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Key Takeaways
- BOE approves changes to writing test requirements
- BOE approved release of second grant opportunity this fall for school construction grants
- Jenna Conway shares updates for Early Childhood education
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News from Across the Commonwealth
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Principal Leaders Recognized
Congratulations to the 2023 Virginia Principal Leadership Award recipients who were recognized at the July 27 Board of Education meeting. From left to right: Howard Townsend IV, Shampriest Bevel and Benjamin Diggs.
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Night at the Diamond
VDOE employees will be celebrating public educators across the Commonwealth with the Richmond Flying Squirrels on Wednesday August 9th. Please join the VDOE team as we #ElevateEducatorsVA and prepare for the start of a new school year!
Say hello if you come to the game!
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Dr. Lisa Coons, Superintendent of Public Instruction
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Good Morning,
We had a tremendously productive state board meeting last week. Two of our three new board members, Dr. Amber Northern (Richmond), Debbie Kilgore (SW Virginia), and Mascea Ashton (Region 2 area) attended the meeting and added diverse and rich perspectives to our conversations on Standards of Quality, Accountability and Accreditation, Special Education and ESSER spending.
The board has agreed that they need to have a special session in August to dive more deeply into SOQ prescriptions and to Accountability and Accreditation. At the same time the board is discussing Accountability and Accreditation, our SSLC team has met the past couple Fridays to discuss Accountability and Accreditation as well. Please make sure you are connecting with your regional representation to hear updates on this important opportunity for Superintendent voice. Our team will also be running several VVAAS growth training sessions (August 11, August 24, August 29, and September 19). It is important for you to attend and think about how this growth calculation approach may be part of the accountability conversations.
Additionally, the board agreed to run another round of competitive school construction grants in the fall. These applications will run on the same criteria with the same cut scores as the original opportunity. Please watch the newsletter for upcoming details this September.
We will be launching the ESSER transparency website on September 1st. This website will provide up-to-date expenditures for the state and local school divisions. Please make sure your team is submitting reimbursements regularly so that the website reflects accurate school division ESSER expenditures.
Finally, as we head into the last few math community hearings, I encourage you to share your thoughts and feedback on the 2023 math standards. Please consider both our in-person and virtual opportunities here for more information.
Have a great week!
Lisa
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News from our Content Specialists and Special Education
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Clinical Faculty Program Proposals Sought
Audience: Superintendents, Directors
Contact: Shawna LeBlond, Grants Manager
The Office of Teacher Education is thrilled to call for proposals for the Competitive Clinical Faculty Program. The grant is to provide training and mentoring during the 2023-2024 school year for teachers designated as clinical faculty and/or new teacher mentors. Clinical Faculty Programs should assist pre-service teachers and beginning teachers to make a successful transition into full-time teaching. This training and mentoring are a means to support teacher effectiveness and promote teacher retention.
Virginia public school divisions or consortia of public-school divisions in partnership with regionally accredited institutions of higher education that have Board of Education approved educator preparation programs to support Clinical Faculty Programs are invited to apply by 4 p.m on Friday, August 25, 2023.
2023 Mathematics SOL - Transition Support Educator Applications Being Accepted
Audience: Superintendents, School Principals, Teachers
Contact: Tina Mazzacane, K-12 Mathematics Coordinator
The VDOE is seeking educators from across the Commonwealth to support in the creation of the pathways to support the transition of school divisions in implementing the revised 2023 Mathematics Standards of Learning. Educators will serve as paid consultants in a transition support role to assist the Virginia Department of Education in creating technical support documents that guide school divisions in next steps for implementation of the revised standards.
Please complete the Mathematics Transition Support Education Application no later than July 28, 2023. Applicants will be notified of acceptance to participate no later than August 4, 2023. This article first ran in edition #2023-03.
Code Update for Joint and Regional Schools
Audience: Superintendents, Directors; Academic Year Governor's School Directors
Contact: Amanda Nevetral, Coordinator of Governor's Schools and Gifted Education (K-12)
On April 11, 2022, the General Assembly of Virginia added section § 22.1-26.2 as follows related to regional, academic year Governor’s Schools.
§ 22.1-26.2. Academic year Governor's Schools; certain practices prohibited and required.
A. No academic year Governor's School or governing board member, director, administrator, or employee thereof shall discriminate against any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the process of admitting students to such school.
B. Each local school board that jointly manages and controls a regional academic year Governor's school pursuant to § 22.1-26 shall collaborate to ensure that each public middle school that is eligible to send students to attend such Governor's school offers coursework, curriculum, and instruction that is comparable in content and in rigor in order to provide each student in each such middle school with the opportunity to gain admission to and excel academically at such Governor's school.
This article first ran in edition #2023-04.
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School Performance & Support
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Virginia Board of Education Approves 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 Thursday, July 27, 2023, the Virginia Board of Education (Board) approved a proposal that changes the expectations for writing assessments for grade 5 and grade 8 students. Specifically, the Board approved the elimination of the grade 8 Standards of Learning (SOL) Writing test beginning in spring 2024 when the new integrated reading and writing items become part of the grades 5, 8, and end-of-course (EOC) SOL Reading tests.
Additional details about these spring 2024 changes and the concurrent implementation of the new integrated reading and writing items in the grades 5, 8, and EOC SOL Reading tests, including scheduling information, will be provided to school divisions later in August.
Implementation of SOL Integrated Reading and Writing Items (Spring 2024)
Audience: Superintendents, Directors, School Principals, Teachers; Supervisors of English/Language Arts
Contact: Dr. Sarah Susbury, Director of Student Assessment
Beginning in spring 2024, newly developed integrated reading and writing items will be administered as an additional component of the grade 5, grade 8, and end-of-course Standards of Learning (SOL) Reading tests. With these new items, students are presented with a nonfiction passage based on history or science content that is accompanied by 6 questions connected to the passage in addition to a writing prompt based on the passage. The nonfiction passage provides context for students to use when responding to the prompt, or it may serve as a springboard for students who choose to incorporate personal experiences in their responses.
Additional details about the administration of the new integrated reading and writing component in spring 2024, including scheduling information, will be provided to Division Directors of Testing in early August. This article first ran in edition #2023-04.
Change to Virginia’s Code: School Counselor Staff Time (§22.1-291.1:1)
Audience: Superintendents, Directors, School Principals; School Counselors
Contact: Joseph Wharff, Director, Office of Student Services
The 2023 General Assembly approved Senate Bill 1043, which incorporates consistent statewide definitions and expectations for licensed professional school counselors for the provision of “direct counseling services” and “program planning and school support.” This legislation further defines the role of the school counselor that was established through legislation from House Bill 1729 in the 2019 General Assembly, which amended requirements for the allocation of school counselor staff time. The effective date of this legislation is July 1, 2023. Although the transition of non-counseling duties is expected to begin immediately, it is reasonable to expect that a period in which school counselors may continue to cover previously assigned responsibilities may be required as duties are reallocated.
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Supporting Early Childhood Care & Education
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What’s Happening with VDOE Early Childhood Initiatives
Audience: Superintendents, Directors, School Principals, Child Care Center Operators, Teachers
Contact: Ayasha N. Sledge, Strategic Communications Specialist
Jenna Conway, Deputy Superintendent of Early Childhood Care and Education, delivered a comprehensive presentation entitled Early Childhood State of the State Updates for Summer 2023 in which she shared key updates for early childhood in Virginia. Watch this informative and thorough review of key accomplishments and successes of the past year, as well as preview the exciting work that is on the horizon. Recorded July 26, 2023.
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Division Finance and Budgeting
FY 2023 Annual School Report
Audience: Superintendents, School Finance Directors
Contact: Ed Lanza, Director of Budget
School divisions and regional programs that wish to request a 15-day extension (until September 29, 2023) for their 2022-2023 ASR submission must, per Section 22.1-81, Code of Virginia, submit a written request signed by the division superintendent, or designee, to Dr. Lisa Coons, Superintendent of Public Instruction, to the email address: DOEBUDGETOFFICE@doe.virginia.gov, prior to the September 14, 2023, deadline. The submitted extension request letter must cite a good cause reason/need for the extension of time. Please note that the signed extension letter must be attached as a PDF file to the email, with “2022-2023 ASR EXTENSION REQUEST” in the subject line of the email.
Each school division and regional program will use the Web-based Single Sign-on for Web Systems (SSWS) portal to access, download, and submit the 2022-2023 ASR Excel template to the Department. Instructional and resource documents are located within the SSWS application. Once a division has successfully completed the 2022-2023 ASR using the ASR application in SSWS, the division superintendent or designee will approve and certify the Superintendent’s Verification Report through the Superintendent’s Data Collection Approvals (SDCA) application. This article first ran in edition #2023-04.
2023-2024 IDEA Part B Flow-Through and Subgrant Awards for Special Education
Audience: Superintendents, Division Finance and Special Education Staff
Contact: Tracie Coleman, Director of Special Education Finance and Budget
The 2023-2024 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B (Sections 611 and 619) Flow-Through federal allocations, for school divisions and state operated programs (SOPs) that qualify based on submission of an approvable 2023-2024 annual plan, are now available. The allocation for Section 619 Flow-Through funds is available as of July 1, 2023, through the reimbursement process to school divisions and SOPs that have submitted an approvable annual plan.
The 2023-2024 IDEA Part B Flow-Through Funding document includes comprehensive details about funding allocations, reimbursement procedures, and additional required special terms and conditions for grant awards or cooperative agreements. This article first ran in edition #2023-03.
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News from the Virginia Board of Education
Board Meeting Highlights July 25-27, 2023
Audience: All
Contact: Jim Chapman, Director of Board Relations
The Virginia Board of Education (BOE) met for its regular meetings from July 25–27, 2023. On July 25, the BOE elected Mrs. Grace Creasey as President and Mr. Bill Hansen as Vice President. At the meeting on July 27, the Board unanimously approved the Commonwealth’s first lab school: a joint venture between the Virginia Commonwealth University Center for Teacher Leadership and CodeRVA Regional High School.
The Board also approved the following notable items:
School Construction Assistance Program
Audience: Superintendents
Contact: Kent Dickey, Deputy Superintendent of Budget, Finance, and Operations
At its May meeting, the Board of Education awarded $365.3 million in competitive school construction grants to school divisions under the School Construction Assistance Program. $84.7 million in grant funding remains available for award. At its July meeting, the Board directed VDOE to proceed with a second round of competitive grants, with no changes to the program guidelines or application criteria. VDOE expects to announce a second round of competitive school construction grant applications in early September, as well as the next round of applications for Literary Fund school construction loans.
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Career Opportunities at VDOE
VDOE is hiring! Our newest positions include:
- Director of Licensure and School Leadership
- Program Support Technician - Eastern Region
- Database Programmer
- Human Resources Assistant
- Assistant Superintendent of Communications Strategy
- IT Help Desk Engineer
- Associate Director of Educational and Classroom Technology Innovation
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