Authority: Public Education Instructional Services: Title 22.1, Chapter 13, Code of Virginia; P.L. 107-110, P.L. 105-332, P.L.108-447, P.L. 102-305, Federal Code.

Program Administration and Assistance for Instructional Services: Title 22.1, Chapter 13, Code of Virginia; P.L. 107-110, P.L. 105-332, P.L. 108-447, P.L. 102-305, Federal Code.

Compliance and Monitoring of Instructional Services: Title 22.1, Chapter 13, Code of Virginia; P.L. 107-110, P.L. 105-332, P.L. 108-447, Federal Code.

Adult Education and Literacy: §§ 2.2-2472, 22.1-223-226, 22.1-253.13:1, 22.1-254.2, Code of Virginia; P.L. 105-220, Federal Code.

A. The Superintendent of Public Instruction is encouraged to implement school/community team training.

B. The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall provide direction and technical assistance to local school divisions in the revision of their Vocational Education curriculum and instructional practices.

C. The Superintendent of Public Instruction, in cooperation with the Commissioner of Social Services, shall encourage local departments of social services and local school divisions to work together to develop cooperative arrangements for the use of school resources, especially computer labs, for the purpose of training Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients for the workforce.

D. Notwithstanding § 4-1.04 a 3 of this act, the Superintendent of Public Instruction may apply for grant funding to be used by local school divisions consistent with the provisions of Chapter 447, 1999 Acts of Assembly. The nongeneral fund appropriation for this agency shall be adjusted by the amount of the proceeds of any such grant awards.

E. 1. Out of the appropriations in this item, $1,300,000 the first year and $1,300,000 the second year from the general fund is provided to support students and teachers pursuing information technology industry certifications. The funding shall be used to provide outreach, training, instructional resources, industry recognized certification opportunities for teachers and students enrolled in Virginia public high schools and regional career and technical education programs, and information technology curriculum resources for use by students' parents.

2. The funds provided in this initiative shall be used to support the following priority objectives: a) increase the percentage of students enrolled in career and technical education courses who receive instruction in information technology leading to an increased number of students achieving industry recognized certifications in information technology; b) increase the number of high schools and regional career and technical education programs that receive the training and technical support to be ready to implement information technology curricula leading to increased statewide implementation and use; c) increase the number of teachers teaching targeted career and technical education courses and other high school teachers who receive training in information technology and in industry recognized certifications leading to an increased number of teachers achieving industry recognized certifications in information technology; and, d) support implementation of information technology curricula in school divisions in Southside and Southwest Virginia so that implementation in those regions is at least comparable to implementation in other regions of Virginia.

F. Out of the appropriation in this Item, $413,000 the first year and $413,000 the second year from the general fund is provided for the Department of Education to continue a professional development program intended to increase the capacity of principals as school leaders in under-performing schools.

G. Out of the appropriation in this Item, $366,000 the first year and $366,000 the second year from the general fund is provided to the Department of Education to assist local school divisions, as needed, to establish criteria for the professional development of teachers and principals on the subject of issues related to high-needs students.

H. Out of this appropriation, $3,652,000 the first year and $3,652,000 the second year from the general fund is provided for the Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program.

a. Of this amount, $1,377,000 the first year and $1,377,000 the second year from the general fund is provided through the Department of Education to the University of Virginia to continue statewide implementation of the Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program conducted in the fall, and to continue to support a post-assessment upon the conclusion of the kindergarten year.

b. The Department of Education shall coordinate with the University of Virginia's Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning to ensure that all school divisions shall be required to have their kindergarten students assessed annually during the school year using the multi-dimensional kindergarten readiness assessment model. All school divisions shall be required to have their kindergarten students assessed with such model.

c. Of this amount, $1,050,000 the first year and $1,050,000 the second year shall be allocated to the University of Virginia to support implementation of a pre-kindergarten version of the Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program for four-year-old children enrolled in publicly-funded pre-kindergarten programs, and for piloting the use and development of a pre-kindergarten version of the Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program for three-year-old children enrolled in publicly-funded pre-kindergarten programs.

d. Of this amount, $350,000 the first year and $350,000 the second year from the general fund shall be allocated to University of Virginia's Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning to provide training to school divisions annually on how to effectively use Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program data to improve instructional practices and student learning. Such teacher focused professional development and training shall be prioritized for the school divisions that would most benefit from state assistance in order to provide more time for classroom instruction and student learning for kindergarten and pre-kindergarten students, including both three- and four-year-old pre-kindergarten classrooms.

e. The Department and the University of Virginia's Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning shall use the results of the multi-dimensional Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program assessments to determine how well the Virginia Preschool Initiative promotes readiness in all key developmental domains assessed. The Department shall submit such findings using data from the prior year's fall assessment to the Chairs of House Appropriations and Senate Finance and Appropriations Committees no later than October 1 each year.

f. Of this amount, $875,000 the first year and $875,000 the second year from the general fund is provided through the Department of Education to the University of Virginia in partnership with the Department and school divisions to support an assessment in literacy, math, social skills and self-regulation in grades one, two and three to help teachers, parents and divisions identify students' strengths, deficiencies and support student growth longitudinally.

I. Out of this appropriation, $700,000 the first year and $700,000 the second year from the general fund is provided through the Department of Education to the University of Virginia's Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning to ensure that teachers in select publicly-funded early childhood programs, including Virginia Preschool Initiative classrooms, receive appropriate individualized professional development training from professional development specialists to support quality teacher-child interactions and effective implementation of high-quality curriculum. Funding and professional development assistance shall be prioritized for classrooms that have demonstrated need based on the Unified Measurement and Improvement System, known as VQB5, established pursuant to § 22.1-289.05, Code of Virginia, which is based on observing teachers with the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) observation tool and use of standards-aligned curriculum. The University of Virginia's Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning, assisted on an as needed basis by the Department of Education, Virginia Early Childhood Foundation, and Elevate Early Education shall hire and train specialists to provide such individualized professional development. The University of Virginia's Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning and the Training and Technical Assistance Centers funded by the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) through the Department of Education shall coordinate to ensure alignment of professional development and supports for teachers of children with special needs.

J. Out of this appropriation, $1,047,000 the first year and $1,047,000 the second year from the general fund is provided to ensure that select publicly-funded early childhood programs, including Virginia Preschool Initiative programs, have the quality of their teacher-child interactions assessed through a rigorous and research-based classroom observational instrument using the CLASS observational instrument for such assessment. These observations shall be used to verify accuracy and maintain reliability of the measurements required within Virginia's Unified Measurement and Improvement System, known as VQB5, established pursuant to § 22.1-289.05, Code of Virginia.

K.1 Out of this appropriation, $9,978,283 the first year and $7,978,283 the second year from the general fund is provided to the University of Virginia's Virginia Literacy Partnership for implementation of literacy instruction aligned with science-based reading research. The Director of Planning and Budget shall transfer this amount to the University of Virginia to support the Virginia Literacy Partnership for the activities within this Item.

2. To maximize remaining federal pandemic relief funds in the first year, remaining balances from the Learning Acceleration Grants program after its May 31, 2024 expiration shall be used to supplant the general funds in paragraph K.1 and such supplanted general fund amounts shall be unallotted.

3. Of this amount, $3,400,000 the first year and $3,400,000 the second year shall be used to support literacy coaching, technical assistance and professional development.

4. Of this amount, $6,578,283 the first year and $4,578,283 the second year shall be used to support development and implementation of a statewide literacy screener.

5. For the review of literacy materials conducted by the University of Virginia's Virginia Literacy Partnership on behalf of the Department of Education, the Partnership shall be authorized to collect reasonable fees from applicants to offset costs incurred as part of such review. Prior to the collection of any such fees, the Partnership shall establish a schedule of fees.

6. Notwithstanding §22.1-253.13:1 G and H of the Code of Virginia, for students in grades 4 through 8, the administration of literacy screeners and development of student literacy plans shall not be required until the 2025-2026 school year.

L. The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall enter into a statewide contract with one or more telehealth providers to provide high-quality mental health care services to public school students. School divisions may opt to purchase such services through this contract.

M. The Department of Education shall work collaboratively with the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services and the Department of Medical Assistance Services on a plan for creating a new program to deliver flexible mental health funds to divisions. The program should provide flexible funding to participating divisions for maintaining school-based mental health services and supports as well as technical assistance and evaluation capabilities to build out their mental health programs within a multi-tiered system of supports and consider maximizing existing funding and positions funded through the Standards of Quality such as specialized student support positions. The plan should include: (i) a proposed vision and goals for Virginia's school-based mental health program and action steps to meet these goals; (ii) proposed outcome measures to determine program success; (iii) a recommendation on the amount of funding that should be appropriated annually; (iv) a proposed funding mechanism to ensure funding flexibility and consistency over time; and (v) a structure for providing technical assistance and evaluation capabilities that will ensure the program is positively impacting the outcomes of students. The Department of Education shall provide such plan to the Chairs of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee and the House Appropriations Committee and the Behavioral Health Commission no later than December 1, 2024.

N. Out of this appropriation, $100,000 the first year from the general fund is provided to identify and create model curriculum, tools, and resources to support local school divisions in teaching Asian American history, including the history of Virginians of Asian descent, as part of the History and Social Science Standards of Learning and supporting programming for Asian American and Pacific Islander History Month.

O. The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall enter into a statewide contract with a provider experienced in attendance recovery services for at-risk students to assist public school divisions with outreach and support for disengaged, chronically absent, or struggling students. The provider should be able to scale up the number of students served if necessary based on demand from school divisions. School divisions may opt to purchase services through this contract.