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School staff present updated k–8 literacy plan under Virginia Literacy Act; board will vote May 27
Summary
District leaders presented an updated K–8 Division Literacy Plan required by the Virginia Literacy Act, adding 4–8 intervention resources and outlining professional learning and parent-involvement requirements. The plan will return for board approval May 27.
Virginia Beach City Public Schools staff presented the district’s updated K–8 Division Literacy Plan on May 13, a submission required under the Virginia Literacy Act (VLA). The plan expands the division’s earlier K–5 work to include screening and intervention supports for grades 4–8 and outlines professional learning, assessment, and family engagement requirements.
Why it matters: The VLA requires divisions to adopt evidence-based reading instruction and to provide student reading plans when a screener indicates a high risk of reading difficulty. The district’s updated plan adds the 4–8 supplemental and intervention resources the Virginia Department of Education will allow and describes how parents will be notified and invited into the planning process for student reading plans.
What was presented: Executive Director Lorena Kelly said the K–8 plan builds on earlier approved submissions (the May and December submissions referenced in the template) and that the district’s earlier K–3 screening is expanding as the VDOE rolls out screening for some students in grades 4–8. The plan lists the high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) chosen from the state-approved lists, professional learning expectations for classroom teachers and specialists, assessment tools and progress-monitoring cadence, and the district processes for school-level collaborative review of data.
Family engagement and student reading plans: The plan specifies that parents will be notified when a screener shows a student is at risk and that families will be invited to help develop, implement and monitor student reading plans. The division has posted a webpage with VLA resources and school-level contact information and will replace the current posted plan with the updated version once the board and the Department of Education approve it.
Timeline and next steps: Staff said the VDOE will release an updated list of approved supplemental resources in October; the district may amend the plan if new approved materials appear. Administration will return to the school board on May 27 to request formal approval of the updated K–8 plan.
Ending: District staff said they are scheduling job-embedded coaching and summer essentials professional learning that align with the state-required implementation supports and will continue to coordinate with principals, reading specialists and families as the mandated screening and intervention requirements roll out.
