COMMONWEALTH of VIRGINIA
Department of Education
July 17, 2009
TO: Division Superintendents
FROM: Patricia I. Wright, Superintendent of Public Instruction
The first in a series of seminars for new special education directors is scheduled for September 16-17, 2009, in Richmond. This seminar will provide an overall orientation to the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) and will include information on a variety of topics including state and federal data collection and reporting procedures, annual plans, changes to policies and regulations, Standards of Learning (SOL) instructional resources, as well as the use of assigned mentors. The VDOE will sponsor four additional seminars throughout the year addressing relevant topics in-depth for new directors. A new special education director is defined as one who is new to their position and has not been a special education director in another location or was new after last year's Academy.
If your division has employed a new special education director, please provide his/her name, position/title, mailing address, telephone number, and e-mail address so that we can invite him/her to participate in this Academy and the first orientation seminar. This information should be sent to Sheryl Smith, Virginia Department of Education, P.O. Box 2120, Richmond, VA 23218-2120 or via e-mail Sheryl.Smith@doe.virginia.gov.
If you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact Pat Abrams, director, Office of Special Education Instructional Services, at (804) 225-2707 or via e-mail Pat.Abrams@doe.virginia.gov.
PIW / shs