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Key Takeaways
- Nominations are open for the Board of Education's Advisory Committee
- USED provides guidance letter related to pandemic funding sources
- Weldon-Cooper Center school population estimates released
- VDOE website updated for 2023-2024 school year enrollment requirements
- Two opportunities open for learning more about the new VVAAS solution from VDOE
- Revisions planned for Model Policy on Bullying Prevention
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News from Across the Commonwealth
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Superintendent Coons visits Roanoke County Schools
Dr. Coons recently visited Roanoke County, in part, to learn about their effective summer learning program. At Burlington Elementary School she witnessed a successful effort at accelerating learning for students. Thanks go to Dr. Ken Nicely for the opportunity to visit!
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Bridging the Gap Summer Convenings
Bridging the Gap is a VDOE sponsored initiative to work with school divisions interested in how to bridge learning gaps through the use of personalized learning plans, using available sources of student performance data, and leveraging strategies to better engage with parents. Participating divisions convened this summer for work sessions focused on assessing individual division capacities in these areas, setting the stage for using division-tailored learning plans this fall. VDOE has partnered with the College of William and Mary to offer training and development support for pilot divisions.
The outcome of this work during the 2023-2024 school year will be to bring best practice recommendations for dissemination across the commonwealth for the benefit of all divisions to consider the positive impacts resulting from the pilot program.
In the photo below, Mr. Mike Dunavant demonstrates a forthcoming data portal for divisions called LASER to assembled Bridging the Gap teachers, principals, and administrators. DOE staff presented to participating divisions across four events, hosted in Caroline, Louisa, Nottoway, and Pittsylvania. Thank you to each division for hosting events in support of their neighboring divisions.
Workforce Preparation Discussions
Earlier this week, Dr. Coons met with educators, business leaders, and community members in both Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads to collaborate on solutions to prepare students for the future workforce. Pictured: Leaders at Norfolk State University.
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Dr. Lisa Coons, Superintendent of Public Instruction
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Focusing on Student Growth
As I have met with most superintendents in our regional meetings over the past month, we have had many conversations about how to measure student growth.
We have discussed how different measures should be used in different ways, and many superintendents discussed the need to have formative measures that provide tangible guidance to teachers. Formative growth data is essential to helping our teachers make instructional decisions to support their students.
We have also discussed measures that truly show a school’s impact on an individual student’s learning. The VDOE team has been working with your data teams over the past several months to train on the VVAAS system. As a matter of fact, they have trained over 1,000 people across the Commonwealth.
I want to take a step back and make sure that superintendents are empowered with the same information regarding the VVAAS system. Our team has customized a one-hour webinar tailored specifically for superintendents and will launch with the first opportunity on August 11. This one-hour training will provide superintendents with strategies to use the VVAAS tool to look at individual student growth without layering on additional assessment. We’ll repeat this session on August 24, August 29, and September 19.
I am looking forward to hearing your feedback on VVAAS and how we can continue to grow this option as an effective way to look at growth for every learning in your school division.
Thanks for all you do for students across the Commonwealth!
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This summer new faces are joining VDOE. I'd like to introduce several new personnel in leadership roles at the agency. Dr. Marcey Sorensen joins us as a new Deputy Superintendent of Teaching and Learning. Dr. Andrew Armstrong will be our new Assistant Superintendent for Innovation. Almas Floyd joins us as Director of Human Resources, and Erica Broudy will serve as Director of Superintendent Office Operations.
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News from our Content Specialists and Special Education
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Bullying Prevention Model Policy Revision
Audience: Superintendents, Directors, School Principals, Teachers
Contact: Joseph A. Wharff, Director, Office of Student Services
Bullying prevention, most recently addressed through HB1592, now mandates each local school board to require the principal or designee of each public school to notify the parent of any student involved in an alleged bullying incident within 24 hours of learning of such allegation. This new law took effect July 1, 2023.
HB1871, enacted by the 2013 General Assembly, required the Virginia Board of Education to develop model policies and procedures for use by each school board regarding bullying prevention in their schools. The Model Policy to Address Bullying in Virginia’s Public Schools, released October 2013, defines bullying behavior and provides strategies around prevention, intervention, reporting, investigation, and recording incidents.
As these model policies are now 10 years old and much has changed since this time, we will begin the process of making revisions. Updates will be available this coming fall. Anyone interested in being a part of this work, sharing feedback, topics, or resources may email the Office of Specialized Student Services.
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. This article first ran in edition #2023-01.
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 AM
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August 29: 9:00 -10:30 AM and 3:00 - 4:30 PM
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September 18: 9:00 - 10:30 AM and 3:30 - 5:00 PM
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September 19: 9:00 - 10:30 AM
Please register here to attend. Registrants will be provided a link prior to their session. This article first ran in edition #2023-01.
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. This article first ran in edition #2023-01.
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School Performance & Support
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Office of School Quality Provides School Improvement Resource
Audience: Superintendents, School Principals, School Improvement Staff
Contact: Dr. Aurelia Ortiz, Director, Office of School Quality
In preparation for the 2023-2024 school year, we wanted to provide some resources to support you in your planning. VDOE Office of School Quality (OSQ) has created an to aid you in reflecting on your current practices and supporting you in identifying opportunities for growth and improvement. We continue to be available to assist teams in local school divisions in their efforts toward improvement. Please stay tuned to this newsletter for continued updates. Feel free to also contact us at any time at osq@doe.virginia.gov with any questions, or sign up to join our mailing list and receive updates in addition to this newsletter.
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Breakfast after the Bell Funding Application
Audience: Superintendents
Contact: Kelly Shomo, SNP Training, Program Improvement, and Grants Supervisor
Many options are available for school divisions to provide breakfast to students. Applications for the Breakfast after the Bell (BaB) funding are being accepted by the Office of School Nutrition Programs until July 28, 2023. Local School Nutrition Program Directors received the application information June 29, 2023. This information can be found in Director's Memo 2022-2023-74 on the Office of School Nutrition Programs website.
Student Enrollment Requirements
Audience: Superintendents, Principals
Contact: Office of Policy (email)
Enrollment requirements for the 2023-2024 school year are provided on the Enrollment in Virginia Public Schools webpage. Please ensure that all appropriate school division employees are aware of this webpage and the enrollment requirements.
New for 2023-2024: HB1929 (2023) provides flexibilities for school enrollment of school-age children who are dependents of federal employees serving under orders pursuant to Title 22 or 50 of the United States Code. Please see the Enrollment webpage for additional information.
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.
The proposal also included a new set of Guidelines for Local Alternative Assessments: 2023-2024 and Beyond that recommends that school divisions use the integrated reading and writing assessment items that will be administered as part of the grade 5 SOL Reading test beginning in spring 2024 to meet the assessment requirements for Grade 5 Writing contained in the guidelines. The board is expected to vote on this proposal at the July 27, 2023 meeting. Please share any feedback regarding this proposal by emailing the Office of Student Assessment. This article first ran in edition #2023-01.
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. This article first ran in edition #2023-01.
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 Data and Technology
Virginia’s Visualization & Analytics Solution Webinar for Division Superintendents - Growth Overview
Audience: Superintendents
Contact: Morri Pace, VVAAS Coordinator
We are hosting a VVAAS Growth Overview webinar opportunity for division superintendents. During this 1-hour webinar, offered four different times, we will share how growth is currently calculated, the key components of VVAAS growth, and what are takeaways you can use to analyze your division's growth.
To learn more about VVAAS, register for one of the four dates offered below.
Invitation to VVAAS University
Audience: Superintendents, Directors, Directors of Testing/Assessment
Contact: Morri Pace, VVAAS Coordinator
The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) is sponsoring a professional development event that will allow Virginia educators to build a data literacy community using Virginia Visualization and Analytics Solution (VVAAS). The event is called VVAAS University and will be held on the SAS Corporation headquarters campus in Cary, North Carolina.
This opportunity is ideal for division or school leadership positions involved in instructional decisions. Participants are expected to share information gleaned from the university experience back in their division. The VDOE suggests sending a participant who focuses on division data and another that focuses on instructional strategies. Divisions are allowed to register up to three participants. Limited spots are available, view the flyer for registration and additional details.
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. This article first ran in edition #2023-01.
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Division Finance and Budgeting
Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023: Impact on Pandemic Relief Funding
Audience: Superintendents, Directors; Federal Programs Coordinators
Contact: Carol Sylvester, Director of Office of Pandemic Relief Programs
Recently, the U.S. Department of Education (USED) issued a letter in response to inquiries about the potential impact of the debt ceiling negotiations on COVID relief funding for states and school divisions. The letter issued by USED states that the suspension of the Federal debt ceiling does not impact COVID-19 relief funds that have been awarded to states and school divisions. Programs outlined in the notification include the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) program, the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) program, and the Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools (EANS) program under the American Rescue Plan (ARP) and CRRSA Acts, as well as any remaining properly obligated funds under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
The letter from USED is available online: Fiscal Responsibility Act and COVID-19 Relief Funds.
Release of July 1, 2022 School-Age Population Estimates
Audience: Superintendents, Division Finance Directors
Contact: Ed Lanza, Director of Budget
The Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia has prepared the July 1, 2022, school-age population estimates to be used to update the fiscal year (FY) 2025 sales tax revenue distribution estimates to school divisions in the Governor’s introduced 2024-2026 biennial budget.
The July 1, 2022, school-age population estimates are open to review and inquiry until September 30, 2023, at which time they become final. School divisions and localities may inquire about a revision to their estimates provided certain criteria as established by the Weldon Cooper Center are met. To participate in the review process, division and locality representatives should review their school-age population estimates, the methodology documents, and the Review/Inquiry Process description, available on the Weldon Cooper Center website.
Please carefully review the proposed estimates of your school-age population and keep in mind the end of the review process on September 30, 2023, at which time the estimates become final.
Reminders About Expiring Federal Funds
Audience: Superintendents, Directors, Federal Programs Coordinators
Contact: Carol Sylvester, Director of Office of Pandemic Relief Programs
Details are outlined for specific programs in the following areas:
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Pandemic Relief Program Awards
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Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century (Perkins V) Awards
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School Improvement Awards
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Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Awards
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Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Awards
As the deadlines approach, school divisions should ensure all awarded funds are obligated and drawn down within the established timelines.
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. This article first ran in edition #2023-01.
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News from the Virginia Board of Education
Call for Nominations to Board of Education Advisory Committee
Audience: All
Contact: Jim Chapman, Director of Board Relations
The Virginia Board of Education (Board) is seeking nominees for several vacancies on its advisory committees. A full list of vacancies is available on the Board’s Advisory Committee webpage. Nominations may be made by completing the Board’s Nomination Form for Advisory Committees by August 11, 2023. Self-nominations are accepted.
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. Some of the vacancies on advisory committees require specific categories of expertise, qualifications, or geographic representation.
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Career Opportunities at VDOE
VDOE is currently recruiting for the following positions. Apply online at Jobs Virginia.
- Deputy Superintendent of Student Performance & Support
- Director of STEM
- Assistant Superintendent for Strategic Communications
- Assistant Superintendent of Instruction
- Director of Parent Engagement
- Director of Policy
- Parent Engagement Specialist
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