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View this message online
 #2025-19 | Update for May 16, 2025
This Week's To-Dos:
Meeting Workforce Needs:
This Week's Articles:
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Highlights
News from Across the Commonwealth
The VDOE's Office of Parental Engagement recently visited Susie G. Gibson Science and Technology Center in Bedford County to speak to the Early Childhood Education students about the importance of building teacher-parent relationships. The students participated in mock parent-teacher conferences while receiving real-time feedback on how to navigate challenges.
For information about the Office of Parental Engagement and to access resources, please visit the Parents section of the VDOE website.
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Congratulations to Matthew Neale, an English and journalism teacher at Hidden Valley High in Roanoke County Public Schools named the 2026 Virginia Teacher of the Year!
Mr. Neale will now vie for National Teacher of the Year. #ElevateEducatorsVA
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Meeting Workforce Needs
History and Social Science Professional Learning Webinars for Division Leaders and Teachers
Article: 2025-19-252 Audience: Superintendents, Directors, School Principals, Teachers Contact: Christonya Brown, History and Social Science Coordinator, vdoe.hss@doe.virginia.gov
The History and Social Science department at VDOE is pleased to announce professional learning to support the implementation of the instructional guides. Interested Candidates must register in advance for the sessions specific to either division leaders or teachers.
Sessions for Division Leaders: The focus of these sessions will be on inquiry-based learning practices and concepts such as active learning, scaffolding, questioning, reading for investigation and research, predictions, information source analysis, writing for discussion and communication, and checking for understanding.
Registration link – 2023 History and Social Science Standards of LearningInstructional Guides Overview for History and Social Science Leaders
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Option 1: Tuesday, May 20, 2025 (10-11 a.m.)
- Option 2: Thursday, May 22, 2025 (1-2 p.m.)
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Sessions will be held the second Tuesday of each month beginning June 10, 2025, through December 9, 2025, 10-11 a.m.
Sessions for Teachers: The VDOE will work with educators by course to teach, discuss, and learn about the instructional implications of the 2023 History and Social Science Standards of Learning. These meetings are meant to provide a forum for collaboration and will provide a scaffolded approach in various stages of inquiry-based learning. Educators will have two opportunities to attend sessions of their choice to accommodate their division and personal schedules. The topics for each week/day will be as follows:
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Option 1: Week of June 23, 2025
- Option 2: Week of August 18, 2025
Further announcements of professional learning offerings will be provided in upcoming Virginia Education Update newsletters.
Section 504 Best Practices Webinar
Article: 2025-19-251 Audience: Superintendents, Directors, School Principals, Non-teaching staff, School-based mental health professionals Contact: Alexandra Javna, School Social Work Specialist,Alexandra.Javna@doe.virginia.gov
The Office of Behavioral Health and Student Safety is hosting the Section 504 Best Practices webinar Tuesday, May 27, 2025, 9 to 10 a.m. The presentation will provide information on the legal requirements for Section 504, how to utilize data to make productive decisions related to common Section 504 practices, how to write appropriate and data driven accommodations, and how to facilitate a good meeting.
Participant Grants for Advanced Placement Teachers in Virginia – Apply by May 31
Article: 2025-19-250 Audience: Superintendents, Directors, School Principals, Teachers Contact: Amanda Nevetral, Director, Office of Advanced Learning, Amanda.Nevetral@doe.virginia.gov
CollegeBoard is pleased to announce a professional development opportunity for Advanced Placement teachers at no cost. Advanced Placement (AP) courses provide students with rigorous learning experiences coupled with an opportunity to earn college credit. In 2023-2024, over 200,000 Advanced Placement courses were taken by students in the Commonwealth.
Advanced Placement Participant Grants are available to AP teachers who are teaching one of the following courses in the 2025-2026 school year:
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AP African American Studies
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AP Precalculus
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AP Computer Science Principles
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AP Seminar
Participant grants support the tuition cost of an in-person or virtual Advanced Placement Summer Institute (APSI) in June, July, or August. For additional information on how to apply, please see this flyer.
“Before, During, and After Crisis Management” Training Opportunity
Article: 2025-19-249 Audience: Superintendents, Directors, School Principals, Childcare Center Operators, Teachers, Non-teaching staff, Crisis Management Team Members Contact: Center for School and Campus Safety and Crisis Management Supervisor, Shellie Evers, Shellie.Evers@dcjs.virginia.gov, (804) 629-7042
Provided by the Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), Virginia Center for School and Campus Safety, this training offers division and school administrators, emergency managers, crisis team members, and school security staff unique opportunities to collaborate with first responders and subject matter experts to enhance existing plans just in time for the August 31 annual Crisis Management Plan certification and the upcoming 2025-2026 school year.
Attendees will gain a unified understanding of current best practices, implications of new legislation, and develop the tools needed to address questions that may arise when discussing potential crises in schools.
Three opportunities are offered to participate:
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June 2, 2025: King William High School, 80 Cavalier Drive, King William, VA 23086
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June 3, 2025: Petersburg High School, 3101 Johnson Road, Petersburg, VA 23805
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June 4, 2025: Russell County Government Center, 139 Highland Dr, Lebanon, VA 24266
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Teaching & Learning
Release of History and Social Science Instructional Guides Status Update – Grade 4 and Virginia Studies and United States History!
Article: 2025-19-248 Audience: Superintendents, Directors, School Principals, Teachers Contact: Christonya Brown, History and Social Science Coordinator, vdoe.hss@doe.virginia.gov
The History and Social Science department at VDOE is pleased to announce the release of the history and social science instructional guides. Instructional guides are companion documents to the 2023 History and Social Science Standards of Learning – amplifying each standard by defining the core knowledge and skills in practice, supporting teachers and their instruction, and serving to transition classroom instruction from the 2015 History and Social Science Standards of Learning to the newly adopted standards. The local History and Social Science curriculum should include a variety of information sources, readings, learning experiences, and forms of assessment selected to create a rigorous instructional program.
Instructional guides include five distinct sections, now inclusive of dynamic and interactive components: Changes and Revisions, Understanding the Standard, Supporting Questions, Skills in Practice, and Concepts and Connections aligned to each standard.
Grade 4 and World History and Virginia Studies and United States History will be released this week with the dynamic and interactive components. At the conclusion of this week, all History and Social Science Instructional Guides will have been released to the field.
Educators should continue to monitor the History and Social Science webpage for additional information. Department staff will provide regional professional learning sessions through multiple means to ensure that teachers and those that support them (e.g., principals, central office personnel, directors) will learn about the purpose, intention, structure, content, and context for implementation. Further announcements of such training will be provided in upcoming Virginia Education Update newsletters.
EveryDay Labs Statewide Attendance Contract Webinar
Article: 2025-19-256 Audience: Superintendents, Directors Contact: Dr. Alexandra Javna, School Social Work Specialist, Alexandra.Javna@doe.virginia.gov or Scott Magazine, Director of the Office of Procurement, Scott.Magazine@doe.virginia.gov
VDOE has established an optional-use contract with EveryDay Labs, a program focused on helping educators improve student attendance through evidence-based strategies. This optional-use contract is available for divisions to use at their discretion, with no direct funding from VDOE. By conducting this procurement on behalf of divisions, VDOE streamlined the process and ensured compliance with state and local requirements. Divisions interested in partnering with EveryDay Labs will need to identify their own local funding sources.
EveryDay Labs will host a webinar at 12:15 p.m., May 19, 2025, to share how they will support divisions across Virginia through data analytics, personalized communication, collaboration tools, and staff training. This session will include a Q&A segment for participants.
Finding the Balance: Devices and Mental Wellness Webinar
Article: 2025-19-255 Audience: Superintendents, Directors, School Principals, Non-teaching staff, School-based Mental Health Professionals Contact: Kristinne Stone, School Mental Health Grant Manager, Kristinne.Stone@doe.virginia.gov
The Office of Behavioral Health and Student Safety is hosting the Finding the Balance: Devices and Mental Wellness webinar Wednesday, May 21, 2025, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Educators are increasingly recognizing the effects of student devices. While technology enhances learning, creativity, and individualized instruction, excessive use, particularly among students with mental health challenges such as ADHD and depression, can contribute to social skills deficits, dysregulation, and feelings of isolation. This webinar will examine current data and research-informed literature to support a balanced, intentional approach to technology use in elementary education. Attendees will gain practical, evidence-based strategies to implement technology initiatives that prioritize and support student well-being.
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School Finance
VPSA Series XXV Education Technology Notes and Series XIII School Security Equipment Grants
Article: 2025-19-254 Audience: School Division Finance Directors Contact: Ed Lanza, Director of Budget, Edward.Lanza@doe.virginia.gov
Virginia Public School Authority (VPSA) Educational Technology Notes Series XXV and School Security Equipment Grants Series XIII are available to school divisions. The goal of the educational technology grant program is to improve the instructional, remedial, and testing capabilities of the SOL in local school divisions and to increase the number of schools achieving full accreditation. Proceeds of the Series XXV notes are provided to:
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Establish a computer-based instructional and testing system for the SOL;
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Develop an Internet ready local area network (LAN) capability and high speed Internet connectivity at high schools, followed by middle schools, and then in elementary schools; and
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Establish a 5-to-1 student computer ratio for high schools, followed by middle schools, and then in elementary schools.
There are a limited number of business days between the closing date and the end of FY 2025 on June 30, 2025. To ensure sufficient time to process the school division reimbursement requests that need to be received by June 30, 2025, such reimbursement requests must be received by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) electronically within the VPSARP application on the Single Sign-on for Web Systems (SSWS) portal, by June 27, 2025. Please note that Series XX proceeds will expire on June 30, 2025, and available balances should also be claimed by June 27, 2025.
In addition to the grants provided to support the SOL Web-based Technology Initiative, $12.0 million is provided for Series XIII of the school security equipment grants. Proceeds of these additional equipment notes will be used to help offset the related local costs associated with the purchase of appropriate security equipment that will improve and help ensure the safety of students attending public schools in Virginia. Guidelines for the program and the Series XIII application form to apply for funding are available on the VDOE website at:
Email requests for technical assistance about the Series XXV reimbursement process to VPSA@doe.virginia.gov. If you have questions relating to qualifying equipment (i.e., hardware, software) that may be purchased from the VPSA note proceeds, please call Calypso Gilstrap, Associate Director for Education Technology and Classroom Innovation, at (804) 750-8708.
2024-2025 EOY Master Schedule Collection
Article: 2025-19-253 Audience: Superintendents, School Principals Contact: Dana Hannifan, Data Specialist, Dana.Ratcliffe@doe.virginia.gov
To comply with state and federal reporting requirements, school divisions and regional centers are required to annually submit transcript-like data via the End of Year Master Schedule Collection (MSC). The EOY Master Schedule Collection opens May 12, 2025. A successful submission is due no later than July 25, 2025. Superintendents must electronically approve the verifications no later than August 15, 2025. For complete details about this requirement, access our 2024-2025 EOY Master Schedule Collection Guide.
Preliminary Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2025 Title I Allocations
Article: 2025-19-247 Audience: Superintendents, Title I, Part A Coordinators, Division Finance Directors Contact: Tiffany Frierson, Title I Coordinator, Tiffany.Frierson@doe.virginia.gov
The Virginia Department of Education recently received preliminary Title I allocations, authorized under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), from the U.S. Department of Education (USED) for FFY 2025 (school year 2025-2026). These allocations are provided through Basic Grants, Concentration Grants, Targeted Grants, and Education Finance Incentive Grants (EFIG) that Congress made available under the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 (Act). At this time, it is estimated that Virginia will receive a total Title I allocation of $347,311,950.00, representing an approximate 6 percent increase in funding compared to FFY 2024 ($324,795,732.00).
Please be aware that the preliminary Title I, Part A, allocations for Virginia school divisions do not reflect the state set-asides, changes in final census data, the state reservation for school improvement activities under Section 1003(a) of the ESEA, and other adjustments required by law. The final allocation for each school division is likely to differ from the preliminary allocation provided by USED.
Refer to the Title I, Part A, website for documents containing calculation information and preliminary allocations for FFY 2025.
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School Performance & Support
SSWS Standards of Learning CSV Files Update, 2025
Article: 2025-19-246 Audience: Directors, School Principals, Teachers, Local SSWS Administrators, ITRTs Contact: Dr. Meg Foley, Digital Learning Coordinator, Meg.Foley@doe.virginia.gov
The CSV version enables school divisions to seamlessly integrate the standards into their Learning Management Systems, enhancing tools such as Mastery Connect or other online platforms for more effective instruction and assessment.
To access the CSV files, Local SSWS Administrators should log into SSWS and follow the provided instructions. The Administrator may grant access to division personnel as appropriate.
We encourage divisions to take advantage of this valuable resource to support their educators and students in achieving academic success.
Standards of Learning available for download:
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2018 Science
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2019 Economics and Personal Finance
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2020 Dance Arts
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2020 Family Life
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2020 Health
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2020 Music
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2020 Theatre Arts
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2020 Visual Arts
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2021 Digital World Language
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2021 Digital Learning Integration
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2022 Driver Education
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2022 Physical Education
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2023 History and Social Sciences
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2023 Mathematics
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2024 Computer Science
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2024 English Language Arts
Upper Quartile Scores for Grades 5-8 Mathematics to Satisfy Requirements of HB2686
Article: 2025-19-245 Audience: Superintendents, Directors, School Principals, DDOTs, School Counselors Contact: Amanda Nevetral, Director, Office of Advanced Learning, Amanda.Nevetral@doe.virginia.gov; Victoria Bohidar, Mathematics Coordinator, Office of STEM, Victoria.Bohidar@doe.virginia.gov; Office of Assessment, Student_Assessment@doe.virginia.gov
Per HB2686, school boards are required to develop and adopt a policy for students in Grades 5-8 to be eligible to enroll in advanced or accelerated mathematics courses. The legislation includes a provision that requires auto enrollment of students who earn a scale score on the end-of-year mathematics Standards of Learning assessment that is in the statewide, grade-level upper quartile.
The Virginia Department of Education will determine the statewide upper quartile for Grades 5-8 after the spring 2025 Standards of Learning state testing window has closed (Friday, June 20, 2025). Scores that qualify students for auto enrollment will be communicated to school divisions in late June 2025. More information on HB2686 will be forthcoming in a Legislative Update through the Virginia Education Update Newsletter.
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Targeted Resources
Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month
Article: 2025-19-244 Audience: Superintendents, Directors, School Principals,Teachers Contact: Christonya Brown, History and Social Science Coordinator, vdoe.hss@doe.virginia.gov
May is Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. Every year, this is an opportunity to listen and learn about diverse AAPI communities as well as how deep the connections are to all facets of American history. There are a wealth of resources through PBS and the Asian Pacific American Center at the Smithsonian; and to support the use of information sources in history and social science instruction, the Law Library of Congress has compiled guides to commemorative observations, including a comprehensive inventory of the Public Laws, Presidential Proclamations and congressional resolutions related to Asian Pacific Heritage Month.
VDOE values the efforts of teachers in promoting a quality and comprehensive exposure to American and Virginia history. For instructional support and information, please contact the History and Social Science Program at vdoe.hss@doe.virginia.gov.
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