The Policy Team of VASCD is committed to elevating teaching and deepening learning through advocacy work as well as strong relationships with legislators and policymakers. VASCD consistently advances a policy agenda that elevates the education profession and prioritizes the well-being and success of students. Within this broader context, VASCD identifies focus areas that represent specific concerns within our areas of expertise. This year we have six priorities.

Our six policy priorities are:

• Unified Purpose and Clear Standards: Virginia's law and policy makers must clearly define the purpose of education to guide important decisions.
• Aligned System of Accountability: The system to which schools are held accountability must have coherence and alignment between the purpose, the standards, and the assessments.
• Modernizing Virginia's Assessment System: Virginia's student assessment system must support and align with today's student learning goals.
• Outstanding Educators for Virginia's Students: We must elevate the profession and champion autonomy with integrity from policy to the practitioner.
• Personalized Learning Opportunities for Educators: Educators must have relevant, competency-based professional learning opportunities.
• Guidance for Use of AI in Education: All of Virginia's stakeholders must have recommendations for implementation and appropriate guardrails for use of AI in classrooms.

The two letters below from VPEC, which VASCD is the chair organization for, provide insight, information, and talking points on both educational priorities for the budget and recommendations for SOQs. With final review of the SOQ prescriptions in front of the board on December 12, we wanted to make sure you had these two letters released by VPEC earlier this year.

Budget Letter reflects VPEC's recommendations for educational priorities in the budget (September 12)

SOQ Recommendations Letter was sent to VBOE on October 25 to reflect VPEC's recommendations for the Standards of Quality prescriptions.

On December 12, the Virginia Board of Education met for a Special Meeting. Below are relevant links, highlights from the meeting, and relevant time stamps for video playback. As a pro tip, we recommend changing the playback speed to 1.5x or 1.75x.

Click HERE for the Agenda Page.

SPECIAL MEETING (YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWTiZm0Ib-o, meeting starts at 5:50)

• The VBOE Prescriptions on SOQs. [Video timing 31.44-1:42.13 AND 3:46.40-4:20.40] We recommend spending time reviewing the document outlining the board's prescriptions HERE.
• Virginia Literacy Act Division Literacy Plan Template. [Video timing 5:08.58-5:18.24] Presentation link HERE.
• Virginia Literacy Act Core Instructional Program K-5. [Video timing 3:11.03-3:24.57] Presentation link HERE.