tool will support schools and divisions in their efforts to maximize the potential of every Virginia student.
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Virginia Students Again Outscore Nation on ACT |
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Virginia students again outperformed their peers nationwide by significant margins this year on the ACT college-admissions test. The performance of Virginia high school graduates improved in all subjects assessed by the four-part test, while the achievement of graduates nationwide declined in English and mathematics, and was flat in reading and science.
The percentage of 2020 Virginia graduating seniors who met the ACT’s college-readiness benchmark in each content area was 20 or more points higher than the percentages for graduates nationwide, with students performing as follows:
- 82 percent of Virginia seniors met the benchmark in English, compared with 58 percent nationwide;
- 69 percent met the benchmark in reading; compared with 45 percent;
- 62 percent met the benchmark in mathematics; compared with 37 percent;
- 60 percent met the benchmark in science, compared with 36 percent; and
- 48 percent met the benchmarks in all four subjects, compared with 26 percent.
The college-readiness benchmarks identify students whose ACT scores indicate that they are prepared for first-year college English composition, reading, algebra and biology.
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Virginia Schools Celebrate Disability History and Awareness Month
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Virginia schools are celebrating Disability History and Awareness Month with virtual events and activities promoting school cultures based on mutual respect, understanding and equitable opportunities for all students.
In 2009, the General Assembly approved House Joint Resolution 715 designating October as Disability History and Awareness Month in the commonwealth. The resolution was the result of an initiative led by a group of students with disabilities.
The Virginia Department of Education is encouraging school divisions and communities to celebrate the contributions and achievements of people with disabilities this month by participating in online events and activities.
“The message of Disability History Awareness Month is especially important this year as school divisions and VDOE work in partnership to ensure equitable opportunities and outcomes for all students in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic,” Superintendent of Public Instruction James Lane said.
The Inclusion Project — sponsored by VDOE and Virginia Commonwealth University’s Partnership for People with Disabilities — is hosting the following online events this month with two nationally recognized advocates for people with disabilities.
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Virginia Receives USDA Team Nutrition Training Grant |
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On Oct. 16, 2020, the USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) announced the award of over $4.1 million in FY 2021 Team Nutrition Training Grants to state agencies that administer the National School Lunch Program. Virginia is one of 14 states to receive the award. These grants will assist states in helping schools offer meals supported by recipes that utilize local agricultural products and reflect local food preparation practices and taste preferences.
The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) will expand its Virginia Harvest of the Month (VA HOM) program by developing additional recipes for all grade levels. The VDOE will build a recipe development team consisting of four VDOE Office of School Nutrition Programs (VDOE-SNP) staff members, a contracted culinary expert, and school nutrition professionals from four regionally-diverse school divisions within the Commonwealth. The recipe development team will oversee the development, testing, and standardization of eight new recipes (four breakfast and four lunch) featuring foods grown in Virginia including sweet potatoes, butternut squash, kale, lettuce, strawberries, zucchini, apples, and spinach. Virginia Agriculture in the Classroom will develop lesson plans targeting secondary students for each local agricultural product featured in the new recipes. Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) agents will implement the nutrition lessons at one or more schools in each of the four participating divisions.
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#ICYMI: State Superintendent Reflects on Significant Events and Celebratory Moments in Year in Review |
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It would be easy to define this last year as the year of COVID-19. But as I have reflected on the work of the Department of Education over this past year, there was both work and recognition worth celebrating before COVID-19, and some of that same work has continued as we pivoted to address the support for school divisions here in Virginia during this global pandemic.
Read more: virginiaisforlearners.virginia.gov/2019-20-year-in-review
Resources for Phased Reopening of Virginia's Public Schools
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The phased reopening of K-12 schools gradually permits in-person instruction to resume while prioritizing the health and safety of students and staff. In order to minimize the disparate impacts closures have had on students, this approach prioritizes the needs of students who have been most impacted by school building closures, and for whom in-person instruction is most beneficial:
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