The December 11 Member Update will be last the last one of 2023. Happy Holidays!
State Articles of Interest
New teacher licensure system to help with educator shortage | WAVY.com
How Richmond Public Schools cut chronic absenteeism
Henrico Schools to open new ‘Centers for Innovation’ at 2 middle schools
Revised index to cause Clarke schools to rely more on local funds | Winchester Star
Kids keep missing school in Virginia. Leaders are looking to curb that.
National Articles of Interest
PISA results show math performance declined globally amid COVID-19 | K-12 Dive
School districts face growing competition for students | K-12 Dive
How schools are addressing antisemitism and Islamophobia | K-12 Dive
‘Renewed urgency’ needed for early ed inclusion | K-12 Dive
New Jersey boots basic skills exam requirement for teacher candidates | K-12 Dive
Plaintiffs claim Iowa LGBTQ+ restrictions are ‘paralyzing’ schools | K-12 Dive
Rural students face persistent access barriers to counselors, gifted programming | K-12 Dive
Strategies to Improve Teacher Pay
New Jersey boots basic skills exam requirement for teacher candidates | K-12 Dive
Martinsville High School students are learning to run their own small business
DOE Updates
VBOE Listening Sessions Planned
The Virginia Board of Education began the official regulatory process this past August to revise Virginia’s Standards of Accreditation with an intention of creating an accountability measurement separate from accreditation. The Board has been hosting listening sessions to help facilitate public engagement in the accountability measurement development process. Educators, parents, and citizens are invited to attend the remaining sessions in their region and comment on their expectations for accountability measurements. More information can be found on the VDOE website. Remaining dates and locations include:
Dec. 1 at 5:30 p.m.:Brooke Point High School-1700 Courthouse Rd, Stafford, VA 22554
Dec. 5 at 7 p.m.:George Mason University Science and Technology Campus-building TBD
Dec. 7 at 6:30 p.m.:Liberty Middle School-1237 Lacey Putney Way, Bedford, VA 24523
Dec. 11 at 6:30 p.m.:Career Technical Center-13900 Hull Street, Midlothian, VA 23112
Dec. 13 at 6:30 p.m.:Indian River High School-1969 Braves Trail, Chesapeake, Virginia 23325
Dec. 14 at 6:30 p.m.:Greensville County High School-403 Harding Street Emporia, VA. 23847
Mathematics Textbook Approval Process
At the September 14, 2023 Board of Education meeting, the Department of Education was authorized to proceed with the K-12 mathematics textbook state approval process. This process will take place in two phases.
- Phase I is currently underway and is anticipated to be completed in April 2024. A list of publishers who have submitted materials is available on the 2024 Mathematics Textbook Review Process webpage.
- Phase II is scheduled to begin in summer 2024. A full timeline of Phase II will be posted on the VDOE website no later than February 1, 2024. A list of publishers who have indicated that they intend to submit materials for Phase II is available on the 2024 Mathematics Textbook Review Process webpage. Please note that additional publishers may choose to submit their intent forms during Phase II.
Upcoming Accountability Listening Sessions
With the State Board of Education having begun the official regulatory process this past August to revise Virginia’s Standards of Accreditation with an intention of creating an accountability measurement separate from accreditation, the Board is planning listening sessions across the Commonwealth to help facilitate public engagement in the accountability measurement development process.
These listening sessions are intended to inform the Board and facilitate public input focused on potential accountability measures. The sessions are being coordinated by the Hunt Institute, an independent, non-profit organization.
For more information, including the listening session schedule and registration link, please visit the VDOE Accreditation and Accountability webpage.
New ALL In Reading Options
To help address the varied level of support for literacy needed by students, VDOE has expanded the ALL in Tutoring reading initiative to include evidence-based reading resources from Ignite Reading and Lexia.
Lexia programs are now available for students participating in the ALL In Initiative in Grades 3-8 who are not proficient on the Virginia Standards of Learning. The department has added Lexia’s tutoring options, Lexia Core5® Reading and Lexia PowerUp Literacy®, in support of students with unfinished literacy learning because of pandemic learning loss.
Lexia Core5 Reading, Grades PK-5, provides explicit and systematic learning in six areas of reading instruction and delivering norm-referenced performance data without interrupting the flow of instruction. Core5 Reading provides an adaptive and individualized learning experience for Grades 3-5 struggling students and enables students of all abilities to advance their reading skills. This Lexia Core5 Reading video provides more information on the program.
Lexia PowerUp Literacy, Grades 6-8, is designed to enhance core English Language Arts instruction for students with unfinished learning. PowerUp is proven to be up to five times as effective as the average middle school reading intervention, enabling students to potentially make multiple years of growth in a single academic year. More information on PowerUp is available in this Lexia PowerUp video .
Ignite Reading continues to be available for students with the most critical needs and the most significant literacy-based learning loss. Ignite Reading will provide one-to-one, synchronous foundational reading skills tutoring to Virginia students with significant decoding gaps who require intensive Tier 3 support. Ignite Reading has a record of accelerating student reading growth with their evidence-based program meeting the goals of the Virginia Literacy Act. Ignite Reading should be reserved for students who need intensive or “Tier 3” type support for students with the most critical literacy needs. Their expertise in closing decoding gaps will help ensure that students who are reading well below grade level do not fall even further behind and that they develop crucial foundational reading skills.
If your school division is interested in using Lexia as a reading resource, please complete the Lexia Interest Form and Lexia will be in touch to begin your division’s implementation.
If you have questions regarding the All In Tutoring digital platforms for literacy, Dr. Marcey Sorensen (email) is available to assist.
