Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Literacy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
District outlines literacy roadmap, screening, and new tools to align with Virginia Literacy Act
Summary
Chesterfield County Public Schools staff described a K–12 literacy roadmap that emphasizes evidence‑based instruction, a districtwide rollout of Imagine Language & Literacy, expanded family engagement, automated reading plans, and use of the Virginia literacy screening system to monitor K–8 progress.
Dr. Stains and Jasmine Carpenter presented the division’s literacy status and next steps, saying the work is anchored in a promise that all students become strong readers, writers and communicators. Carpenter identified four focus areas: the division’s core instructional promise, community partnerships, a roadmap for next year, and implementation activities tied to the Virginia Literacy Act.
Carpenter described partnerships with school leadership teams, expanded family literacy nights and book distribution efforts, and technology supports. The division is using the Imagine Language & Literacy digital tool to provide personalized practice and has automated student reading plans so that specialists and families can focus on interventions rather than paperwork. At the elementary level, the presentation emphasized decodable print books and classroom access to non‑digital instructional materials.
The presenters said the division has 19 middle‑school reading specialists and is aligning supplemental and intervention resources to the Virginia Department of Education’s approved materials. They described universal screening using the division’s Virginia language and literacy screening system (presenters referred to the screener by a name used in their materials) for grades K–2 and targeted grades 3–8; the screening results feed reading plans and intervention assignment.
During Q&A, board members asked about supports when students advance grades without meeting grade‑level reading targets. Carpenter described multi‑tiered systems of support, coordinated handoffs between grades, flex‑time interventions (20–30 minutes), before/after‑school tutoring when feasible, and summer options. Jennifer Derby asked for scale and timing; presenters said 4,116 middle school students were tested in recent fall subtests and that intervention scheduling must balance instructional time and transportation constraints.
Why it matters: The presentation outlined concrete instructional tools and system changes (automation of reading plans, adoption of district tools, and expanded family engagement) intended to translate policy and the Virginia Literacy Act into classroom practice. Board members pressed for clarity on intervention scope, scheduling, and student counts.
What’s next: Staff will continue aligning the literacy plan with VDOE recommendations, expand family engagement efforts, and refine multi‑tiered supports to ensure fidelity across elementary and middle schools.
