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Prince George school board approves division literacy plan to meet state requirements
Summary
The Prince George County School Board approved a division literacy plan required by the Virginia Literacy Act, adopting HMH Into Reading for K–5 and outlining assessments, interventions and teacher training to meet state timelines. The plan will be submitted to the state by July 1.
The Prince George County School Board voted to approve a draft division literacy plan intended to comply with the Virginia Literacy Act and be submitted to the state by July 1. The plan lays out materials, assessment tools and training requirements aimed at K–8 literacy instruction.
Ms. Germanos, who presented the plan, said the division followed the state template and expects to use HMH Into Reading as the core K–5 curriculum and to select approved interventions for K–5 and, later, for grades 6–8 when the state releases its final lists. “We will use HMH Into Reading adoption for K–5, and teachers already have their materials,” she said, describing training schedules and monthly reading-team meetings.
The plan requires use of the Virginia Language and Literacy Screener (VALS) for K–3; students flagged as high risk will receive a student reading plan overseen by a building reading specialist. Ms. Germanos told the board the remediation component typically equates to about 30 minutes a day of targeted instruction and that the division has been preparing teachers through state-supported training modules.
Board members asked how the division will staff and monitor the plan given current staffing levels. One board member noted concerns that each building has only one reading specialist for roughly every 500 students; Ms. Germanos said the division will rely on title I teachers, reading specialists and the reading team to implement the plan and that additional state-supplied intervention lists will be considered when released.
A motion to approve the literacy plan was made and carried by roll call. The board’s approval authorizes staff to submit the draft to the Virginia Department of Education and to continue implementation planning over the summer.
The board’s next procedural step is to provide the state-required submission by July 1 and return to the board later this year with any updates required by the state’s final guidance.
