As we head into Labor Day weekend, it is my pleasure to welcome you fully back to a new and exciting school year! The beginning of the school year is filled with hope, and it is my favorite time of year.  

I want to thank you for your hard work over the summer. With our Summer of Support this year, we had thousands of teachers, principals, and educators join with VDOE and our partners to dedicate over 100,000 hours to training and professional development.  We appreciate the time you have spent investing in preparing for this new year and its new opportunities.  

This week, almost 100 school divisions reported their updated start of school year vacancy rates. While in July the static vacancy rate was 4.7%, the start of school year (as of August 26, 2024) has dropped to a start of school vacancy rate of 3.4%.  This represents a 1.3% decrease from a month ago and an overall .5% improvement from the teacher vacancy rate reported last October 1, 2023. Congratulations on your incredibly hard work to ensure that every Virginia child has a high-quality educator in their K-12 classroom. Thirty school divisions have zero to one vacancy, and 64 divisions have a vacancy rate under 2 percent.  As school divisions continue to work to fill vacancies, please see the new local eligibility license opportunity that was finalized in the board meeting yesterday. Additional licensure programs can be found on our website here.  

I want to highlight that the EO33 cell phone free education draft guidelines are currently posted for public comment. We have received over 1500 comments on the draft guidance and are impressed with this much feedback. Your input on these guidelines is crucial, and I encourage you to review the draft guidance and provide your feedback by September 15, 2024. As we have talked to educators, school leaders, and community members, we have repeatedly heard that cell phone free education changes are already improving school environments this school year and that students are more focused on learning than before.   

Additionally, the Board met this week to move forward on the new School Performance and Support Framework.  This is an important step for Virginia’s students and schools, and we look forward to working with you in the months ahead as the Framework is prepared for implementation.  

As we begin this new school year, I encourage you all to embrace the opportunities ahead and stay engaged and connected with VDOE. Thank you for your continued support and dedication to the students, educators, and families in your school community. Let’s make this school year the best one yet! 

 -Lisa 

As divisions begin the new year with Lexia, there are a range of supports available to division and school teams that align with the recommended VDOE and Lexia fall timeline for success. See below for resources to inform your next steps including updated September professional learning options. 

• Is the division looking for quick tips for back-to-school success? Check out the Lexia August ALL In Newsletter and Resources. 
• Does the division need support with rostering or the VATUTOR24 code? Connect with your Lexia success engineer or attend upcoming open office hours. Additional resources and office hours information are linked here. 
• Is the division or school seeking professional learning to learn more about and prepare for implementing in your setting? Access flexible options linked here (September dates updated) or connect with your Lexia success manager to discuss scheduling division-specific professional learning as part of our partnership. 

To support school divisions as they continue to implement the VLA, VDOE has released an extensive update on the Virginia Literacy Act. In this edition of the Literacy Update, division’s literacy leaders will be able to access the updated spreadsheet to enroll teachers and reading specialists in the required Canvas courses. Further details and instructions are in the Professional Development section of the update.  

• Instructional Materials   
• Use of VALLSS and Student Reading Plans   
• Professional Development   
• Planning   
• Frequently Asked Questions from the Field    

Per the Virginia Literacy Act, each local school board shall post, maintain, and update as necessary on each school board’s website a copy of its divisionwide literacy plan and the job description and contact information for any reading specialist or dyslexia specialist employed by such school division pursuant to subsection G of § 22.1-253.13:2. 

The Virginia Department of Education will be posting each Division Literacy Plan on the VDOE website.  The Department will utilize the link as provided on each submitted Division Literacy Plan. If you need to update and/or share the link where the information will be housed, please contact vla@doe.virginia.gov.

The Virginia Board of Education has ensured divisions have a pathway to issue the newly passed One-Year Local Eligibility License. Each school board is authorized, upon recommendation of the division superintendent or the school board leadership, and in accordance with the criteria set forth in § 22.1-298.1., to issue a one-year, nonrenewable local eligibility license that is only valid within the issuing school division to any individual who:  

(i) received a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education,  

(ii) has experience or training in a subject or content area as the school board and division superintendent may deem appropriate for the applicable teaching position or endorsement area, and 

(iii) is not seeking to provide instruction in special education or eligible for collegiate professional or postgraduate professional licensure. 

The establishing legislation creates several requirements, criteria, and conditions relating to a local eligibility license. VDOE Legislative Update: SB142 provides additional information on this legislation, which has an expiration date of July 1, 2030. Division superintendents should use the Local Eligibility License One-year Local Eligibility Application Form and the Local Eligibility License Attestation Form for this new license type. The Attestation Form can be sent to Dr. Bryan Jackson through email, but the Application Form must be mailed to:  

The Department of Teacher Education and Licensure  
Virginia Department of Education  
PO Box 2120
Richmond, Virginia 23218-2120 

The Virginia Museum of History & Culture (VMHC) is looking for Virginia middle school teachers who are passionate about teaching civics and economics to promote an understanding of America’s democratic processes and principles in their classroom. The VMHC is forming a Civics Ambassador Corps comprised of civics classroom teachers to help pilot and promote Civics Connects, a first-of-its kind, comprehensive education program that supports the teaching of Virginia Standards of Learning for civics and economics in the middle grades.  

The VMHC is seeking civics ambassadors from each of Virginia’s Superintendent’s Regions.   

Expectations: Each Civics Ambassador will attend a welcome/onboarding session (online), pilot the use of Civics Connects resources with at least one section of students, collect data via Civics Connects tools, report to VMHC throughout the year as well as provide three specific reports (intake, midterm, final), conduct at least one Civics Connects workshop as a professional development/continuing education opportunity for other education professionals at the school or division level, and attend a year-end review session (online).  

Qualifications: Successful candidates are current Virginia middle school civics, government, social studies, or history teachers with at least three years of experience and a B.S. or B.A. in education, history, or a related field.  

Honorarium: This year-long role includes a $5,000 honorarium. For consideration, please submit a résumé and cover letter (or nomination) to: Caroline Legros, Manager of Civics Education, John Marshall Center for Constitutional History & Civics, clegros@virginiahistory.org.  

The Office of Accountability and the Office of School Quality will be conducting a technical assistance webinar for divisions and schools with student assessment participation rates below 95% for all students and/or a student reporting group based on 2023-2024 assessment year data. The webinar will have two components:  

1. a review of federal participation requirements and resources available to divisions; and 
2. the subsequent actions for divisions and schools that did not reach 95% participation on state assessments, as required under the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA).  

Divisions with schools that did not meet the 95% assessment expectation will be notified and should share this information with appropriate division and school leaders who assist schools in developing plans. School division staff are encouraged to participate as a group, if possible, allowing for a cross-functional understanding of federal participation policy.  

Two sessions will be offered: Tuesday, September 12, at 10 a.m., and Thursday, September 17 at 2 p.m. Each session has two parts with Part I having an intended audience for assessment and accountability leaders, and Part II intended for School Improvement leaders or those responsible for supporting the development of the plan to address not meeting this expectation. More information and registration are included in the division notification.   

We are excited to announce that the Student Longitudinal Schedule and Course Record (SLSCR) Query Tool is now available through the Virginia Department of Education's Single Sign-on Web Systems (SSWS). This tool was developed by VDOE to assist schools in making informed decisions about the most appropriate educational placements and enrollment for students in foster care. 

For children and youth in foster care, a change in foster home placement often leads to a change in school placement. The process of determining what services are in the student’s best interest can be hindered by incomplete, delayed, or unavailable longitudinal educational records. Decision-makers frequently have to reply on informal sources, such as the student, to make critical decisions regarding grade level, course placement, and necessary support services. This reliance on incomplete information can lead to further educational instability. 

SLSCR centralizes all relevant student-level longitudinal data, enabling data-informed decisions regarding enrollment and placement. The tool draws from major data collections that VDOE gathers from the school divisions throughout the school year, including the Student Record Collection, Master Schedule Collection, December 1 Child Count, SOL assessments, and the Student Behavior and Administrative Response (SABR) data collection.  

To gain access to this application, please coordinate with your division's SSWS administrator. A brief webinar is available to provide an overview of the access process and the functionality of SLSCR.  

If you experience any issues with this data application, please contact Research@doe.virginia.gov for support.  

The WIDA Screener is one of the tools used in Virginia to identify students for English Learner services. Students who are blind or visually impaired or who are deaf or hard of hearing may take the screener with appropriate accessibility and accommodations.    

A new guidance document is available to provide WIDA’s recommendations for IEP/504 Plan teams to consider when administering WIDA Screener to a student who is blind or visually impaired (BVI), or who is deaf or hard of hearing (DHH). It includes general administration guidance, specific considerations for students who are BVI or DHH and a short list of resources for more information. This resource can be found in the WIDA Secure Portal when filtering resources by Accessibility and Accommodations or any screener assessment.   

The Office of ESEA Programs is offering technical assistance to school divisions in preparation for federal program monitoring for the 2024-2025 academic year for the following programs: Title I, Part A, Improving Basic Programs; Title I, Part C, Education of Migratory Children; Title I, Part D, Subpart 1, Neglected and Delinquent Youth; Title V, Part B, Subpart 2, Rural and Low-Income Programs; and Title III, Part A, Language Instruction for English Learners and Immigrant Students. 

Program specific webinars will be held according to the schedule below. School division federal program coordinators are encouraged to participate in the program-specific webinars, as applicable. The specialists for Title I, Part C; Title I, Part D; and Title V, Part B, Subpart 2, will contact the school divisions being monitored this year to set up individual conference calls. School division federal program coordinators will be provided access to the monitoring documents on the Federal Program Monitoring website before the scheduled webinar dates.  

The full five-year monitoring schedule is available on the Federal Program Monitoring webpage, please refer to Year Five (2024-2025).   

The Virginia Department of Education, Office of School and Community Nutrition Programs (VDOE-SCNP) has published the school year  2024-2025 calendar to provide school and community nutrition program sponsors important dates for mandatory deadlines, training opportunities, events, and activities. 

Important deadlines will also be distributed through SCNP Director’s Memos and in the Scoop monthly newsletter. The VDOE-SCNP recommends distributing the calendar to any necessary personnel to ensure compliance with program requirements. 

The calendar is available in Attachment A of SCNP Memo No. 2024-2025-14 on the VDOE-SCNP website.   

The Virginia Department of Education, Office of School and Community Nutrition Programs has provided detailed information on meal claims for reimbursement for school year 2024–2025 in SCNP Director’s Memo No. 2024-2025-13 available on the VDOE-SCNP website. 

Meal claims for reimbursement shall be submitted to the VDOE-SCNP no later than 60 calendar days following the last day of the full month covered by the claim. Claims cannot be submitted prior to the first day of following month of operation. All program sponsors are encouraged to make every effort to submit claims within 30 days of the last day of the previous month and certify that the claim for reimbursement contains actual data supported by documentation. The VDOE-SCNP reviews this documentation during program monitoring reviews and if the claim cannot be supported by the documentation, the claim will be disallowed and reimbursements already paid will be recovered. All records supporting claims must be retained and available for review for at least three years plus the current federal fiscal year. 

Guidelines for revisions to a claim, months with less than 10 operating days, claims submitted after the 60 day period, including compliant and noncompliant requests, are detailed in SCNP Director’s Memo No. 2024-2025-13 along with the Request for Claim Submission After the 60-Day Deadline found in Attachment A of that memo. 

The Virginia Department of Education, Office of School and Community Nutrition Programs (VDOE-SCNP) is seeking school and community partners to join the Virginia Breakfast Club. The Breakfast Club is a collaborative network of nutrition professionals and food access advocates from nonprofits, government agencies, and school divisions dedicated to enhancing school breakfast programs. 

This year, the Breakfast Club will not only discuss but actively develop and produce valuable resources and tools for school divisions related to enhancing school breakfast programs. Member involvement will be crucial for the successful development and launch of these tools. Please see SCNP Director’s Memo No. 2024-2025-12 for more background on the Virginia Breakfast Club.

To honor Virginia teachers who represent the best in teaching in the Commonwealth and across the nation, all public school divisions and accredited nonpublic schools are invited to participate in the 2026 Mary V. Bicouvaris Virginia Teacher of the Year program and nominate one teacher for state-level recognition. Completed applications must be submitted by Monday, February 3 at 4 p.m. using the 2026 Teacher of the Year Application.  

This honor 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 applies. Please see the VDOE Educator Awards and Recognition web page for details, directions, and the online application. Send questions to TeacheroftheYear@doe.virginia.gov

September 11, 2024, marks the 23rd anniversary of the most significant terrorist attack ever to occur on American soil. We recognize this date every year as Patriot Day to remember the lives lost at the World Trade Center, on Flight 93, and at the Pentagon (located in Arlington County, Virginia, making 9/11 a direct part of Virginia history). Patriot Day also honors the first responders, service members, and civil servants who were integral in rescue and recovery efforts - many of whom made the supreme sacrifice as a result.  

Schools are encouraged to designate time during the week of September 11 for reflection and remembrance. Many Virginia schools commemorate Patriot Day by flying the Freedom Flag, which is recognized as the Commonwealth’s official 9/11 flag of remembrance. Governor Glenn Youngkin will be displaying the Freedom Flag for the 7th consecutive year at the Executive Mansion, and major state institutions such as the Virginia War Memorial, Virginia Museum of History & Culture, and the Virginia State Police are anticipated to display the Freedom Flag in commemorative events on 9/11. The Freedom Flag Foundation encourages schools to conduct flag raising ceremonies that include the recitation of the 10 symbolic elements of the Freedom Flag. There are also 9/11 teaching resources available from the United States Department of Education and the Library of Congress. 

If you’d like to share a photo of your school flying its Freedom Flag, please send an email to communications@doe.virginia.gov. 

For additional information about the Freedom Flag, please contact the Freedom Flag Foundation at education@freedomflagfoundation.org.