Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Literacy Plan topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
School board approves updated literacy plan; VDOE screener added for some grades 4–8 students
Summary
Dinwiddie County approved biannual revisions to its literacy plan under the Virginia Literacy Act, extending timelines through 2027, adding the Vowel screener for targeted 4–8 students and keeping structured literacy for K–2 while expanding training and diagnostics for older students.
The Dinwiddie County School Board on Monday approved revisions to the division's literacy plan required by the Virginia Literacy Act, extending the plan through 2027 and adding a diagnostic requirement the state now requires for some fourth‑through‑eighth graders.
The changes come as the state phases in expanded literacy requirements. A literacy plan presenter told the board, “The Virginia Department of Education requires every school system to submit a biannual literacy plan by June 30.” Presenters said the committee reviewed the first year of implementation and recommended mostly wording and scheduling changes, not major structural shifts.
Why it matters: The Virginia Literacy Act (VLA) places new expectations on divisions for structured literacy and screening. Dinwiddie staff said kindergarten through second grade showed growth after the first year of implementation and that next year the state will require targeted screening (the Vowel screener) for fourth through eighth graders who score below basic on SOL assessments; those students will be screened beginning and midyear to pinpoint decoding, fluency or other weaknesses.
Board materials presented a handful of concrete changes: minor wording edits throughout the plan; extension of plan dates to include 2027; adoption of the Vowel screener for selected fourth‑through‑eighth graders (those with below‑basic SOL results), training for teachers on “unlocking big words” (Video e approved), continuation of LETRS training for pre‑K through 5 teachers and administrators, and a plan to add a decoding diagnostic for secondary outlier students. The committee also reduced the frequency of literacy family nights to at least once per semester to emphasize quality over quantity.
Presenters described a multi‑stakeholder committee including representatives from each school, division leadership, teachers and reading specialists. They said the committee began with a “glow and grow” review of year one implementation, acknowledged pockets of difficulty, and noted kindergarten through second grade overall showed measurable gains. The board approved the plan by voice vote.
Next steps: Staff will continue professional development for incoming teachers and administrators, implement the additional screeners where required by the code, and provide diagnostic testing and targeted interventions for older students identified as at risk.
Speakers and sources: Presenters included division literacy staff and a committee composed of teachers and administrators; the plan revisions and implementation schedule appear in the board packet.
