VDOE is pleased to announce the Virginia Middle School Teacher Corps (MSTC) application for the 2023-2024 school year (DOCX).The MSTC program reinforces a high quality of mathematics instruction by providing recruitment and/or retention incentives ($5,000 per year for up to three years) for effective mathematics teachers in schools with middle grades (grades six, seven, and/or eight) where mathematics is an area identified for improvement based on overall proficiency and growth rate performance on the Mathematics Standards of Learning Assessment.    

School divisions can access and use MSTC funds to help recruit and/or retain up to two mathematics teachers for each of the eligible schools through the MSTC application, due to VDOE by 5 p.m., Wednesday, December 20, 2023. A list of the MSTC-eligible schools may be found in here.  

Teachers receiving the MSTC incentives must occupy full-time teaching positions that reach students at risk of failure in mathematics. Qualified MSTC teachers must:  

1. hold an active, five-year Virginia teaching license;   
2. hold an appropriate teaching endorsement to teach middle school mathematics;   
3. have at least two years of experience in full-time teaching of middle or high school mathematics;   
4. have a minimum of 15 semester hours of mathematics coursework; and  
5. have demonstrated success in improving students’ academic achievement in mathematics.   

Second and third years of the three-year school award are contingent upon continued funding each year from the Virginia General Assembly.    

The September 14, 2023 edition of the Virginia Education Update Newsletter announced the New Teacher Data Collection, focused on data from school divisions on new teachers with zero years of experience who qualify for the Mentor Teacher Program or the Career Switcher Program. The Career Switcher Mentor Program offers grants to support mentoring programs for new teachers who have completed Level I of a Career Switcher Program and have zero years of teaching experience.  

Based on the information submitted by each school division, VDOE is pleased to announce the 2023-2024 Career Switcher Mentor Division Awards (XLSX). The terms of the grant award provides key grant details pertaining to this funding opportunity.  

The VDOE is pleased to accept applications for the Spring 2024 semester for the Paid Internship Scholarship for Aspiring Virginia Educators.  

Subject to available funding, this internship scholarship is for teacher or school counselor candidates enrolled in an approved education program at an accredited Virginia public or private four-year institution of higher education in the Commonwealth. Candidates must (i) be enrolled full-time or part-time in an approved undergraduate or graduate education program or are participants in another approved education program such as school counseling, (ii) be nominated by the institution where they are enrolled and (iii) completing their final semester culminating clinical experience, such as an internship or student teaching experience.  

Institutions may nominate up to two deserving students and will be asked to give preference to students facing significant barriers including those who demonstrate financial need and/or first-generation college students and those seeking endorsement in top critical shortage areas in Virginia.  Individual scholarship awards of up to $15,000 may be awarded for the semester.  

Once an institution has identified up to 2 nominees, the nominees must complete and return the application to the designated dean/chair, director or other authorized designee of the teacher education program in accordance with the procedures and deadlines established by the student's home institution. Applications for the Spring 2024 semester will be accepted through the Single Sign-on for Web Systems (SSWS) drop box feature until 4pm on Friday, January 19, 2024. 

Partnerships at the University of Virginia, the VDOE is now opening the third cycle. The application window will open on January 2, 2024, and will close on January 16, 2024.   

VDOE is accepting program applications that have not yet been reviewed, or resources that have been modified in response to feedback in Cycle 2.  

Interested curriculum providers and/or divisions should submit applications for review by noon on Tuesday, January 16, 2024. Visit UVA’s website for more details and to apply. Please note that submission of materials either in hard copy or via email will not be accepted.  

School divisions that seek to have locally created instructional materials  reviewed are invited to complete the application process using the above steps.  Additionally, please email VLP-VLA@virginia.edu by January 2, 2024, stating your intent to apply.  

Superintendents are asked to ensure that supplemental and intervention literacy resources currently used in K-8 classrooms are submitted for Cycle 3 (if they have not already been reviewed). Please inform any applicable providers to submit resources in Cycle 3.  

VDOE’s Office of School Quality (OSQ) is excited to invite division and school leaders to learn more about the new Virginia Support Framework, which guides the additional support offerings for divisions identified by the federal accountability and state accreditation systems. OSQ will host 60-minute webinars  on the Virginia Support Framework on Thursday, December 14, 2023, and Tuesday, December 19, 2023.   

Each session will provide participants with details regarding the Framework’s four domains of Academic Supports, Staffing Supports, Professional Learning Supports and School Climate Supports.  Division and school leaders will also learn about the systems of supports offered by the Virginia Department of Education and next steps for 2023-2024.   

Please forward the preferred registration link to all pertinent division and school personnel:  

• Session 1: December 14, 2023, 9-10 a.m.  
  Overview Virginia Support Framework- AM Session  
• Session 2: December 19, 2023, 1-2 p.m.  
  Overview Virginia Support Framework- PM Session  

Fiscal Year 2024 Project Graduation funds are now available on the Project Graduation website. Project Graduation funds are used to assist students in meeting graduation requirements and address the needs of students who have passing grades for standard credit bearing course(s) but failed the required Standards of Learning (SOL) assessments needed for verified credits to meet diploma requirements. Project Graduation must include remedial instruction for students in Algebra I or II, Geometry, English: Reading English: Writing, science and/or history/social science.  

Project Graduation funding school division formula allocations are paid on a reoccurring basis, twice monthly between January and June 2024. Allocations are based on the following:  

All SOL tests administered to students participating in Project Graduation remediation programs must have the “Project Graduation” field populated within the PearsonAccess system. 

The Virginia Board of Education will convene on Tuesday, December 12, 2023, at 9:00 a.m., for a special meeting to transact the business listed on the agenda below. The Board will only accept public comment at the special meeting on items listed on the agenda. The meeting will be held in the Board Room, located on the 22nd Floor of the James Monroe Building, 101 North 14th Street, Richmond, VA 23219, unless otherwise noted. All meetings are open to the public and will be livestreamed on the VDOE YouTube channel. 

Members of the public may signup to address the Board at the Special Meeting about an agenda item using the Board of Education Public Comment Sign-Up Form. Requests to address the Board should be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m. the day before the scheduled business meeting but may be requested at the meeting at the discretion of the President.