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Key Takeaways
- VDOE Debuts New Newsletter Format to Replace Memoranda and Emails from the Superintendent of Public Instruction
- VPI Slots & Allocations Released
- Lab Schools Standing Committee Meets July 7
- VDOE Goes Virtual with Teacher License Distribution
- VDOE Offers Training for Science Teacher Observation Tool
- VDOE Seeks Input on Future Writing Test Administration
- Science Accreditation Details Shared
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News from Across the Commonwealth
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Farm to School Program Videos Released
The Virginia Farm to School program increases equitable access to fresh, healthy, Virginia grown food while providing hands-on learning opportunities in a variety of educational settings. Three videos highlighting the program have been released on our website.
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Board of Education Recognitions
At its June 14-15 meetings, the Board of Education recognized the achievements of seven school divisions and one school—Goochland County Public Schools; Louisa County Public Schools; Radford Public Schools; Roanoke County, Roanoke, and Salem Public Schools; York County Public Schools; and Kempsville High in Virginia Beach—whom the Board recognized with its annual Innovative Practice Award.
Congratulations to these schools and all the Exemplar Award winners for 2023!
Build Your Own Instructional Playbook Webinar Series
Today marks the start of a collaborative project from VDOE, Virtual Virginia, and the Virginia Society for Technology in Education. “Build Your Own Instructional Playbook” is a series of five webinars offered at no cost to Virginia public school educators. Attendees will learn how to best create an “instructional playbook,” a comprehensive guide that outlines evidence-based teaching strategies that instructional coaches and ITRTs can use to train local teachers.
The playbook is collaboratively developed and evaluated by a school or division administrative team, is shared digitally with all local teachers, and is updated regularly.Attendees who successfully complete the webinar series will earn a certificate worth five hours of professional learning. For more details, visit the Virtual Virginia professional learning page.
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Dr. Lisa Coons, Superintendent of Public Instruction
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A New Communications Medium from VDOE
As we look towards the new school year, VDOE is excited to kickoff a new communications tool for each of you. Welcome to the inaugural edition of the Virginia Education Update!
This new weekly newsletter will replace our use of Superintendent’s Memos and Emails with a comprehensive communication in newsletter format, organized in a number of sections. We hope this new format will improve accessing and disseminating news from VDOE each week with increased efficiency. In the event of an urgent communication need, we will send out a Superintendent's memo.
These newsletters will also be archived on our website for reference. While our initial distribution list will target Division Superintendents and their designees as we do with Supt's Memos, the subscription link at the bottom may be used by anyone to subscribe directly.
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 Warm Welcome to Virginia
Photo: Dr. Coons joins a student-led tour in Henrico County. Photo courtesy Henrico County Public Schools
I feel incredibly blessed to have joined the VDOE family and am so excited about the potential of what can be achieved when we work together. I'm excited to officially live here in Virginia. Thanks to everyone for a warm welcome! I've learned a lot in a short time about the hard work of Virginia's educators. Dr. Raley and I have already been around to all eight regions and continue to look forward to visiting divisions and meeting school staff and students.
Please know our agency's employees are collectively committed in our support of the 1.3 million students across the Commonwealth. Thank you for everything that you do to support teaching and learning in your communities and making schools a safe and engaging place to be.
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News from our Content Specialists, Teacher Education & Licensure
and Special Education
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License Certificates
Audience: Superintendents, Directors, School Principals, Teachers, Human Resources
Contact: Maggie M. Clemmons, Director of Licensure & School Leadership
On June 21, 2023, the Office of Licensure and School Leadership ceased the printing and mailing of paper licenses and evaluations. The Office of Licensure and School Leadership will make license certificates and evaluations available in the future on the eGOV portal. Applicants and license holders are encouraged to create an eGOV account to view pertinent licensure information.
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Science Support for School and Division-Level Administrators
Audience: Directors, School Principals
Contact: Dr. Anne Petersen, Science Coordinator
The Virginia Department of Education Science Instructional Team is excited to announce a professional development opportunity to support school and division administrators in the use of the VDOE Science Classroom Observation Tool (SCOT). The 90-minute, virtual, professional development will include the “look-fors” in effective science instruction, a review of the 2018 Science Standards of Learning with a focus on standards alignment, an introduction to the SCOT, and resources to use when providing teacher feedback on science classroom observations.
The session will be offered multiple times to provide flexibility to school and division leaders as follows:
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August 17: 9:00 -10:30 a.m.
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August 29: 9:00 -10:30 a.m. and 3:00 - 4:30 p.m.
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September 18: 9:00 - 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 - 5:00 p.m.
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September 19: 9:00 - 10:30 a.m.
Please register here to attend. Registrants will be provided a link prior to their session.
Public Comment Sought for Draft Mathematics SOL
Audience: All
Contact: Tina Mazzacane, Mathematics Coordinator
The Virginia Board of Education is seeking comments from the general public on the Draft 2023 Mathematics Standards of Learning (SOL).
The Draft 2023 Mathematics Standards of Learning identify academic content for essential components of the mathematics curriculum at different grade levels for Virginia’s public schools. The Draft 2023 Mathematics Standards of Learning can be accessed on the Virginia Department of Education’s Revision of the 2016 Mathematics Standards of Learning webpage.
Public comment may also be provided by speaking at one of ten public hearings. Speakers will have three minutes to speak and should provide copies of their comments for the Board of Education. Public hearings will be held both in-person and virtually. Additional information about participating in a public hearing regarding the Draft 2023 Mathematics Standards of Learning is available on the Revision of the 2016 Mathematics Standards of Learning webpage.
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School Performance & Support
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Proposed Changes to Certain Testing Requirements for Writing
Audience: Superintendents, Directors, School Principals, Teachers, Supervisors of English/Language Arts
Contact: Dr. Sarah Susbury, Director of Student Assessment
On June 15, 2023, the Virginia Board of Education considered a proposal that would change the expectations for writing assessment for grade 5 and grade 8 students. Specifically, the proposal would eliminate the grade 8 SOL Writing test beginning in spring 2024 and would occur concurrently with the implementation of the new integrated reading and writing items as part of the grades 5, 8, and end-of-course (EOC) SOL Reading tests. The intent of implementing the new item type is twofold: (1) to reinforce the importance of students writing about what they have read to support the development of literacy skills and (2) to provide a measure of students’ writing skill without the burden of an additional test.
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Science Achievement in Accreditation
Audience: Superintendents, Directors, School Principals
Contact: Shelley Loving-Ryder, Assistant Superintendent of Assessment, Accountability, and ESEA Programs
We want to provide you with a quick update about how the results of science tests administered in spring 2023 will be used in the accreditation ratings released in fall 2023. The Academic Achievement indicator in science will continue to be based on either the current year pass rate (school year 2022-2023) or the three-year cumulative rate, whichever is higher. The three-year rate will be based on results from school years 2018-2019, 2021-2022, and 2022-2023. Additionally, a reduction in the failure rate of at least 10% from the previous year may be considered in determining the school’s performance level in science.
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Supporting Early Childhood Care & Education
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Final Slot Allocations for Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI) for 2023-2024 School Year
Audience: Superintendents, Preschool Directors
Contact: Tiffanie Meehling, Associate Director of PreK Programs
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. All requests have been approved, resulting in more children than ever before accessing quality preschool experiences through VPI. 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, VPI programs are funded based on student enrollment on October 1, 2023 as reported in the fall 2023 Student Record Collection (SRC). Prorated funding for slots filled for the first time between October 2, 2023 and December 31, 2023 may also be requested in the fall.
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Budget and Finance Updates
School Security Equipment Grants Program Application Available
Audience: Superintendents, Directors
Contact: Office of Support Services (email)
The Virginia Public School Authority closed on the issuance of $12.0 million in Notes to fund the School Security Equipment Grants program for the 2023-2024 school year on May 23, 2023.
School divisions, including eligible regional programs, interested in submitting a 2023-2024 school security equipment grant application for these competitive grant funds must do so by 5 p.m. on August 1, 2023.
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News from the Virginia Board of Education
Lab Schools Committee Meets
Audience: Superintendents, Directors, School Principals, Teachers, non-teaching staff, parents and students
Contact: Jim Chapman, Director of Board Relations
The College Partnership Laboratory Schools Standing Committee will meet on July 7, 2023 to consider applications from Virginia Commonwealth University and Southside Virginia Community College on final review. The meeting will be broadcast live on the VDOE YouTube channel. Agenda material for the Standing Committee is available on the VDOE website.
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