Reading and literacy are the cornerstones of K-12 success and allow students to unlock their future hopes and dreams. When we make the time to read with children, children get the message that reading is important.   For the first time, Virginia has a comprehensive reading initiative aimed at creating a strong foundation and improving literacy outcomes for students throughout the Commonwealth. I believe that successful implementation of the Virginia Literacy Act requires strong collaboration amongst VDOE, partner organizations, superintendents, families, and local instructional leaders. This is why we have incorporated feedback from colleagues across the Commonwealth and released an extensive Virginia Literacy Update for division leaders. This is a guide to use while creating your division literacy plans, planning for future training, and assessing your school division’s needs around full implementation of VLA. Please take time to review this information with your team. All of the documents, including the most recent update, instructions, new DLP, and the VLA Implementation Playbook released this week can be found on the VDOE website. 

The excitement for reading was on full display this week during the Read Across America celebration. Many leaders shared their enthusiasm for literacy; Tazewell Superintendent Chris Stacy and Sussex Superintendent Julius Hamlin were seen reading in classrooms all around their school divisions. During my recent visit to Saltville Elementary in Smyth County, I was inspired by the leaders and teachers who were devoted to making sure every child learns to read with a "sounds first" approach. Superintendent Tony Vladu shared his compelling literacy journey with students at Gloucester’s Botetourt Elementary School. He told the story of how he learned to form sounds in Romanian and then learned sounds and comprehension in English when he arrived in America almost 40 years ago. It is obvious his passion for reading continues today!  

Last night, several VDOE team members participated in the PTA’s Family Reading webinar. We focused on encouraging families to establish reading time, and we elevated the importance of working closely with their child’s teacher when discussing reading supports, additional reading practice, or discussing their reading concerns for their child.  

Parents, family members, community volunteers, and older students can share their joy of reading with younger children and expose them to the rich language and vocabulary in a variety of texts. Recently, student-athletes from Martinsville HS in Martinsville City Public Schools did just this. They read to students at Clearview Early Learning and Albert Harris and Patrick Henry Elementary Schools to model their love of reading to these young learners!  

Please continue to elevate reading every day and help us ensure every child reaches their hopes and dreams. 

-Lisa

The Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education is seeking nominations of former CTE students who qualify for recognition as one of the Commonwealth’s brightest Career Success Stars. The individual success stories will be featured as video profiles on the VDOE’s website, highlighting how CTE programs provide academic and technical skills for postsecondary success. 

Nominees should be former CTE students in their 20s and 30s who represent each of the 17 career clusters as well as a U.S. military branch. Once selections are made, individuals will be contacted to schedule an appointment for a photograph and video recording session. Parents of the Career Success Stars nominees may also be interviewed and featured on the VDOE website.  

Please complete the CTE Career Success Stars Nomination form for each former student you wish to nominate. The nominations are due by April 15, 2024.   

The VDOE announces the availability of the Granville P. Meade Scholarship, offering financial assistance to academically accomplished students facing financial challenges in attending college. The scholarship provides $2,000 per year for four years to eligible Virginia high school seniors attending any of Virginia's public or private colleges or universities. 

Important Changes to the Application Process 

This year, there is a new procedure for the submission and review of applications. For detailed instructions, deadlines, and procedures, refer to the Granville P. Meade Scholarship Timeline and Procedures and the Student Guide. All submissions to the VDOE must be through the Single Sign-On Web Systems (SSWS) Dropbox to ensure security and efficiency. 

Application Timeline  

All scholarship information, including the application timeline for public, private, and home-school students and submission procedures can be found on the VDOE Granville P. Meade Scholarship webpage.  

The VDOE is pleased to accept applications for the 2024 summer and fall 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, 

(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 two nominees per semester, 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 4 p.m. on Friday, April 19, 2024. 

VDOE will host a leadership conference for division leaders of fine arts instruction or designated teacher leaders from each of Virginia’s 131 school divisions. The conference will be held on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, at Longwood University from 9:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. 

Each school division is encouraged to send individuals who supervise Fine Arts instruction for students in K-12, including central office fine arts program leader(s) or a teacher leader for each fine arts discipline identified by the central office staff. 

Conference registration is offered at no cost to school division employees and includes morning coffee/tea and lunch. Parking will be available to participants at no charge.  

Register for the conference by April 22, 2024. 

Beginning in spring 2024, a new online mathematics item type will be field tested (or tried out) with students as part of all mathematics Standards of Learning (SOL) tests. These new items, called Equation Editor items, have students enter their answers using buttons and math symbols that appear on a palette. Because these new items are being field tested, they will not be included in student scores. While Equation Editor items will be field tested in grades 3-8 mathematics, Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II online SOL tests, not all students will receive these items as part of their online SOL test.  

To allow students and school staff to prepare for Equation Editor items, the SOL Practice Item Sets (linked below) for grades 3-8 mathematics, Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II have been updated to include these items. The practice items provide students and teachers an opportunity to become familiar with the functionality of these test items prior to the spring 2024 test administration.  

The practice items may be accessed online. Two guided practice suggestion documents titled “Mathematics Items Practice” and “Mathematics Tools Practice” are available to provide specific guidance for teachers or other adults to lead students through the questions. The Introduction to TestNav 8: Multiple-Choice/Technology-Enhanced Item Tests (Word) document details online navigation, online tools, accessibility features, and overall functionality and appearance of multiple-choice/technology-enhanced item tests in TestNav 8. 

Questions regarding the new item type may be submitted to the Office of Student Assessment at Student_Assessment@doe.virginia.gov. 

The SNAP in Schools initiative will develop partnerships to bridge the gap of food insecurity among school-aged children by increasing enrollment in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The Virginia Department of Social Services will collaborate with the Virginia Department of Education, Office of School and Community Nutrition Programs, local education agencies, and school staff to increase enrollment in SNAP among households with school-aged children. 

The objectives of SNAP in Schools are to reduce food insecurity in school-aged children; to increase the number of students directly certified for free school meals through SNAP; and to increase the number of students eligible without application for the summer EBT program.  

Virginia schools support the nutritional needs of children by offering breakfast, lunch, afterschool snacks, and other programs onsite during the school year and summer. SNAP in Schools will leverage outreach and the collective efforts of schools and stakeholders to help families alleviate hunger by increasing the number of eligible households participating in SNAP. SNAP participation may also qualify students for other benefits such as discounted internet access, fee waivers, and educational services.  

Virginia’s statewide rate of eligible households currently enrolled in SNAP is 45 percent. Schools are a trusted environment for families who need nutrition assistance to get information. Outreach flyers and translations will be distributed to school divisions via email. Schools may also provide a link to the CommonHelp portal for SNAP applications.   

SNAP in Schools outreach will help facilitate providing meals and nutritious food for children every day, all year long. 

Starting in the fall of 2024, all publicly funded early childhood programs in Virginia will receive an annual VQB5 quality profile, which will include information about performance on measurements (i.e., quality rating results) and other topics of interest to families, policymakers, and the general public.  

On Tuesday, March 19 at 2:00 p.m., the VDOE will host a VQB5 Quality Profile Preview Webinar to gather input and feedback on the development of the public VQB5 Quality Profiles. Please register here to attend.    

To learn more about how VQB5 measures and improves the quality of early childhood programs, visit the Quality Measurement and Improvement (VQB5) webpage.   

2022-2023 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Excess Cost Calculation

Audience: Superintendents, Division Finance and Special Education Staff
Contact: Shalonda Lewis, Special Education Financial Data Specialist, Shalonda.Lewis@doe.virginia.gov 

The Virginia Board of Education (Board) is seeking nominees for several vacancies on the Advisory Board on Teacher Education and Licensure (“ABTEL”), the Early Childhood Advisory Committee (“ECAC”), and the Virginia Advisory Committee on Advanced Learning (“VACAL”). A full list of open seats is available on the VDOE website.  

Please note that, by state or federal law or regulation, some of the vacancies on advisory committees require specific categories of expertise, qualifications, or geographic representation. A map of the VDOE Superintendent’s Regions is available here.   

Members of advisory committees do not receive compensation for their service but may be reimbursed for travel expenses in accordance with state travel guidelines set forth by the Department of Accounts.  

Educators, parents, administrators, and other individuals are invited to apply by completing this nomination form before 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 22, 2024.