DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
P.O.
SUPTS. MEMO NO. 198
September 14, 2007
INFORMATIONAL
|
TO: |
Division
Superintendents |
|
FROM: |
Billy K.
Cannaday, Jr. Superintendent
of Public Instruction |
|
SUBJECT: |
Opening
of the |
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 over 40,000 students.
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.
For
the Virginia Online Reading Tutorial, teachers may now enroll seniors who have
not passed the English Reading end-of-course Standards of Learning assessment, or juniors determined to be
at-risk of not passing this same assessment.
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
facilitator/teacher to serve as a mentor and guide to enrolled students. Facilitators should be endorsed English or
mathematics instructors. Facilitators
will have access to student accounts, will monitor student progress, and offer
individual guidance.
It
is the responsibility of each facilitator to ensure that student accounts are
actively used, as the Virginia Department of Education pays for each account
once it is created. School divisions may
also request administrative accounts for division administrators, principals,
or department chairs. These accounts
will enable administrators to track progress of their students.
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 acceptance. E-mail completed
spreadsheets to VATutorial@review.com. Incomplete spreadsheets will not be accepted.
The
e-mail with attachment to Princeton Review must contain the following:
a.
Division
and school name (e.g.,
b.
Your
contact information including name, e-mail, mailing address, and telephone
number.
A
Teachers Guide, Administrators Guide, training PowerPoint presentations, and
directions for registration for both tutorials can be found at
http://www.doe.virginia.gov/2plus4in2004/tutorial.shtml
For
more information please contact Tracy 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/TR/DKB
Attachments
http://www.doe.virginia.gov/administrators/superintendents_memos/2007/inf198a.xls
http://www.doe.virginia.gov/administrators/superintendents_memos/2007/inf198b.xls