DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
P.O.
SUPTS. MEMO NO. 236
September 19, 2008
INFORMATIONAL
|
TO: |
Division
Superintendents |
|
FROM: |
Billy K. Cannaday,
Jr. Superintendent
of Public Instruction |
|
SUBJECT: |
|
The Virginia Department of Education is pleased to
announce statewide availability of both the Virginia Online Reading Tutorial
and the Virginia Online Algebra I Tutorial.
Both the reading and algebra tutorials are offered at no cost to school
divisions. Since their inception in the
2003-2004 school year, both tutorials have been effectively used by more than
45,000 students to assist them in earning standard and verified credits in
English 11 and Algebra I. Please note
italicized sections that indicate changes from previous registration for the
Online Tutorials.
Both tutorials are designed to determine student academic
needs through an online assessment and to tailor Web-based lessons to those
needs. Upon completion of all
recommended lessons, students will take a final online assessment. Students may review tutorial lessons and
retake the final online assessment until they and their teachers are confident
the student is prepared for the appropriate Standards
of Learning assessment.
The
registration process has changed this year.
As in the past, teachers will register themselves via e-mailing the
Excel spreadsheet to The
The Virginia Online Algebra I Tutorial is available
to students in grades 9 through 12 who have passed Algebra I (or Algebra I,
Part 1, and Algebra I, Part 2; or have completed the algebra content in an
integrated course series) but have failed the Algebra I Standards of Learning assessment.
Teachers may also enroll high school students who are at risk of not
passing the Algebra I Standards of
Learning assessment. Individual
students may be registered only once for each tutorial.
Although
students may engage in lessons from home or school, each school must provide a
teacher to serve as a mentor and guide to enrolled students. Teachers should be endorsed English or
mathematics instructors. Teachers will
have access to student accounts, will monitor student progress, and offer
individual guidance.
Another change this year requires school
divisions to have either a division or school administrator oversee the
tutorial accounts. These accounts will
enable administrators to track progress of their students. It is the responsibility of each teacher and
administrator to ensure that student accounts are actively used, as the
Attached are two Excel spreadsheets and instructions, one for reading (Attachment A) and one for Algebra I (Attachment B), which must be, completed and e-mailed to The Princeton Review for teachers and administrators' registration. E-mail completed spreadsheets to VATutorial@review.com. Incomplete spreadsheets will delay the registration process.
The e-mail with attachment to The Princeton Review must contain the following:
FROM field: Must contain a mailbox that can receive an e-mail reply. This e-mail address will receive newly created facilitator user names and passwords, as well as any data error reporting.
SUBJECT field: This field should specify either Virginia Reading Tutorial or Virginia Algebra I Tutorial.
a.
Division and school name (e.g.,
b. Your contact information including name, e-mail, mailing address, and telephone number.
A Teacher's Guide, Administrator's Guide, and directions for registration for both tutorials can be found at http://www.doe.virginia.gov/2plus4in2004/tutorial.shtml. A training video will be posted on this Web site later this fall.
For more information, please contact Tracy Fair
Robertson, English coordinator, Office of Middle and High School Instruction,
by e-mail at Tracy.Robertson@doe.virginia.gov
or by telephone at (804) 371-7585; or Deborah Kiger Bliss, mathematics
coordinator, Office of Middle and High School Instruction, by e-mail at Deborah.Bliss@doe.virginia.gov
or by telephone at (804) 786-6418.
BKCJr/TFR/DKB/yba
Attachments
a. Reading
Tutorial Registration (XLS)
b. Algebra
I Tutorial Registration (XLS)