National Articles of Interest
Will Massachusetts’ school hiring surge improve student outcomes? | K-12 Dive
How an Iowa district plans to embrace AI in the new school year | K-12 Dive
Signal lost: Why more school systems are saying no to cellphones | K-12 Dive
DOE Updates
VDOE Issues Draft Guidance for Cell Phone-Free Education
Article: 2024-32-316
On July 9, Governor Glenn Youngkin issued Executive Order 33 to help bring cell phone-free education to Virginia schools.
After listening to and reviewing the thousands of comments and suggestions from Virginians, VDOE has developed draft guidance for school divisions on policies and procedures to establish cell phone-free education and remove cell phones and personal electronic communication devices from Virginia’s public school classrooms. That draft guidance developed has been published on VDOE’s website and is available for review and comment through September 15, 2024.
The draft guidance defines cell phone-free education in Virginia’s schools as “bell-to-bell”, meaning phones should be turned off and stored away from the first bell at the start of the school day to begin instructional time until the dismissal bell rings at the end of the academic school day. “Bell-to-bell” includes lunch and time in between class periods.
To learn more about the draft guidance and provide feedback, visit the Cell Phone-Free Education in Virginia K-12 Public Schools webpage.
Guidance on the Administration and Participation on State Assessments
Article: 2024-32-315
Audience: Superintendents, Division Directors of Testing, Special Education Directors/Offices, Division leadership working with Assessment and Accountability
Contact: Dr. Dora Villarreal, Assistant Superintendent of Assessment and Accountability, Student_Assessment@doe.virginia.gov
Given the updated process to determine if a student is eligible to participate in Virginia’s Alternate Assessment Program (VAAP) and to support school divisions in understanding federal and state statutes and regulations when making decisions on the appropriate assessment for students, a memorandum with Guidance on the Administration and Participation on State Assessments is now available.
The memorandum describes requirements on federal participation by grade and course content, the allowable use of alternate assessments, administering assessments, and the annual measurement of achievement.
Virginia Literacy Act Update
VDOE has released an extensive update on the Virginia Literacy Act. Read more from Article 2024-30-289 August Virginia Literacy Act Updates. Details are in the Professional Development section of the update.
New SOL Mathematics Test Blueprints Based on the 2023 Mathematics Standards of Learning
The Virginia Board of Education adopted the 2023 Mathematics Standards of Learning in August 2023. Full implementation of the 2023 Mathematics Standards will occur in the 2024-25 school year. The assessments measuring the Standards will be administered for the first time in the spring 2025 test administration in grades 3 through 8 and end-of-course. To support preparation for implementation, the new mathematics test blueprints are available online on the VDOE Test Blueprints website. Contact Student_Assessment@doe.virginia.gov with any resource questions.
Fentanyl Education and Awareness ResourcesThe VDOE and the Virginia Department of Health worked collaboratively to develop information and resources for fentanyl education and awareness (HB 1473). The Fentanyl Awareness informational one-sheet was created through that partnership. School divisions should ensure that all 9-12 graders have this sheet within the first two weeks of the 2024-2025 school year. School divisions can choose distribution methods that best meet the needs of their students and families. Additionally, the webpage includes resources for educators on substance use prevention. Read more from VDOE.
