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To-Do's
This week’s articles
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Dr. Lisa Coons, Superintendent of Public Instruction
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I want to sincerely thank all of the Superintendents who spent the early part of their week in Richmond at the VASS Conference. It was uplifting to see the positive energy and focus on our students. We appreciate your dedication and are so proud that over 50 percent of our school divisions have ALL In Spending Plans on the website, and over 108 school divisions have signed up and attended webinars for the digital platforms to support in person tutoring across the Commonwealth. We have heard several pieces of feedback on digital platforms and appreciate your excitement for making these available to your students. We are working to make sure that they are valuable tools for your students and your instructors.
At the Conference, we launched “Be A Literacy Superintendent” (PDF) and discussed how important your vision is to leading your school division in VLA implementation. Check out the extensive resources and timelines in the attached deck. We appreciate the role that each of you play in making sure that #EveryoneReadsVA is a reality.
We also clarified training requirements for reading specialists’ and flexibility in teacher training options. See the blurb below for more information.
Additionally, the Governor has released Executive Order 28 directing the department to take immediate action regarding the increasing overdoses in Virginia Public Schools. It is essential that we ensure our family members are informed and partners in the school community. For this reason, please ensure:
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parents are notified within 24 hours of a school-connected student overdose;
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close collaboration with law enforcement; and
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a focus on preventative education.
As I announced when I was with VASS on Monday, we are opening an Office of Behavioral Health, and this office will be releasing guidance over the next few weeks to support you in ensuring the components of the executive order are implemented.
Virginia Literacy Act Training Requirements Update
Reading specialists are required to take the nine-module Canvas course after attendance at the reading institutes, hosted by Virginia Literacy Partnerships, to meet the training requirements for reading specialists as outlined in the Virginia Literacy Act. The Canvas modules will cover the following topics:
- Reading Science and Explicit Instruction,
- Data Literacy,
- Phonological Awareness,
- Targeted Instruction,
- Fluency,
- Phonics,
- Vocabulary and Oral Language,
- Comprehension, and
- VALLS and VLA implementation.
These modules will prepare reading specialists to successfully implement evidence-based literacy instruction and supports for students needing additional services and allow them to continue to be the building experts that we need them to be as we implement evidence-based literacy instruction in our schools and school divisions.
In addition, per the Virginia Literacy Act, teachers will receive training in evidence-based literacy instruction and science-based reading research. VDOE will provide a list of approved professional development programs that meet the requirements of the legislation later this spring, that will include the canvas modules offered by VLP.
School divisions will have flexibility in the selection of a professional development program for their teachers from the approved list to best meet the needs of their educators and communities. While the list of professional development will not be available until Spring 2024, we can share that LETRs training will be an allowable option among others.
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News from Across the Commonwealth
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 Louisa County’s Thomas Jefferson Elementary School hosted Governor Youngkin and state leaders this week to demonstrate their high-intensity math and reading tutoring programs and the great job they are doing to help their students get ahead. Thanks to Superintendent Doug Straley for hosting us for the visit.
Seeking proposals for the Grow Your Own – Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program ⚠️
Audience: Superintendents, Directors
Contact: Shawna LeBlond, Grants Manager
The Department of Teacher Education and Licensure is soliciting proposals for the Grow Your Own (GYO) – Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program. This solicitation for proposals is to support eligible school divisions or a regional consortia of school divisions to implement a registered teacher apprenticeship program starting in January 2024.
Highlighted in the September 21st edition of the VA Education Update, the purpose of the Grow Your Own initiative is to prepare individuals from the community to enter and succeed in the state’s registered teacher apprenticeship program and ultimately be employed as an educator in their local school division. This program also aims to eliminate economic barriers that may keep individuals from investing in skills training and teacher preparation, allowing them to “earn while they learn”.
Interested school divisions are requested to submit their grant applications no later than 4 p.m. on November 30, 2023.
 ALL In VA
Milestone and Task Force Update
This week we hit the ALL In milestone of over 50% of all school divisions having submitted a spending plan for review to kickoff their ALL In high-intensive tutoring. We appreciate your being ALL In to help our students with the chance to advance and get a step ahead.As we have travelled the commonwealth, it has been impressive to see your creativity and determination to find a way to kickoff these sessions successfully.
The Chronic Absentee Task Force is meeting this Thursday, October 7, at 4:30 p.m. The Task Force’s meetings are virtual, and you, your staff and community partners are invited to join. The meetings are broadcast on the VDOE’s YouTube page.
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News from our Content Specialists and Special Education
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Nominations for the 2025 Mary V. Bicouvaris Teacher of the Year Program ⚠️
Audience: Superintendents
Contact: Todd Reid, Assistant Superintendent of Strategic Communications
To honor Virginia teachers who represent the best in teaching in the Commonwealth and across the nation, all public and accredited nonpublic schools are invited to participate in the 2025 Mary V. Bicouvaris Virginia Teacher of the Year Program. The program is open to all exceptionally skilled and dedicated teachers in pre-kindergarten through grade 12, including school librarians, school counselors, technology specialists, math specialists and reading specialists, who hold a current renewable Virginia teaching license in the assigned teaching area. Additional criteria also apply.
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School Performance & Support
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Technical Assistance for Schools not Meeting 95% Participation Rate ⚠️
Audience: Superintendents, Directors, School Principals; School Improvement Team Members
Contact: Dr. Martha H. Powers, School Quality Specialist
VDOE Office of School Quality will be conducting a technical assistance webinar for divisions and schools with student assessment participation rates below 95% for all students and each student reporting group. The webinar will review the implications and requirements for not reaching a 95% participation in a state’s accountability assessment, as required under the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA).
Divisions with schools that do not meet the 95% testing requirement will be notified soon and should share this information with division and school leaders who assist schools in developing plans to meet this federal requirement. School division staff are encouraged to participate as a group, if possible, allowing for a cross-functional understanding of federal participation policy.
One-hour sessions will be offered: Wednesday, November 8, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. and Thursday, November 16, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. Please select one session and register in advance using the links below. After submitting the registration, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
Registration Links
National School Psychology (2023) Awareness Week
Audience: Superintendents, Directors, School Principals, Teachers, non-teaching staff
Contact: Martha Montgomery, School Psychology Specialist
Please join the VDOE in celebrating Virginia School Psychologists during the week of November 6-10, 2023. National School Psychology Week (NSPW) is an opportunity for schools to recognize and highlight the critical work that school psychologists do for Virginia’s schools, students, families, and communities. This year's theme, “Let’s Grow Together”, recognizes every aspect of growth as fundamental to effective learning environments and to school psychologists’ role in supporting student well-being and learning. The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) has developed adaptable resources and suggested activities about the theme to bring awareness to the school community about the positive impact of school psychologists.
To find out more about how school psychologists contribute to the school community and help students thrive, please review the Who are School Psychologists? flyer and other resources on the VDOE School Psychology Services webpage.
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Division Finance and Budgeting
Award Year 2022-2023 Unspent Funds – Recruitment Incentive for Public Education ⚠️
Audience: Superintendents, Directors
Contact: Shawna LeBlond, Grants Manager
Superintendent’s Memo #064-23 announced school divisions’ 2022-2023 awards for the Recruitment Incentive for Public Education (RIPE) federal funds. Based on the reimbursement requests submitted by school divisions in the Online Management for Education Grant Awards (OMEGA) system, records indicate there are unspent balances in the RIPE account (project code: APE60053) from program year 2022-2023. The unspent balances will be removed from the designated account in OMEGA by November 10, 2023. These funds will be returned to the VDOE and used for additional recruitment and retention efforts.
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News from the Virginia Board of Education
Meeting of the College Partnership Laboratory Schools Standing Committee - November 6, 2023
The College Partnership Laboratory School Committee will hold a public meeting on Monday, November 6, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. All meetings will be held in the Board Room, located on the 22nd Floor of the James Monroe Building, 101 North 14th Street, Richmond, VA 23219, unless otherwise noted. All meetings are open to the public and will be livestreamed on the VDOE YouTube channel.
Members of the public may signup to address the Standing Committee at one of its scheduled public meetings by using the College Partnership Laboratory Schools Standing Committee Public Comment Sign-Up Form. Requests to address the Standing Committee should be submitted no later than the day before the scheduled business meeting, but may be requested at the meeting at the discretion of the Chair.
The Standing Committee will accept public comment in advance of the meeting through the College Partnership Laboratory Schools Standing Committee Comment Form. This form collects public comments for review by the members of the Board. The Board accepts comments from the public on all matters related to public education in Virginia. Comments may be submitted at any time, but will be collected and shared with Board members as part of the meeting materials for its next scheduled business meeting.
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Career Opportunities at VDOE
VDOE is hiring. New positions this week include a Senior Policy Analyst and a Monitoring Specialist for Special Education.
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