COMMONWEALTH
OF VIRGINIA
DEPARTMENT
OF EDUCATION
P.O. BOX
2120
RICHMOND,
VIRGINIA 23218-2120
SUPTS. MEMO NO. 16
January 31, 2003
INFORMATIONAL
|
TO: |
Division Superintendents |
|
FROM: |
Jo Lynne DeMary Superintendent of Public Instruction |
|
SUBJECT: |
Update on Revised English and Science
Standards of Learning |
The Virginia Board of Education adopted
revised English Standards of Learning on November 20, 2002, and revised Science
Standards of Learning on January 6, 2003. The PDF and Word versions of these
two documents are available on the Department of Educations website (http://www.pen.k12.va.us). A crosswalk chart comparing the content of
the 1995 Standards of Learning and the newly adopted English and science standards
will be posted on the Department of Educations website by March 7, 2002.
The Department of Educations goal for the
implementation schedule will be to allow teachers at all levels, beginning in
the fall of 2003, to focus instruction on the content in the newly revised
Standards of Learning. Recognizing that
curriculum alignment efforts require planning, time, staff development, and
resources, school divisions should begin to:
review and align their English and science
curricula with the revised standards;
review current resource materials and
correlate them with the revised standards;
purchase new materials where needed; and
provide staff development for teachers.
The English Standards of Learning Curriculum
Framework has been revised to reflect the changes in the recently adopted
standards, and a draft document is available for public comment on the
Department of Educations website.
Public hearings concerning the proposed English Standards of Learning Curriculum
Framework will be held on February 10, 2003.
The Science Standards of Learning Curriculum
Framework is also currently being revised. It is anticipated the framework will
be presented to the Board of Education for first review at its February 26,
2003, meeting and posted on the Department of Educations website for public
comment. Public hearings will be scheduled for March 2003.
English and Science Standards of Learning
assessments in the spring of 2003 and during the 2003-2004 school year will be
based on the 1995 standards. In the 2004-2005
school year, with the exception of the eighth-grade science test, fieldtest
items on English and Science Standards of Learning assessments will include the
new content of the revised standards.
Fieldtesting of items assessing the new content from the revised
sixth-grade, life science, and physical science standards will begin in
2006-2007. Live items from the
sixth-grade, life science, and physical science standards will be included in
2007-2008. This information is summarized on the attached chart.
If you have questions about the English or
Science Standards of Learning implementation, please contact Dr. Patricia I.
Wright (mailto:pwright@pen.k12.va.us), assistant
superintendent for instruction, at 804-225-2979. If you have questions about
the Standards of Learning assessment, please contact Shelley Loving-Ryder (mailto:sryder@mail.vak12ed.edu), assistant
superintendent for assessment and reporting, at 804-225-2102. If you have
questions about content in the revised English standards, please contact Linda
Poorbaugh (mailto:lpoorbau@mail.vak12ed.edu),
director, office of elementary instructional services, at 804-786-3925. If you
have questions about content in the revised science standards, please contact
James C. Firebaugh (mailto:jfirebau@pen.k12.va.us),
director, office of middle instructional services, at 804-225-2651.
Attachment
JLD/yba