Articles of Interest
Henrico Schools using out-of-state educators to ease staffing concerns
Fredericksburg will give school employee bonuses
Poquoson is adding ballistic film to school windows | WAVY.com
Hollins University partners with local schools to fight teacher shortage
Schools, students continue coping with COVID | Latest Headlines | heraldcourier.com
Virtual learning programs seeing increased enrollment | Education | fredericksburg.com
School-based healthcare program up and running in Bristol, Virginia Public Schools | WCYB
VDOE Updates
Virginia Literacy Act Implementation
With the passage of the Virginia Literacy Act in the 2022 General Assembly, Virginia is taking the lead nationwide to reverse these trends and improve early literacy outcomes for Virginia’s youngest learners. VDOE will support school divisions through this multi-year effort with tools, resources, technical assistance and funding. Superintendent Memo 186-22 outlines the support and next steps during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school-years.
NASA TechRise Student Challenge
This opportunity is open to students in grades 6-12. The Challenge invites teams to design, build, and launch science and technology experiments on high-altitude balloons. Entries are due on October 24. Each winning team will receive $1,500 to build their experiment, and an assigned spot to test it on NASA-sponsored balloon flight!
Experience Works 2022—Trailblazing Together Resources
A live virtual professional development opportunity for High-Quality Work-Based Learning stakeholders, “Experience Works—Trailblazing Together for High-Quality Work-Based Learning,” was conducted virtually on June 22-23, 2022. Work-Based Learning coordinators, Career and Technical Education teachers, administrators, school counselors, career coaches, and business and industry leaders attended this informative event. If you missed it, view the recorded sessions and exhibitor videos, which could be a valuable resources. For more information, visit the High-Quality Work-Based Learning webpage.
VDOE Science Teacher Webinars
These Webinars are opportunities for Virginia science educators to hear directly from the VDOE Science Team and will be held the third Wednesday of each month at 4 p.m. starting September 21. The topic of the September Teacher Webinar is Safety and the Science and Engineering Practices. Future topics include Supporting English Learners in Science (October), Using the Common Rubric with Science Performance Assessments (November), and Developing Science Literacy (January). Consider registering for any or all of the VDOE Science Teacher Webinars today!
VDOE Presentations for Teachers
Recorded presentations for teachers are available on the Growth Assessments page on the VDOE website. The recordings currently posted on this webpage describe a method for using Standards of Learning assessment data to inform instruction, assist in using the Student Detail by Question data extract file, and provide an overview of the Grades 3-8 Reading and Mathematics Growth Assessments for the 2022-2023 school year and beyond. Check them out today!
Virginia General Assembly House and Senate Page Program
The application for admission to the Senate Page Program class of 2023 is now available. The Senate Clerk’s Office staff will confirm receipt of applications within three business days. Applications are due by 5 p.m. October 17. Make every attempt to avoid a last-minute submission. There is not an online application process this year.
State Superintendent Memos
- MEMO 198-22
Local Gifted Education Technical Review Process (PDF) - MEMO 197-22
Model Policies Concerning Instructional Materials with Sexually Explicit Content (PDF)
- MEMO 195-22
Educator Misconduct Reporting Requirements (PDF) - MEMO 194-22
Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PDF) - MEMO 193-22
U.S. Department of Education Approves Multiple ESSA Waiver Requests (PDF) - MEMO 192-22
September is Attendance Awareness Month (PDF) - MEMO 191-22
2023 Virginia School Survey of Climate and Working Conditions (PDF) - MEMO 190-22
Coordinated Preschool Enrollment (PDF) - MEMO 189-22
Required Entrance Procedures and Criteria for Identifying Potential English Learners (PDF) - MEMO 188-22
Title IV, Part A Required Federal Reporting (PDF) - MEMO 187-22
Opportunity to Comment on Proposed Amendment 5 to Virginia’s ESSA Consolidated State Plan (PDF) - MEMO 186-22
Virginia Literacy Act Implementation (PDF) - MEMO 184-22
2021-2022 Annual Report, Programs for the Gifted (PDF)
Ed. Department Updates
NAEP LONG-TERM TREND
According to data from the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Long-Term Trend assessment — the first nationally representative measure of the pandemic’s impact on learning — the nine-year-olds tested in winter 2022 scored five points lower in reading and seven points lower in math compared to the nine-year-olds tested in winter 2020. This was the largest score decline in reading since the 1990s and the first-ever decline in math. Moreover, there were declines across all performance levels, with widening gaps between higher- and lower-performing students (NCES release event).
“This data should serve as a further call to action for states, districts, and communities to use [ARP] funds quickly, effectively, and on strategies we know work,” Secretary Cardona emphasized in a USA Today-published op-ed. “We must raise the bar for our students now and use the resources we have to meet that bar. We must recognize this moment for the urgency it carries: Our students — and the progress of our country — depend on it…. While we use this new data to help sharpen and focus our plans to accelerate student growth, we also know that many of our students are on track to make significant academic progress this school year. Recent data from [NCES] — which are not reflected in these NAEP results — show that a substantial portion of students who were behind grade level in at least one subject last school year caught up in time for summer break this year…. Initial state assessment results in places like Indiana and Connecticut also show that many students made enough progress to close some of the pandemic-related achievement gaps. This progress is a testament to the enduring impacts our educators and school staff can make on helping our students catch up, both academically and developmentally.”
In related news, NCES released “U.S. Education in the Time of COVID,” synthesizing highlights from various data sources to provide a composite, high-level view of the American education landscape since the onset of the pandemic.
