Spring is often deemed synonymous with change and expectation, but it can also be a time for reflection. During this time, as schools across the Commonwealth prepare for standardized testing and year-end wrap-up activities, it may be easy to lose sight of monitoring for school improvement efforts; however, now is the perfect time to revisit your data from your most recently completed Comprehensive Needs Assessment (CNA) in preparation for comparisons with forthcoming year-end outcome data points.  Not only is conducting a CNA the starting point for everything from compliance with Virginia Standards of Accreditation and federal laws, but it is also a foundation for innovation to advance student achievement. As the starting point of the Virginia Continuous School Improvement Process (VaCSIP), administrators should initially utilize CNA findings before recommending any new program, practice, or making any important change. 

Utilizing data from a Comprehensive Needs Assessment (CNA) is a reflective, systematic, impact-driven way to ensure improvement in all areas of a school’s services programs, instruction, and assessments. The deeper dive will reveal your school’s strengths on which you can capitalize as well as any causal factors contributing to underlying root causes hindering academic progress. Completing a CNA must be a team effort; it cannot be accomplished without bringing all stakeholders, for whom the work outlined will directly impact, to the table. When school leaders leverage the knowledge of their staff and community stakeholders, while examining opportunities for improvement, school communities can operate at optimal levels. 

The time invested in building team member capacity by using protocols to guide conversations, analyzing data sets, and identifying causal factors that contribute to root causes will pay dividends. Your school team will be able to grow and reflect together and will collaboratively develop goals and actions that will have maximum impact. Taking the time to learn from and grow with one another, while designing school improvement efforts, will establish a school culture and climate that is both solid and sustainable (Boudett et al., 2015). 

Boudett, K. P., City, E. A., & Murnane, R. J. (2015). Data wise: A step-by-step guide to using assessment results to improve teaching and learning. Harvard Education Press. 

Latrese Younger 

School Quality Specialist

During the month of May, from 5-8 to 5-12, we celebrate the teachers across the Commonwealth of Virginia. Thank you for your dedication to your students, families and communities!

“A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.”

-Henry Brooks Adams

The Comprehensive Needs Assessment (CNA) can be a challenging exercise for schools and districts. While there are many guidebooks and directives to help work through a CNA, it is worth identifying some of the barriers, and ways to tackle these issues to create a seamless process.  

This brief, crafted by SwailLandis for OSQ, will provide additional tips and resources for navigating and clarifying the CNA process for school teams.  

On Thursday, June 1, 2023, OSQ will present a virtual session entitled Comprehensive Needs Assessment. In this session, members of the Office of School Quality will offer professional learning to clarify the Comprehensive Needs Assessment processes and provide a closer look at facilitating a collaborative data discussion that allows all voices to be heard and advances student and school performance. Here is the Link to Webinar which will begin at 9:00 a.m. 

K-12 Learning Acceleration Grants 

The Virginia Department of Education is now accepting applications from parents for tutoring microgrants for their children through Govenor Glenn Youngkin’s K-12 Learning Acceleration Grants program. The program was created to help Virginia families address the impact of the pandemic on student learning.  

The $30 million dollar program will provide $1,500 grants to parents of school-age children for tutoring in core content areas (English reading/writing, mathematics, science and history/social science) and foreign languages required to meet diploma requirements. Children from homes with family incomes at 300% or less of the federal poverty level may qualify for $3,000 grants. 

K-12 Learning Acceleration Grants may also be used for other education services to address the impact of the pandemic on learning and student well-being, including assistive technologies and services for students with disabilities. 

For additional information, please visit the link below for the News Release published on May 1, 2023. Parent Registration for K-12 Learning Acceleration Grants Now Open | News Releases | Virginia Department of Education 

The Office of School Quality wants to hear from leaders around the state about potential topics for future Quick Takes. Please provide your suggestions or ideas using this link. Please know that we may not get to all of the suggestions, but we will prioritize topics based on the feedback we receive. Thank you! 

 This monthly communication is intended for school and division leadership throughout the Commonwealth. Don't ever miss an edition of Quick Takes; sign up to join our mailing list.