Updates from the Virginia Department of Education

1. Updates from the Virginia Department of Education Regions 6 and 7 Drive-In Salem, Virginia November 6, 2007 Dr. Linda M. Wallinger Assistant Superintendent for Instruction (804) 225-2034 Linda.Wallinger@doe.virginia.gov

2. Governor’s Education Goals Virginia Preschool Initiative Focus on Literacy No Child Left Behind English Language Proficiency Testing School Accreditation Governor’s Career and Technical Academies P-16 Education Council Graduation Rate Technical and Advanced Technical Diplomas Virginia Index of Performance Education Week and NAEP Reports Topics for Discussion

3. Governor Kaine’s Education Goals The Department of Education’s Objectives: • Increase the proportion of at-risk four-year-olds who are being served by the Virginia Preschool Initiative • Increase the number of children reading proficiently by the third grade • Increase the percent of students who are enrolled in Algebra I by the eighth grade • Increase the career readiness of high school students enrolled in Career and Technical Education programs

4. Governor Kaine’s Education Goals The Department of Education’s Objectives: • Increase the high school graduation rate • Increase the proportion of high school students earning an Advanced Studies Diploma • Increase the percent of students enrolled in Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or dual enrollment courses • Increase the percent of schools that are Fully Accredited

5. Virginia Preschool Initiative Pilots • Extension of Virginia Preschool Initiative for at-risk 4-year-olds • Expanded access to high-quality pre-kindergarten for Virginia’s four-year-olds • Related to focus on reading on grade level by Grade 3 • Based in research that shows that 90% of brain development occurs before a child turns 5 • Findings that children who attend high-quality preschool are more likely to finish school, find good jobs, less likely to commit a crime

6. Virginia Preschool Initiative Pilots • Pilots in 10 school divisions that had existing partnerships with private and/or non-profit providers as of the 2006-2007 school year • Albemarle County Fairfax County • Alexandria City Hampton City • Alleghany County Highland County • Bath County Richmond County • Chesapeake City Virginia Beach City • Expand availability of preschool education programs for at-risk students not served in those school divisions • Testing strategies to increase access to and quality of preschool • Blended funding streams: state funds, Head Start, Title I, Special Ed, parent tuition • Partnerships with private providers to expand opportunity and access • Piloting a quality rating system

7. Focus on Literacy • Two focus areas • Reading on grade level by Grade 3 • Adolescent literacy • 2006-2007 statewide achievement in reading • Overall – 85% of Virginia students passed reading tests (up 1 point) • Grade 3 – 80% (down 4 points) • Gr. 5 : Reading – 87% (no change); Writing – 89% (no change) • Gr. 8: Reading – 80% (up 2 points); Writing – 86% (down 5 points • End-of-course: Reading – 94% (up 4 points); Writing – 92% (up 4 points)

8. Focus on Literacy • Board of Education’s Literacy Committee • Adolescent Literacy Policy Summit • Difference between “reading” and “literacy” • Literacy specific to each content area • Meaning of “literacy” in today’s digital society • Instructional focus on literacy • Title I summer institutes • Middle school pilot • Strategic Instruction Model pilot

9. Focus on Literacy • Governor Kaine’s role in adolescent literacy • Chair of an SREB Committee to improve reading and writing in middle and high schools • Will develop proposed policies for SREB states to help students develop higher-level reading and writing skills in the middle grades and high school

10. No Child Left Behind • 72% of Virginia’s schools made AYP • 1,316 of 1,823 schools • 44% of Virginia’s school divisions made AYP • 58 of 132 school divisions • As a state, Virginia did not make AYP • Did not meet the AYP target in reading performance for limited English proficient (LEP) students. • The state did make AYP in 2004-2005 and 2005-2006.

11. No Child Left Behind Targets • Annual Measurable Objective (AMO) in Reading • 2006-2007 – 73% • 2007-2008 - 77% • Annual Measurable Objective (AMO) in Mathematics • 2006-2007 – 71% • 2007-2008 – 75%

12. English Language Proficiency (ELP) Testing • Virginia no longer able to use the Stanford English Language Proficiency (SELP) test for dual purpose for Level I and II LEP students • LEP students must take both • English Language Proficiency Test • SOL Reading Test (Regular or VGLA)

13. English Language Proficiency (ELP) Testing • Board of Education adopted a state-approved ELP assessment for 2008-2009 at its September 2007 meeting • Access for English Language Learners (Access) Assessment developed by World-class Instructional Design and Assessments (WIDA) Consortium • http://www.vdoe.vi.virginia.gov/VDOE/VA_Board/Meetings/2007/sep-itemL.pdf • For 2007-2008,school divisions may: • Choose an ELP assessment that has been previously approved by the Board of Education or • Submit a locally developed or selected assessment aligned to Virginia’s ELP Standards of Learning (SOL) • Access will be added to the list of board-approved assessments for 2007-2008 • http://www.doe.virginia.gov/VDOE/suptsmemos/2007/inf218.html

14. 2007-2008 Accreditation Ratings

15. School Accreditation • Schools • Elementary schools – 96% accredited • Middle schools – 69% accredited • High schools – 97% accredited • Divisions • 69 of 132 divisions have all schools accredited

16. Mathematics • Notable gains in statewide mathematics achievement • Increased to 80% in 2006-2007 compared to 76% in 2005-2006 • Increase in mathematics performance in 275 of state’s 314 middle schools

17. Middle School Mathematics • 19 middle schools are now fully accredited that last year were warned only in mathematics • State focused on providing professional development in middle school mathematics • Algebra Readiness Initiative - http://www.doe.virginia.gov/VDOE/Instruction/Math/ARI/index.shtml • ARI Curriculum Companion - http://www.doe.virginia.gov/VDOE/Instruction/Math/ARI/ari-curr-companion.shtml • Middle math video modules -http://www.doe.virginia.gov/VDOE/middle-math-strategies/

18. Virginia’s Two Grants from the National Governors Association • Grant to “Redesign America’s High Schools” • In Virginia, focused on • 9th-grade retention • postsecondary readiness • college access • policy implications

19. Virginia’s Two Grants from the National Governors Association • Worked with 30 high schools that developed strategies to: • Ease transition from middle to high school • Decrease 9th-grade retention rate • Increase graduation rate • Decrease dropout rate • Policy forum • Results of two studies • Community College study on academic weaknesses of recent high school graduates • International Center for Leadership in Education study on effective practices of effective high schools

20. Virginia’s Two Grants from the National Governors Association • Grant to develop Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Centers • Grant competition to award funds to partnerships of school divisions, business and industry, and postsecondary education to jumpstart Governor’s Career and Technical Academies • Model programs in career and technical education (CTE) that will expand options for the general population of students to acquire STEM literacy and other critical knowledge, skills and credentials to prepare them for high-demand, high-skill and high-wage careers in Virginia • Board of Education criteria for Governor’s Career and Technical Academies

21. Virginia’s P-16 Education Council • Serves in an advisory capacity to integrate reform efforts across the entire spectrum of education in Virginia, from preschool to graduate school • Work to • Develop definition of “postsecondary readiness” and • Align content and skills required for college and work readiness • American Diploma Project • Develop a common standard for college and workforce readiness, and make recommendations for aligning state standards accordingly

22. Virginia’s P-16 Education Council • Postsecondary readiness studies authorized by the Board of Education to: • Establish association between student scale scores on high school SOL assessments and the successful completion of first-semester college courses, to determine whether there is a scale score that represents readiness for credit-bearing college-level work; and • Determine the alignment of state English and mathematics standards with The College Board and ACT College Readiness Standards

23. Virginia’s P-16 Education Council • State Scholars Initiative (Commonwealth Scholars) • Increase from 4 school divisions in 2006-2007 to 11 school divisions in 2007-2008 • Requirements offer the opportunity for Standard Diploma students to “stretch” to earn credits in foreign languages and physics, in particular • 4 years of English • 3 years of mathematics (Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II) • 3 years of basic laboratory science (biology, chemistry, physics) • 3.5 years of social studies (chosen from U.S. and world history, geography, economics, personal finance, and government • 2 years of the same language other than English

24. Graduation Rate

25. Technical and Advanced Technical Diplomas • 2007 General Assembly required the Board of Education to establish the requirements for a Technical Diploma • Shall meet or exceed the requirements of a Standard Diploma • Will include a concentration in career and technical education, as established in Board regulations. • As well as an Advanced Career and Technical Diploma • Meets the requirement for the Advanced Studies Diploma and • Also fulfills a concentration in career and technical education shall receive an advanced technical diploma. Standard 4 of the Standards of Quality Code of Virginia, § 22.1-253.13:4

26. Virginia Index of Performance (VIP) • Incentive program to reward and recognize fully accredited schools and school divisions making significant progress toward academic excellence • Awards points to schools and divisions based on the percentage of students achieving at the advanced level on Standards of Learning (SOL) assessments and progress made toward educational goals advocated by Governor Kaine • Further details: • http://www.doe.virginia.gov/VDOE/suptsmemos/2007/inf145.html

27. Education Week: 2007 “Quality Counts” • Students in Virginia enjoy “higher achievement and [are] more likely to finish high school and continue on to college than in other states.” • January 4, 2007 - http://www.edweek.org/ew/toc/2007/01/04/index.html

28. National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) • In 2005, Virginia students led the nation in science achievement, exceeding the national average by: • 12 points in 4th grade science • 8 points in 8th grade science • In 2007, Virginia’s students scored higher than students nationwide in reading and mathematics • Reading – Grade 4: 7 points higher Grade 8: 6 points higher • Mathematics – Grade 4: 5 points higher Grade 8: 8 points higher

29. DOE Presentation to Senate Finance Committee – Oct. 16, 2007 • Role of At-Risk Funding in Improving Achievement and Opportunity for All Virginia Students • http://sfc.virginia.gov/committeemeetings.shtml • Rising Expectations in the 21st Century • More rigorous standards and assessments • School accreditation system with consequences • Increase in graduation requirements • Increased accountability through No Child Left Behind (NCLB) • More rigorous licensure requirements for instructional personnel

30. Rising Expectations in the 21st Century • Knowledge economy will require students to have: • A solid foundation in important content areas • The skills to learn quickly, apply knowledge, and create new and innovative processes and products. • Our state has been named for the second year the most business friendly state in the union. • Must ensure that if we attract the businesses and job opportunities, our young people will be adequately educated to work in them. • Must prepare Virginia students for the 21st century, in a world about which we can only speculate