Manassas schools report broad rollout of Virginia Literacy Act tools, say data show progress

Manassas City Public Schools told the school board that year-two implementation of the Virginia Literacy Act is under way across the division and that new screening and instructional tools are producing measurable changes.

Laura Mden, the district's prek–6 literacy coordinator, and Amy Duran, the 7–12 literacy and languages coordinator, said the division has adopted the Virginia Language and Literacy screening system (VAL), deployed Lexia Core5 and PowerUp K–12, aligned high-quality instructional materials, and expanded professional development through partnerships with the University of Virginia, Benchmark Education and Lexia. Mden said the division’s goals include 80% of K–2 students meeting early literacy benchmarks and 80% of grades 3–12 passing the reading standards of learning when fully implemented.

The coordinators described how VAL is used as a K–3 screener and as a diagnostic in grades 4–8; students identified as high-risk receive reading plans and protected intervention time. Duran said Lexia operates as both an intervention (Core5) and supplemental HQIM (PowerUp), and that all K–12 students had Lexia access this school year after increased licensing. She described classroom uses of Lexia, small-group instruction, and Mustang Block interventions for students with reading plans.

Board members pressed for concrete progress numbers. Miss Miles asked for comparative data showing where students began and where they are now; the coordinators said those figures exist but were not in the presentation and agreed to provide the Lexia and benchmark growth data to the board. They also explained parent communication: reading plans are posted in PowerSchool with translation support and Lexia generates certificates and unit reports that teachers can share with families.

The presenters said about 50% of students in grades 4–8 currently have reading plans and emphasized that this identification enables targeted instruction. They described a mix of assessment sources—VAL, Lexia platform data and Benchmark dashboards—to monitor progress and to tailor instruction. The coordinators invited families to the Manassas Reads book giveaway on April 25.

Next steps outlined to the board include continued teacher coaching, train-the-trainer sessions with Benchmark, expanded implementation fidelity checks in 2026–27 and use of a year-two implementation survey to guide adjustments. The coordinators said they will return with disaggregated progress metrics requested by board members.