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News from Across the Commonwealth
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Division Reading Challenges
Norfolk City Schools is challenging students and families to read up to a million words per year! The division is embarking upon a reading initiative called All Norfolk Reads that gets everyone focused on a single book. Their book is Ways to Make Sunshine by Renée Watson.
Southwest Virginia Collaboration
Greendale Elementary in Washington County hosted Governor Youngkin, Superintendent Coons, and Region 7 leaders to talk about the great work that school divisions, schools and teachers are doing to give their children a chance to advance.
Thanks to Greendale Principal Michael Coalston for bringing everyone together to collaborate and build on the great work happening at Greendale!
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Dr. Lisa Coons, Superintendent of Public Instruction
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Radford, Virginia
This week I had the great pleasure of spending time with educators in Southwest Virginia learning about the successes and challenges facing educators in the region. My first stop Tuesday in Radford, where I was fortunate to meet with Superintendent Roger Collins and Principal Michelle Greene and McHarg teachers to talk about the great work happening at McHarg Elementary. Governor Youngkin’s Chronic Absenteeism Task Force also kicked off on Tuesday, where we focused on transportation barriers to attendance. Look for resources from our first session in next week’s newsletter.
Leadership Conference
On Wednesday, the VDOE leadership team presented and discussed the major priorities of the agency with leaders at the Southwest Virginia Leadership Conference in Abingdon. We heard about high school innovations, literacy focused work, and a great deal about ALL In. I was also glad to hear from our educators and division leaders about their enthusiasm for introducing the Ignite and Zearn platforms into their ALL In tutoring efforts.
Please see the schedule for launch webinars here:
Ignite Reading
October 30, November 1, November 2, November 6, November 8
See times and link information under ALL In Virginia, below.
Zearn Mathematics
October 31, November 2, November 9, November 10
See times and link information under ALL In Virginia, below.
Washington County
On Thursday, Washington County Superintendent Keith Perrigan hosted Governor Youngkin and a number of Region 7 Superintendents at Greendale Elementary in Abingdon, where we observed Washington County’s ALL In tutoring sessions and discussed ALL In tutoring with several regional superintendents and legislative members. The students in Ms. Rasnake’s and Ms. Jeffers’ second grade classroom are lucky to have focused literacy tutoring sessions to help them step ahead with a real chance to advance their learning. Their great work demonstrates the potential of high-intensity tutoring for all our students, as well as the real importance of having great teachers our students’ classrooms.
Thanks so much for everything you do for Virginia’s students. Have a great week!
Lisa
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 ALL-In Virginia
ALL In Tutoring Webinars ⚠️
Audience: Superintendents, Directors, School Principals, Teachers
Contact: Dr. Marcey Sorensen, Deputy Superintendent for Teaching & Learning
To help school divisions plan their ALL In tutoring programs, VDOE is excited to announce the next steps in rolling out our free reading and math digital platforms. Ignite Reading and Zearn will host a series of webinars in partnership with the VDOE to provide information about the platforms themselves so division leaders can make informed decisions about how to use each of these evidence-based approaches to accelerate student learning in your school division. After each of these webinars, both companies stand ready to help plan implementation with your school division and prepare for use in your schools.
If you have chosen to opt-in to using these platforms as a part of your high-intensity tutoring program, please make sure that your division has filled out the interest survey.
ALL In Digital Platform Update – Ignite Reading
Ignite Reading is excited to invite you to an Overview Meeting where we will introduce our one-to-one foundational reading skills tutoring program. Dr. Tania McKey, Director of Partnerships, will talk about Ignite Reading's program format, curriculum, the quality of our tutors, the data you'll receive, and how we collaborate with districts to ensure your students successfully close decoding gaps. You'll have a chance to see what a tutoring session looks like and learn at a high level how the program is implemented across schools. Please join us for any one of the five scheduled Overview Meetings below. We look forward to supporting your students to become confident, independent readers.
Overview Meetings - choose any one of these:
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Monday, 10/30 - 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
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Wednesday, 11/1 - 10:00 am - 11:00 am
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Thursday, 11/2 - 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
- Monday, 11/6 - 10:00 am - 11:00 am
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Wednesday, 11/8 - 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
ALL In Digital Platform Update – Zearn
Join a live webinar with VDOE and the Zearn team to learn more about how Virginia school divisions can access Zearn Math at no cost to support high-dosage tutoring. As part of ALL In VA, all school divisions in the Commonwealth will have access to Zearn Math at no cost. Zearn’s platform supports educators to flexibly implement personalized tutoring sessions before or after school or doing school breaks, including summer. Learn more about how Zearn’s math platform can support your school division’s high-intensity tutoring program in a live webinar hosted by Zearn and the VDOE team. Links are provided to register below:
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Tuesday, 10/31 -12:00 pm - 1:00 pm (Link)
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Thursday, 11/2 - 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm (Link)
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Thursday, 11/9 - 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm (Link)
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Friday, 11/10 - 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm (Link)
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News from our Content Specialists and Special Education
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Annual Resources Update for Serving Students with Sensory Disabilities
Audience: Superintendents, Directors, School Principals
Contact: Wanda Council, Specialist for Deaf/Hard of Hearing, Blind/Visually Impaired, and Deaf-Blind
VDOE is required by the Code of Virginia, § 22.1-217.01, to annually prepare and distribute to local school boards information describing educational and other services that are available to students who are deaf, hard of hearing, or visually impaired. School boards are required to post this information on school division websites annually and to inform the parents of students who are identified as deaf, hard of hearing, or visually impaired of the availability of such services.
The VDOE’s Annual Resources Update for Serving Students with Sensory Disabilities is a compilation of the required guidance documents and additional resources available through the VDOE’s Sensory Disabilities webpage. Administrators and teachers may reprint VDOE’s guidance and resources to share with parents. School divisions may also provide printed copies and alternate formats in Virginia public schools and public libraries.
2023-2024 Community of Leaders in Autism Membership ⚠️
Audience: Directors
Contact: Samantha Gregory, Special Education Specialist - Autism, Intellectual Disabilities, and Assistive Technology
The Communities of Leaders in Autism (CoLA) is a community of dedicated educators supported by the VDOE and collaboratively led by the Autism Center for Education at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU-ACE) and the regional Training and Technical Assistance Centers (TTACs).
Members of CoLA include school division autism leaders and VDOE, VCU-ACE, and TTAC staff who are passionate about supporting educators to enhance outcomes for students with autism spectrum disorder. Through regional and statewide events, CoLA moves beyond information dissemination and empowers members with knowledge and expertise to support educators and students with autism. Membership in CoLA strives to develop and enhance the capacity of autism leaders to address the training and technical assistance needs of school divisions, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
The VDOE is asking each school division to identify two or three individuals for CoLA membership to serve as division autism leaders for the 2023-2024 school year. These leaders, which may include specialists, lead teachers, and coaches, should possess the ability to positively influence systemic change for autistic students within their division. Please complete the CoLA membership survey by November 3, 2023, to identify the designated autism leaders, including both new and existing CoLA members, as appropriate.
If you have questions related to CoLA, contact Dr. Carol Schall, Director of Technical Assistance, VCU-ACE, at cmschall@vcu.edu.
Sample Integrated Lesson Plans for Virginia Essentialized Standards of Learning (VESOL) and Introductory Webinar
Audience: Superintendents, Directors, School Principals, Teachers
Contact: Office of Student Assessment
VDOE Office of Student Assessment and the Office of Special Education Instructional Services would like to remind teachers that the Sample Integrated Lesson Plans for Virginia Essentialized Standards of Learning (VESOL) webpage and the prerecorded Introductory Webinar for Sample Integrated Lesson Plans are now available. These sample lesson plans are designed to support instruction of VESOL in the content areas of reading, mathematics, and science. Most include an integrated component that provides opportunities for students to practice these content area skills simultaneously. Teachers should visit the webpage regularly as new lesson plans are added weekly.
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Supporting Early Childhood Care & Education
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VQB5 Practice Year 2 Profile Feedback Opportunity
Audience: Superintendents, Directors, School Principals, Child Care Center Operators
Contact: Lucy Mitzner, Quality Improvement Specialist
If your site participated in VQB5 Practice Year 2 (2022-2023) last year, we want to hear from you!
Leaders and teachers from centers, family childcare, and public school preschool programs who participated in Practice Year 2 last year, are encouraged to share their thoughts about the Practice Year 2 Quality Profile via a short feedback survey. Your feedback will help inform the development of the new public VQB5 quality profiles to be shared in the fall of 2024.
Please only respond if you have reviewed your Practice Year 2 Quality Profile in LinkB5.
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Division Finance and Budgeting
Phillips School Receives 2023 Farm to School Grant Award and Webinar for Future Grant Opportunities ⚠️
Audience: Superintendents, Directors
Contact: Bee Thorp, SNP Lead Farm to School Specialist
The Phillips School, Annandale, received a FY23 USDA Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant. These competitive grant funds will support the implementation of a comprehensive urban agriculture and nutrition education program at the school. Students there will participate in impactful experiential learning activities using the campus garden. Grant funds will also support expanding the farm to school program within the school nutrition department to increase the scratch-made menu offerings using locally grown items.
Farm to School grants were first awarded in 2013, and a school in Virginia has been awarded a grant for each of the 11 years this program has existed. That speaks to the strong collaboration between the VDOE, Office of School Nutrition Programs and organizations in Virginia working to address nutrition and food insecurity.
The VDOE-SNP and USDA's Mid-Atlantic Regional Office Farm to School Specialist will host a webinar on Thursday, November 9, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. to learn more about this grant opportunity and how to apply. Please register in advance for this webinar. This webinar is open to all Virginia farm to school stakeholders. It will be recorded and will be distributed upon conclusion of the live event.
Revised 2023-2024 Title I, Part A, and Title I, Part D, Subpart2, Allocations under Provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as Amended
Audience: Superintendents, Directors; Title I, Part A, and Title I, Part D, Federal Program Coordinators
Contact: Tiffany Frierson, Title I Coordinator and Gueringè Richardson, Title I, Part D Specialist
The revised final FY 2023 allocations differ from the original final FY 2023 allocations released in the Superintendent’s Newsletter #2023-12 due to corrections by several State Education Agencies to their SY 2020-2021 State Per-Pupil Expenditure data which impacted allocations to every state, including Virginia.
Title I, Part A and Title I, Part D, coordinators can submit an application amendment based on the revised FY 2023 allocation through the Online Management of Education Grants Award (OMEGA) application in the VDOE's Single Sign-On Web Systems (SSWS).
2023-2024 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Proportionate Set-Aside Requirements ⚠️
Audience: Superintendents, Division Finance and Special Education Staff
Contact: Shalonda Lewis, Special Education Financial Data Specialist
VDOE is required by federal regulation to ensure all Virginia school divisions comply with Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), §300.133, and Appendix B to Part 300 - Proportionate Share Calculation. This mandates that each school division spend a proportionate amount of its Sections 611 and 619 allocations on providing special education and related services, including direct services, to students with disabilities who are home-schooled or parentally-placed in private elementary and secondary schools.
All school divisions are required to utilize the Special Education Proportionate Set-Aside (Speced-PSA) Application through VDOE’s Single Sign-on for Web Systems (SSWS) portal to calculate and report its proportionate set-aside amounts for fiscal year 2023-2024. This is required even if the division has no eligible students with disabilities who are home-schooled or parentally-placed in private schools. The collection window for submission and approval will open on October 30, 2023, and close on November 30, 2023.
VDOE’s Information Document and IDEA Proportionate Set-Aside Guidance Document provide additional information, including instructions on submitting the worksheet and division superintendent’s access to the SDCA Application. A pre-recorded training will be made available, and a Questions and Answers Session via Zoom will be held at a later date. Special Education Directors will receive an email containing the links to access these resources.
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Career Opportunities at VDOE
VDOE is hiring! Check out some of our newly posted openings:
- Adult Secondary and ISAEP Specialist
- Child Nutrition Programs Regional Specialist
- Federal Pandemic Relief Programs Specialist
- SNP Policy and Research Specialist
- Special Education Grants Specialist
- Architectural/Engineer Consultant
- Special Education Financial Monitoring Analyst
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