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Highlights
News from Across the Commonwealth
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Students in the Summer Residential Governor's School for Humanities program at Radford University take a play writing class - the top six scripts are chosen and performed by theatre students. VDOE's Office of Advanced Learning recently attended a theatre showcase. Congratulations to the talented playwrights in the program. |
Congratulations to the Automotive Technology program at Jackson River Technical Center in Alleghany Highlands Schools, and its instructor, Austin Burns, for being accredited as an Automotive Services Education Entry-Level Certification Program! This professional credential demonstrates the hard work of teachers, professional advisory committees, and others. Great job! |
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Grayson County Public Schools recently collaborated for a very engaging professional development session on instructional strategies to make learning accessible to ALL students. Secondary teachers of all disciplines participated in a morning session followed by a session specifically for all elementary teachers in the afternoon. |
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Superintendent's Message
Dr. Lisa Coons, Superintendent of Public Instruction
Thank you to everyone who participated in the Commonwealth Conversations across Virginia to provide your thoughts and feedback on implementing Executive Order 33. Your dedication, insights, and active engagement have been invaluable in shaping the future of cell phone-free education in Virginia. I am deeply grateful for your time, effort, and commitment to creating a healthier and more focused learning environment for our students.
However, our work is not done. The draft guidance reflects the voices of Virginians who took part in nine public listening sessions across the Commonwealth, with over 600 attendees, 11 additional stakeholder group conversations with community and faith leaders, parent organizations, school boards, superintendents, principals, and school nurse associations, as well as nearly 1,500 submitted online comments in July and August of 2024. This draft guidance is now available for review and feedback through September 15. Once finalized on September 16, every school division and local school board should review existing policies and/or work to create or revise policies that adhere to the following minimum guidance no later than January 1, 2025. Communities are invited and encouraged to have conversations and consider broadening their policies.
As we continue this important work, the new school year approaches, filling me with excitement and anticipation, especially for those little ones stepping into a classroom for the very first time. Their boundless curiosity and enthusiasm are truly heartwarming. I am incredibly proud of the remarkable progress we have made in early childhood education across Virginia. Our commitment to providing every child with access to high-quality learning experiences is stronger than ever.
This year, we fully implemented the Unified Virginia Quality Birth to Five System (VQB5), an initiative that measures and enhances the quality of all publicly funded birth-to-five classrooms. The 2023-2024 school year marked the first statewide implementation, with nearly 30,000 classroom observations completed and reported through the VQB5 system! This achievement is a testament to the dedication and collaboration among our schools, the community, and VDOE team, ensuring that our children benefit from responsive and engaging interactions with their teachers.
Together, we are building a brighter future for our children and our communities. Let’s continue to work shoulder to shoulder to ensure every child in Virginia has the opportunity to thrive and succeed.
-Lisa
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Professional Development & Training
Summer of Support
Thank you to Virginia teachers and administrators who have joined VDOE in over 52,654 training hours so far this summer.
Literacy and Mathematics Symposiums
- June 10 – Region 8 at Longwood University
- June 17 – Region 7 at Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center
- June 20 – Region 6 at New College Institute
- June 24 – Region 5 at James Madison University
- June 27 – Region 4 at George Mason University
- August 5 – Region 1 at Reynolds Community College
- August 7 – Region 3 at Rappahannock Community College
- August 8 – Region 2 at Old Dominion University
Physical Education Academy and Institute
- June 24-27 – The Adapted PE Content Teaching Academy at James Madison University
- July 7-10 – The Health and Physical Activity Institute at James Madison University
Educational Technology and Classroom Innovation Conference Presentations
- July 8 – TechSplash 2024 in Abingdon
- August 14 – iNNovate Conference in Newport News
Fine Arts Webinars
- July 30 – FA Through the Lens of Multilingual Learners
- July 30 – Update for 2024-25 School Year
- August 1 – Leading FA Teaching and Learning
- August 1 – Appalachian Music Media
- August 5 – Music SOL Overview and Instructional Resources
- August 6 – Visual Arts SOL
- August 7 – Theater Arts SOL
- August 8 – Dance SOL
We’re proud to offer these continuing education opportunities and look forward to spending time with you this summer!
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Cell Phone-Free Education
VDOE Issues Draft Guidance for Cell Phone-Free Education
Article: 2024-32-316
On July 9, Governor Glenn Youngkin issued to help bring cell phone-free education to Virginia schools.
After listening to and reviewing the thousands of comments and suggestions from Virginians, VDOE has developed on policies and procedures to establish cell phone-free education and remove cell phones and personal electronic communication devices from Virginia’s public school classrooms. That developed has been published on VDOE’s website and is available for review and comment through September 15, 2024.
The defines cell phone-free education in Virginia’s schools as “bell-to-bell", meaning phones should be turned off and stored away from the first bell at the start of the school day to begin instructional time until the dismissal bell rings at the end of the academic school day. “Bell-to-bell” includes lunch and time in between class periods.
To learn more about the draft guidance and provide feedback, visit the webpage.
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School Performance & Support
Guidance on the Administration and Participation on State Assessments
Article: 2024-32-315
Audience: Superintendents, Division Directors of Testing, Special Education Directors/Offices, Division leadership working with Assessment and Accountability
Contact: Dr. Dora Villarreal, Assistant Superintendent of Assessment and Accountability, Student_Assessment@doe.virginia.gov
Given the updated process to determine if a student is eligible to participate in Virginia’s Alternate Assessment Program (VAAP) and to support school divisions in understanding federal and state statutes and regulations when making decisions on the appropriate assessment for students, a memorandum with Guidance on the Administration and Participation on State Assessments is now available.
The memorandum describes requirements on federal participation by grade and course content, the allowable use of alternate assessments, administering assessments, and the annual measurement of achievement.
Update to Desmos Virginia Graphing Calculator
Article: 2024-32-314
Audience: Division Director of Testing (DDOT), DDOT2, Secondary Math Supervisors/Math Coaches, Secondary Science Supervisors
Contact: Student_Assessment@doe.virginia.gov
The Desmos Virginia Graphing Calculator has updates to functionality for the 2024-2025 school year. These updates will be reflected in the graphing calculator which appears in End-of-Course (EOC) Mathematics and EOC Science online test forms. There are two notable student-facing changes to the graphing calculator.
The links provide detailed information on the updated functionality. Division Directors of Testing are encouraged to review and share this information with secondary mathematics and science supervisors and teachers. For information about how the Virginia Desmos calculators differ from the standard Desmos calculators, refer to the Virginia Information PDF located on the Is Desmos on your test? webpage.
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School Finance
State Budget Support for Restraint and Seclusion Training
Article: 2024-32-317
Audience: Superintendents, Directors
Contact: Roslyn Taylor, Financial Services Specialist I, at Roslyn.Taylor1@doe.virginia.gov
School divisions are required to ensure that all school personnel receive initial training regarding the regulations, policies, and procedures governing the use of physical restraint and seclusion per its division policy. Per the Regulations, two levels of training are required. To fulfill the first-level training, VDOE in partnership with the Center for Implementation and Evaluation of Education Systems at Old Dominion University developed a series of free, on-demand professional development modules for school personnel, Understanding the Regulations Governing the Use of Restraint and Seclusion in Elementary and Secondary Schools in Virginia.
Appropriated funds for Fiscal Year 2025 will be allocated to Regional Fiscal Agents in support of second-level training for local school divisions through submission of the Request for Funding Application by October 1, 2024. School divisions that received funding in Fiscal Year 2024 for second-level training must complete the Certification Submission for their Regional Fiscal Agent to submit by October 30, 2024.
2024-2025 Title II, Part A, Allocations under Provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as Amended
Article: 2024-32-313
Audience: Superintendents, Directors, Title II Division Coordinators
Contact: Dr. Randall Johnson, Title II Coordinator, Randall.Johnson@doe.virginia.gov
The 2024-2025 Title II, Part A, federal allocations (XLSX) for each school division are now available on the VDOE website. Allocations are distributed by a formula which is weighted 20 percent based on overall U.S. Census counts for students ages 5-17 and 80 percent based on students ages 5-17 living in poverty, relative to all other school divisions in the state. The amount of the Title II, Part A, allocations available through the reimbursement process as of July 1, 2024, is 22.41 percent, and the remaining 77.59 percent is available as of October 1, 2024.
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School Nutrition & Operations
School Year 2024-2025 School Nutrition Program and Child and Adult Care Food Program Reimbursement Rates and Increased Fiscal Year 2025-2026 State Funding for Breakfast Incentive Payments
Article: 2024-32-311
Audience: Superintendents, Directors, Child Care Center Operations
Contact: SNP policy mailbox at SNPPolicy@doe.virginia.gov.
The federal reimbursement rates for the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program (SBP), the Afterschool Snack Program, the Special Milk Program, and the At-Risk Child and Adult Care Food Program are now available for the upcoming school year 2024-2025. The rates are updated annually and are effective July 1, 2024–June 30, 2025. The rates are outlined in SCNP Director’s Memo 2024-2025-06.
The General Assembly has appropriated $2.4 million and $2.7 million general funds for FY 2025 and FY 2026, respectively, to increase the reimbursement rate for school breakfasts from $0.22 to $0.28 per breakfast meal served above the base year number. These funds are to continue a state-funded incentive program to maximize federal school nutrition revenues and increase student participation in the SBP. More information can be found in SCNP Director’s Memo 2024-2025-06. The process for receiving the incentives will be distributed at the beginning of 2025 through an SCNP Director’s Memo and Superintendent Newsletter.
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Early Childhood & Learning
Final Slot Allocations for Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI) for 2024-2025 School Year
Article: 2024-32-312
Audience: Superintendents, Directors
Contact: Tiffanie Meehling, Associate Director PreK Programs, Tiffanie.Meehling@doe.virginia.gov
The final number of allocated VPI slots, expansions and enhancements including redistribution of slots, wait list slots, 3-year-olds, and community provider add-on slots are now available online. Note that slots for 4-year-olds and 3-year-olds are funded and awarded separately and cannot be exchanged for each other.
As a reminder, Virginia Preschool Initiative programs are funded based on student enrollment on October 1, 2024, as reported in the fall 2023 Student Record Collection (SRC). Prorated funding for slots filled for the first time between October 2, 2024, and December 31, 2024, may also be available pending available funding.
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