Norfolk Public Schools outlines how it is implementing the Virginia Literacy Act

Norfolk Public Schools’ literacy leadership gave the board a detailed briefing on implementing the Virginia Literacy Act and the locally administered VALS/VOWS screener, saying the tools are being used to identify deficits, create student reading plans (SRPs) and monitor progress.

Lisa Nash, senior coordinator of elementary English and language arts, told the board the VLA — adopted by the Commonwealth in 2022 — is designed to address a statewide literacy shortfall and requires divisions to use approved screeners, evidence‑based curricula and documented student reading plans. "The VLA is a statewide commitment to improving early literacy outcomes," Nash said, and she cited a statewide statistic discussed in the presentation that "1 in 3 K through 2 students in Virginia are reading below benchmark." (Presenter citation: SEG 293–299.)

Jeremy Clark, senior coordinator of secondary English, described the VALS/VOWS subtests and how subtest detail informs instruction: early grades focus on phonemic awareness, phonics and decoding while grades 4–8 include morphology and text comprehension. Using sample reports, Clark showed how reading specialists and teachers combine subtest results into scale scores, set measurable goals and select evidence‑based interventions such as SIPs or Lexia. "These details help teachers, parents, and students visualize what daily intervention actually looks like," Clark said.

Presenters emphasized that SRPs follow students year to year. Interventions are monitored frequently (presenters cited checks every two to four weeks or every 5–10 lessons depending on pacing) and adjusted if students do not show adequate progress; changes and rationales are documented in SRPs. Nash highlighted that families are invited to participate by multiple modes (Zoom, phone or written comment) but that interventions proceed if families decline to participate.

Board members asked how the district evaluates the long‑term effectiveness of interventions. Administrators said VALS is in its second year locally and that the district is already seeing a reduction in the number of required reading plans in early grades compared with the prior year. They also said reading specialists have shifted duties — balancing SRP oversight with in‑class coaching is a challenge — and that the district is intentionally tiering specialist support to higher‑need schools.

The presenters said the VDOE requires approved screeners and interventions and that the district provides professional development to reading specialists and administrators to ensure fidelity to the approved programs. The session closed with board members and staff agreeing to continue monitoring progress and report summary data to the board as part of ongoing governance and budgeting decisions.