DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
P.O.
SUPTS. MEMO NO. 89
April 11, 2008
INFORMATIONAL
|
TO: |
Division
Superintendents |
|
FROM: |
Billy K.
Cannaday, Jr. Superintendent
of Public Instruction |
|
SUBJECT: |
Early
Intervention Reading Initiative Application Process for the 2008-2009 School
Year |
The
Early Intervention Reading Initiative (EIRI) was established by Chapter 924, 1997 Acts of Assembly, to serve children in
kindergarten or first grade. Beginning
in fiscal year 2001, the Governor and the General Assembly provided funding to
expand the Early Intervention Reading Initiative to include students in
kindergarten through the third grade.
The
purpose of the initiative is to provide early reading intervention services to
students in kindergarten through the third grade who demonstrate deficiencies
reflected in their performance on a diagnostic literacy screening tool. Participating divisions are required to use
the state-provided diagnostic screening instrument, Phonological Awareness
Literacy Screening (PALS), or a diagnostic screening instrument approved by the
Department of Education. Attachment A
outlines the required information needed for a proposal in order to use a local
diagnostic screening instrument. If a school division wishes to request use of a
diagnostic screening instrument other than PALS, it must submit the
documentation outlined in Attachment A to the Virginia Department of Education
by Friday, May 30, 2008.
Divisions
using PALS as the assessment for EIRI will use the complete battery of PALS-K
or PALS 1-3 components as provided free of charge by the state. Beginning with
the 2007-2008 school year, schools and divisions were no longer permitted to
substitute alternative passages for the PALS 1-3 Oral Reading in Context task. Attachment
B is a chart outlining the PALS screening process for the school year 2008-2009. All PALS screening results must be reported
to the PALS office at the
Attachment
D is the superintendent’s certification form to certify implementation of the
PALS screening instrument or to request approval from the Department of Education
for a local diagnostic screening instrument. The superintendent’s certification
form must be completed by Friday, May 30, 2008.
Please
note that Attachment D is not a certification of fiscal year 2009 required
local matching funds for the Early Intervention Reading Initiative. The Appropriation Act requires the Department
of Education to ensure that school divisions have appropriated sufficient local
funds to meet required local match for optional School Facilities and Incentive
programs in which they have elected to participate. The Appropriation Act requires local school
divisions to certify their intent to participate in School Facilities and
Incentive programs by October 1 in fiscal year 2009; and requires that the Department
of Education ensure that sufficient local funds have been appropriated before
releasing state funds for such programs.
The certifications will be part of a future memorandum that will verify
intent to participate and verify that sufficient local expenditures have been appropriated
by the school division to meet local match requirements.
Funding
for the EIRI is based on the state’s share of the cost to provide two and
one-half hours of additional instruction each week for an estimated number of
students in each school division on a student-to-teacher ratio of five-to-one.
The estimated number of students in each school division shall be based on the
actual percentage of students who are determined to need services based on the
result of the diagnostic screening administered in the fall 2007 for kindergarten
and in the spring 2008 for first through third grade. Funding shall be based on a percentage of the
estimated number of eligible students as follows:
Kindergarten - 100 percent of eligible
students
Grade 1
- 100 percent of eligible students
Grade 2
- 100 percent of eligible students
Grade 3
- 25 percent of eligible students
If
you have questions regarding funding, please contact Brian Logwood, budget director,
at Brian.Logwood@doe.virginia.gov
or (804) 225-2025. Questions regarding the PALS online services
should be addressed to Allison Drake, PALS co-project manager, at PALS@virginia.edu or (888) 882-7257. Questions regarding EIRI programmatic issues
should be addressed to Ginna Glover, elementary specialist for reading and
English, at Ginna.Glover@doe.virginia.gov
or (804) 786-1997.
BKCJr/VJG/vdg
Attachments
a. Proposal Requirements to Use Local Diagnostic Screening Instrument (PDF)
b. Chart Outlining PALS Screening Process for 2008-2009 (PDF)
c. Teacher Guidelines for Entering PALS Data (PDF)
d. Superintendent’s Certification Form for 2008-2009 (PDF)