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This week’s To-Do’s
This week’s articles
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News from Across the Commonwealth
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Lynchburg Visit
Superintendent Coons joined Lynchburg City Schools Superintendent Dr. Crystal Edwards this morning at Business @ Breakfast with the Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance. They discussed the importance of the business community playing a role in supporting their local schools, educators and students.
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Ettrick Elementary Visit
Dr. Coons recently visited Chesterfield's Ettrick Elementary to recognize a newly formed partnership between VCU's Richmond Teacher Residency Program and the Department of Veteran's Services, visiting with teachers and their mentors. Through this program, aspiring teachers are provided purposeful mentoring and support to prepare them for success in the classroom. #ElevateEducatorsVA
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Dr. Lisa Coons, Superintendent of Public Instruction
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Happy Holidays,
In this time of gratitude, I want to thank each of you for the hard work you do every day. We are honored to work side-by-side with you to support your efforts for the children across the commonwealth. We know that you have accomplished a great deal, and we have a great deal of work ahead of us. Thank you for your commitment, your partnership, and the ongoing feedback to improve opportunities for children.
This week, the board voted on their annual report, the 2024-2029 Comprehensive Plan, their SOQ prescriptions, and the core instructional literacy materials for VLA. To review decisions made by the board, please see the website agenda, resources, and minutes. One of the key prescriptions the board made is recommending that the General Assembly study and move towards a student-weighted funding formula. VASS will be providing webinars about this funding formula in January, and I encourage you to learn more about this recommendation from the state board.
In addition, the board directed me to create an instructional materials appeal process. We will provide an appeals process update at the VASS conference in January. Additionally, Doug Straley, Superintendent in Louisa County, presented his model of meaningful engagement and wraparound support for chronic absenteeism. Doug and his team were commended for their example, and we encourage you to take time to review this work. As we move into the new year, look for guidance on meaningful engagement, attendance coding, and ongoing resource support.
As we finish our last accountability listening session this evening in Emporia, I want to thank you for elevating the importance of the voice of our educators, families, and community members in the board’s process of updating the accreditation and accountability system. Please watch for the summary notes in the January Board meeting, and we look forward to sharing updates during regional superintendent meetings in February.
Next year, we are excited to kick off with the VASS Conference on January 8th. Thank you to Chip Jones, Clint Mitchell, Michelle Michell, and Doug Straley for leading a Chronic Absenteeism Task Force follow up presentation, and I am also excited to support Dr. Sorensen in her literacy updates.
I hope everyone is able to take some time for fellowship with friends and family and can rejuvenate before the new year.
Best wishes,
Lisa
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 ALL In Virginia
Lexia Division Launches Underway
Audience: Superintendents, School Principals
Contact: Dr. Marcey Sorenson, Deputy Superintendent
Lexia is sending welcome emails to division contacts who have opted in participating in ALL In Tutoring using Lexia Core5®Reading and Lexia PowerUp Literacy® this week. These emails will trigger the next steps in getting your division launched with Lexia.
Important: Divisions need to sign and return the Data Privacy Agreement-Exhibit E as the first step. Submit to VAtutoring@lexialearning.com. This Exhibit E is a requirement for this initiative even if your division already has a DPA in place with Lexia.
Tailored for division leaders interested in integrating Lexia's evidence-based programs into their ALL In Tutoring plan, Lexia is offering several kick-off sessions. In these sessions, you will gain valuable insights into the features of Lexia Core5®Reading and Lexia PowerUp Literacy®, and how it can elevate literacy acceleration as well as the benefits of partnering with Lexia for your ALL In Tutoring.
Register Now!
During the registration process, you will have the opportunity to select your preferred session date. Each session is planned for 45 minutes. For more information visit Lexia’s All In Tutoring page.
- Thursday, December 14th beginning at 3:00 PM
- Monday, December 18th, beginning at 4:00 PM
- Wednesday, December 20th, beginning at 11:00 AM
- Thursday, January 9th, beginning at 10:00 AM
- Thursday, January 11th, beginning at 3:00 PM
- Wednesday, January 17th, beginning at 11:00 AM
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News from our Content Specialists and Special Education
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Virginia Literacy Act Cycle III Instructional Program Review Application Window: January 2-16, 2024
Audience: Superintendents, Directors, School Principals, Teachers, Non-teaching staff; Curriculum Publishers
Contact: VLP-VLA@virginia.edu
VDOE is seeking applications from providers of:
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K-8 supplemental literacy programs
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K-8 literacy intervention programs
The Virginia Literacy Act requires recommended literacy instructional programs –including core (K-5), supplemental (K-8), and intervention (K-8) materials – that provide evidence-based literacy instruction aligned with science-based reading research for approval by the Virginia Board of Education. In partnership with Virginia Literacy 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.
Nominations for the 2025 Mary V. Bicouvaris Teacher of the Year Program due February 8
Audience: Superintendents
Contact: Todd Reid, Assistant Superintendent of Strategic Communications
To honor Virginia teachers who represent the best in teaching in the Commonwealth and across the nation, all public and accredited nonpublic schools are invited to participate in the 2025 Mary V. Bicouvaris Virginia Teacher of the Year Program. The program is open to all exceptionally skilled and dedicated teachers in pre-kindergarten through grade 12, including school librarians, school counselors, technology specialists, math specialists and reading specialists, who hold a current renewable Virginia teaching license in the assigned teaching area. Additional criteria also apply.
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School Performance & Support
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Procedures for Administering Growth Assessments Virtually to Students in Multidivision Online Provider Programs
Audience: Superintendents, Directors, School Principals; Multidivision Online Provider Programs
Contact: Office of Student Assessment
The 2023 Virginia General Assembly passed House Bill 1820 which authorizes multidivision online provider (MOP) programs to administer the Virginia Growth Assessments virtually to their students in Grades 3 – 8 Reading and Mathematics beginning January 1, 2024. In response to HB 1820, the Office of Student Assessment developed procedures for administering the growth assessments in a virtual setting to those students receiving instruction through a MOP program. The procedures are for Division Directors of Testing and administrators at MOP programs and are available online.
2023-2024 Title I, Part A, Comparability Report
Audience: Superintendents, Directors; Title I Program Coordinators
Contact: Latonia Anderson, Title I Specialist
To receive Title I, Part A, funds, school divisions must verify comparability of services for Title I and non-Title I schools as stipulated in Section 1118(c) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). Virginia school divisions are required to verify comparability of services by completing the Title I Comparability Report on the Single Sign-on for Web Systems (SSWS) portal.
The 2023-2024 Title I Comparability Report will be available beginning Friday, December 15, 2023. Detailed instructions are provided with the web-based report.
Once the comparability report has been completed, the division superintendent or superintendent’s designee must electronically verify the report through SSWS. The report will not be submitted until this step is completed. The report should be submitted no later than Wednesday, January 31, 2024. The school division should maintain a copy of the entire verification report on file for audit purposes.
A webinar will be hosted on Wednesday, January 10, 2024, at 1:30 p.m. to provide an overview of how to complete the report in SSWS for new Title I Coordinators. Register for the webinar online.
New Title I, Part A and Title V, Part B, Subpart 2 Regional Assignments
Audience: Superintendents; Title I, Part A and Title V Coordinators
Contact: Tiffany Frierson, Title I Coordinator
VDOE’s Title I team has gained two new team members in the last five months. Sarah Gallagher began as the Title I, Part A/Title I, Part C specialist in July and Rob Wright joined the team the last week of November as a Title I, Part A/Title IV specialist. With the addition of new personnel, there will be new regional assignments for Title I and Title V.
Please see The Title I, Part A and Title V webpages for the list and contact information for your assigned specialists. An email will be sent when the change in regional assignments becomes official. Your new assigned specialist will be the person that you will contact for technical assistance, general questions, and OMEGA inquires for each program. Please note that Rob Wright will begin providing support to his assigned regions in January 2024.
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Supporting Early Childhood Care & Education
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Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI) Late Enrollment for School Divisions
Audience: Superintendents, Directors
Contact: Tiffanie Meehling, Associate Director of PreK Programs
Late Enrollment, a report required for school divisions who requested Late Enrollment slots via the Single Sign-On Web System (SSWS), is due January 15, 2024. This report will collect enrollment data for the Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI) as of December 31st. To support school divisions, the VDOE will host a technical webinar to review the VPI Late Enrollment Report. The webinar will be on December 19th at 10am.
Attendance is recommended for VPI Coordinators in divisions that requested Late Enrollment slots, or other school division reporting contacts. Registration is required.
VQB5 Local CLASS Observations
Audience: Superintendents, Directors, School Principals, Child Care Center Operators, Teachers, non-teaching staff
Contact: Lucy Mitzner, Quality Improvement Specialist
The fall CLASS observation window for all VQB5 programs closes on this upcoming next Friday, December 22, 2023. Local CLASS observation scores for every participating classroom must be entered and verified by site administrators in LinkB5 by this deadline. For more information, please view the resources below:
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