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Millions Invested in Virginia to Help Students Learn to Read and Build Literacy Skills
For Immediate Release: January 7, 2025
Contact: communications@doe.virginia.gov
Richmond, VA -- Virginia continues to expand its effort to help children learn to read and build literacy skills. The Virginia Department of Education has named Year 2 recipients of the Comprehensive Literacy State Development (CLSD) Grant, a five-year, $30 million award from the U.S. Department of Education. The grant focuses on improving reading instruction for students and schools with the greatest needs, from early childhood to high school.
In its second year, the grant will provide more than $7 million to schools across the Commonwealth. The funding is designed to strengthen classroom instruction, support teachers and school leaders, and give families practical tools to help their child become strong readers.
"Virginia is making a clear choice to invest in literacy for every K-12 student, providing necessary supports to meaningfully improve literacy instruction.,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction Emily Anne Gullickson. “Building off of the strong foundation established by the Virginia Literacy Act (VLA), these funds will support teachers in using proven reading practices to help every child learn to read and provides resources to families to support reading at home.”
During the grant’s first year, 90 schools from 33 divisions were CLSD grant recipients. This year, following a competitive grant process, 106 schools from 27 divisions were provided CLSD grant awards. The list of awardees represents schools which fall in all four categories of the School Performance and Support Framework (SPSF), demonstrating that all schools want continuous improvement to address literacy issues that may exist in their local context. Of the awardees, 3.8% are Distinguished, 18.9% are On Track, 45.3% are Off Track, and 30.2% are Needs Intensive Support; two schools do not have SPSF ratings as they are either new or represent a feeder preschool without a rating. Additionally, 52% of awardees are federally identified as Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI), Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI) or Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI). Year 2 funding supports family-focused literacy resources for young children and school-based networks that improve reading instruction.
Helping Families Build Reading Skills Early
Passed in 2022, the VLA requires school divisions to actively involve families in their children’s reading development by providing access to resources and participating in the development of their child’s student reading plan, if their child does not meet literacy benchmarks. Danville City Public Schools has been a recipient of the awards both years. Dr. Angela Hairston, Division Superintendent for Danville stated, “The Comprehensive Literacy State Development (CLSD) grant has made a tremendous impact on strengthening teacher capacity, leading to higher levels of instructional effectiveness. As a result, student reading performance has improved significantly, with notable growth directly tied to the support provided through these funds.”
With funding from the CLSD grant, pre-K and kindergarten students in the schools listed in Table 1 will receive books and learning materials matched to their reading needs and classroom instruction. Divisions may also include families of children earlier than pre-K to have access to quality literacy materials at home through local CLSD activities. Table 1 identifies the division and schools that will receive grant funding for family-focused literacy resources.
Table 1: Family-focused Literacy Resources Funding
|
Division |
School |
|
Amherst County |
Amherst Elementary School |
|
Appomattox County |
Appomattox Primary School* |
|
Buckingham County |
Buckingham County Primary School |
|
Charles City County |
Charles City Elementary School*@ |
|
Craig County |
McCleary Elementary School |
|
Culpeper County |
Farmington Elementary School* |
|
Danville City |
E A Gibson Elementary School* |
|
Dinwiddie County |
Southside Elementary School*@ |
|
Frederick County |
Apple Pie Ridge Elementary School*@ |
|
Greensville County |
Greensville Elementary School |
|
Northampton County |
KiptopekeElementary School* |
|
Prince Edward County |
Prince Edward Elementary School*@ |
|
Pulaski County |
Critzer Elementary School |
|
Roanoke City |
Preston Park Elementary School* |
|
Salem City |
East Salem Elementary School |
|
Suffolk City |
Mack Benn, Jr. Elementary School* |
|
Waynesboro City |
William Perry Elementary School* |
|
*Federally Identified as Comprehensive Support and Improvement(CSI), Additional Targeted Support andImprovement(ATSI), or Targeted Support andImprovement(TSI) @Identified as Needs Intensive Support(NIS) through the School Performance and Support Framework (SPSF) |
|
Literacy Improvement Network
The VLA requires divisions to adopt high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) for K–5 core literacy programs as well as K–8 supplemental and intervention programs. The Literacy Improvement Network supports ongoing division efforts to implement HQIM while ensuring that the Standards of Learning are met.
School leadership teams, supported by division leadership, will:
- Receive training on instructional practices proven to improve student literacy outcomes.
- Learn about evidence-based classroom and intervention practices.
- Build systems for educator collaboration.
- Establish quality observation and feedback cycles using the state’s classroom walkthrough tools.
Eighty-one schools will participate in literacy improvement networks. Divisions may also choose to engage with approved vendors to provide curriculum-based professional development, further ensuring the effective implementation of literacy programming. Table 2 identifies divisions and schools that were awarded funds to implement a Literacy Improvement Network.
Table 2: Literacy Improvement Network Funding
|
Division |
School |
|
Albemarle County |
Woodbrook Elementary School* |
|
Arlington County |
Carlin Springs Elementary School*@ |
|
Buckingham County |
Buckingham County Primary School |
|
Caroline County |
Bowling Green Elementary School*@ |
|
Charles City County |
Charles City High School |
|
Craig County |
McCleary Elementary School |
|
Culpeper County |
Farmington Elementary School* |
|
Danville City |
E A Gibson Elementary School* |
|
Frederick County |
Apple Pie Ridge Elementary School*@ |
|
Lynchburg City |
Sandusky Middle School*@ |
|
Manassas Park City |
Cougar Elementary School*@ |
|
Norfolk City |
Lake Taylor School* |
|
Northampton County |
Northampton Middle School* |
|
Northumberland County |
Northumberland Elementary School* |
|
Nottoway County |
Nottoway Middle School* |
|
Poquoson City |
Poquoson Elementary School* |
|
Portsmouth City |
Cradock Middle School* |
|
Prince Edward County |
Prince Edward Middle School* |
|
Pulaski County |
Pulaski County Middle School |
|
Roanoke City |
Hurt Park Elementary School*@ |
|
Salem City |
East Salem Elementary School |
|
Waynesboro City |
Kate Collins Middle School*@ |
|
*Federally Identified as Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI), Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI), or Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI) @Identified as Needs Intensive Support (NIS) through the School Performance and Support Framework (SPSF) |
|
Through this grant opportunity, divisions will receive support to create the conditions for effective literacy instruction and at home support that will lead to improved student outcomes.
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