Virginia — State Plan for the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund
Summary
This is Virginia's State Plan for the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) Fund, completed on the Department of Education template issued April 21, 2021. The cover page lists Lynn Sodat as the SEA contact and James F. Lane as the printed name of the authorized representative. The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) names reopening guidance that prioritizes the students most impacted by the pandemic and says Virginia invested in a new statewide growth assessment for students in grades 3 - 8 in math and reading. The plan lists enrollment of White 46.3%, Black 22%, and Hispanic 17.5%.
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Cite this document
“Virginia — State Plan for the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund.”
Original at www.ed.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/department-of-education-pdf-www-ed-gov-c6bdcde0ae/
, SHA-256 ac1421349498094a6ae7b02539c2eec2eacfca6d5cd594321ecfd489319fe7d2.Full text
State Plan for the
American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund
U.S. Department of Education
Issued: April 21, 2021
OMB Number: 1810-0754
Expiration Date: October 31, 2021
Paperwork Burden Statement According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to
respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB
control number for this information collection is 1810-0754. Public reporting burden for this collection of
information is estimated to average 100 hours per response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching
existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of
information. The obligation to respond to this collection is required to obtain or retain benefit under Section 2001 of
the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP Act). If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time
estimate, suggestions for improving this individual collection, or if you have comments or concerns regarding the
status of your individual form, application or survey, please contact Britt Jung, Office of State and Grantee
Relations, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue,
SW, Washington, DC 20202-6450, email: SGR@ed.gov directly.
Introduction
The American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (“ARP
ESSER”) Fund, authorized under the American Rescue Plan (“ARP”) Act of 2021, provides
nearly $122 billion to States to support the Nation’s schools in safely reopening and sustaining
safe operations of schools while meeting the academic, social, emotional, and mental health
needs of students resulting from the coronavirus disease 2019 (“COVID-19”) pandemic. It is
particularly important that ARP ESSER funding will enable States and local educational
agencies (“LEAs”), and more directly schools, to support students who have been most severely
impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and are likely to have suffered the most because of
longstanding inequities in our communities and schools that have been exacerbated by the
COVID-19 pandemic.
The U.S. Department of Education (“Department”) is committed to working in partnership with
States so that these unprecedented resources are quickly put to work to ensure students have
sustained access to in-person instruction and that the resources are used to provide the effective
support students need as they persist through and recover from the impacts of the COVID-19
pandemic. The thoughtful and timely use of these funds will have a lasting impact on our
Nation’s schools and help to address the inequities in resources, services, and opportunities
available to our students.
This template presents an opportunity for States to share their plans for the use of ARP ESSER
funds with the public. The Department must approve a State educational agency’s (“SEA’s”) plan
in order to make the State’s remaining ARP ESSER allocation available for use. Please note that
the Department intends to issue ARP ESSER reporting requirements separately.
Instructions
Each SEA must provide descriptions and other information that address each requirement listed
below. An SEA may use this template or another format as long as every item and element is
addressed in the SEA’s response. Throughout this document, questions that refer to an SEA’s
ARP ESSER funding are referencing the total allocation to be received by the SEA, including
that which it allocates to its LEAs.
Each SEA must submit to the Department by June 7, 2021, either: (1) its ARP ESSER plan or
(2) the State requirements that preclude submission of the plan by that date and a date by which
it will be able to submit its complete ARP ESSER plan.
To submit the SEA’s plan, please email the plan to your Program Officer at
[State].OESE@ed.gov (e.g., Alabama.OESE@ed.gov).
In order to ensure transparency, the Department will post each plan on the Department’s website
when it is received and will indicate each plan’s approval status.
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This template also allows States to fulfill the requirement of the Coronavirus Response and
Relief Supplemental Appropriations (“CRRSA”) Act ESSER II 6-month reporting requirement
in section 313(f) of the CRRSA Act.
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Cover Page
Grantee and Contact Information
ARP ESSER PR Award Number (e.g., S425U2100XX): S425U210008
SEA Contact: Lynn Sodat
Telephone: 804-225-2870
Email address: lynn.sodat@doe.virginia.gov
By signing this document, I agree to each of the assurances listed in Appendix C and
further assure that:
To the best of my knowledge and belief, all information and data included in this plan
are true and correct.
Chief State School Officer or Authorized Representative (Printed Name)
James F. Lane
Signature of Authorized SEA Representative Date:
10/5/21
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A. Describing the State’s Current Status and Needs
The Department recognizes the extraordinary efforts made by States, LEAs, and educators to
support students during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this section, SEAs will describe the
progress they have made, the priorities and student needs guiding their ARP ESSER funding
decisions, and their current and projected operating status.
1. Progress and Promising Practices: Provide your assessment of the top 2-3
strategies that have been most effective in supporting the needs of students in
your State during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for students most impacted
by the COVID-19 pandemic. Please include, if applicable, how your State will
submit and encourage its LEAs to submit lessons learned and best practices to the
Department’s Safer Schools and Campuses Best Practices Clearinghouse so that
they can be shared with other States and LEAs.
There have been a variety of strategies deployed by the Virginia Department of Education
(VDOE) and local educational agencies (LEAs) that have effectively supported the needs of
our students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Those that have been most effective are:
● Prioritizing students most impacted by the pandemic in reopening guidance and
decisions for in-person learning. Since June 2020, Virginia’s guidance on
reopening has centered on serving certain learners in-person, including dual
language learners, students with disabilities and young learners. Recognizing the
disproportionate impact school building closures and the pandemic have had on
these learners, Virginia has prioritized the safe return of these students to the
classroom. We have also sought to support these students in particular with
instructional resources for teachers and staff. Further, when state and federal
parameters have allowed, VDOE has directed additional pandemic funding to
school communities with larger populations of vulnerable learners or initiatives
focused on mitigating or addressing the impact of the pandemic on these students
and families.
● VDOE has been particularly thoughtful in its development and communication of
policy and timely resources that respond to the needs and actual concerns of
LEAs. This work has been in collaboration with diverse practitioners and
stakeholders throughout the state. These efforts included the creation of resources
and comprehensive planning documents for division leaders and teachers such as
the Continuity for Learning Taskforce (C4L - spring 2020); Recover, Redesign
Restart 2020 (RRR - Summer 2020); and the Virginia LEARNS (Virginia
Leading, Engaging, Assessing, Recovering, Nurturing and Succeeding)
Workgroup (spring 2021). Additionally, VDOE fostered this communication and
collaboration with weekly calls with Superintendents, and regular calls with
special education leaders, McKinney-Vento liaisons, school nurses, and others.
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● Finally, VDOE has sought to provide robust mental health and social emotional
learning (SEL) supports and services for students via the provision of universal
SEL screener for all divisions, SEL Quick Guides for specific student groups, and
professional supports for school based leaders. Mental health and SEL supports
are also highlighted in the other guidance documents referenced above to guide
schools in their approach to and considerations for reopening.
VDOE submitted a number of lessons learned to the Best Practices Clearinghouse in April,
and the state Superintendent invited and encouraged divisions to do likewise in weekly calls
with division superintendents. VDOE’s submissions included:
● Supporting Virtual Teaching
● School Nutrition (6 artifacts)
● Just in Time Mathematics Quick Checks
● SEL Quick Guides
● School Reopening FAQs
● Interim Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in Virginia PreK-12 Schools
2. Overall Priorities: Provide your assessment of the top 2-3 issues currently facing
students and schools across your State as a result of or in response to the
COVID-19 pandemic including, to the extent possible, data illustrating why these
are the most critical and/or most widespread issues facing schools and students.
The greatest concern across the state is those students who are struggling to make academic
progress due to the pandemic conditions over the last year. Addressing this unfinished or lost
learning is a top priority of VDOE and LEAs. The final results from the end of year student
assessments administered by LEAs will inform strategies and priorities in the deployment of
federal resources. Additionally, Virginia has invested in a new statewide growth assessment
that will be administered to students in grades 3 - 8 in math and reading in the fall of the
2021 school year in order to closely monitor student progress.
We are also very concerned about the physical and mental health of our students and the
ways in which that has been impacted by the pandemic. Virginia pediatricians reported to the
Virginia chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics that among patients their providers
have served over the last year, they have seen:
Significant increases in:
● child and adolescent anxiety;
● increases in depression;
● changes in suicidal ideation;
● child behavior problems; and
● parental stress.
Smaller increases in:
● adolescent drug, alcohol, or marijuana use;
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● eating disorders; and
● child abuse.
Decreases in:
● child and adolescent physical activity;
● quality sleep;
● social and behavioral progress in children and adolescents with autism.
3. Identifying Needs of Underserved Students: Describe your State’s 2-3 highest
priority academic, social, emotional, and/or mental health needs for the remainder
of the 2020-2021 school year (if applicable) and for the 2021-2022 school year
related to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on each of the following student
groups:
i. Students from low-income families,
ii. Students from each racial or ethnic group (e.g., identifying
disparities and focusing on underserved student groups by race or
ethnicity),
iii. Gender (e.g., identifying disparities and focusing on underserved
student groups by gender),
iv. English learners,
v. Children with disabilities (including infants, toddlers, children, and
youth with disabilities eligible under the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (“IDEA”)),
vi. Students experiencing homelessness,
vii. Children and youth in foster care,
viii. Migratory students, and
ix. Other groups disproportionately impacted by the pandemic that have
been identified by the SEA (e.g., youth involved in the criminal
justice system, students who have missed the most in-person
instruction during the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years,
students who did not consistently participate in remote instruction
when offered during school building closures, and LGBTQ+
students).
To the extent possible, this description should include data on indicators such as
estimates of the academic impact of lost instructional time,1 chronic
absenteeism, student engagement, and social-emotional well-being.
Complete the table below, adding rows as necessary, or provide a narrative
description.
Table A1.
Student group Highest priority needs
1
For the purposes of the plan, “academic impact of lost instructional time” refers to “learning loss” experienced by
students as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, as referenced in the ARP Act and the CRRSA Act.
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Students from low-income families Academic. Identifying and addressing learning loss,
especially among young learners in math, reading, and
science; professional development specific to working
with students with learning gaps.
Social-emotional well-being. Social/emotional
learning deficits that emerged or were exacerbated by
the pandemic; professional development specific to
addressing social emotional deficits and mental health
issues; shortage of professional staff to address these
issues.
Students from each racial or ethnic Academic. Current Enrollment Data: Virginia’s School
background used by the State for Quality Profile data reflects 2020-21 school year
reporting purposes – please add a row for enrollment of racial and ethnic groups: Asian 7.4%
each racial or ethnic group (e.g., Black: 22%, Hispanic: 17.5%, Multiple Races 6.2%,
identifying disparities and focusing on White 46.3%
underserved student groups by
race/ethnicity) The Virginia Board of Education has called on fellow
education leaders across the Commonwealth to
examine policies, procedures, and funding through the
lens of racial inequity to implement necessary reform
to ensure children of every race have equal access to
educational opportunity. Virginia’s leaders have a
shared responsibility to deliver on the promise of a
high-quality education for every child and eliminate
achievement gaps. Some students will be on target with
grade level achievement, whereas others may have
been adversely impacted by school closures. LEA have
be charged with addressing unfinished learning via
summer learning opportunities based on student need
and achievement data using equity as a decision point
when determining learning focus areas, remediation
activities, expanded opportunities for credit recovery,
and development and administration of new statewide
growth assessments that can measure academic growth
and learning loss to inform instructional practice.
VDOE customizes the type and intensity of technical
assistance and resources provided to districts based on
the level of need among the districts’ schools.
Revisions to the Guidelines for Uniform Performance
Standards and Evaluation Criteria for Teachers added a
standard on culturally responsive teaching and
equitable practices in compliance with 2021 General
Assembly action, effective in the 2022-23 school year.
This addition will support the fostering of classroom
environments that create opportunities for access and
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achievement by acknowledging, valuing, advocating,
and affirming cultural and social diversity in all aspects
of the learning process. It will include the analysis,
selection, and integration of texts, materials, and
classroom resources that reflect cultural inclusivity and
represent and validate diversity from all rings of
culture. In support of these efforts, VDOE Navigating
EdEquityVA - Virginia’s Road Map to Equity, provides
tools and resources on cultural proficiency, equity, and
high expectations for all students.
Social-emotional well-being. Guidance from VDOE
has a focus on prioritizing the social-emotional
development of all students and utilizing
trauma-sensitive teaching practices to support students
and families in learning environments and meetings.
Relief funding has also been directed to support SEL
and mental health in school based initiatives.
Students by gender – please add a row for Academic.
each gender (e.g., identifying disparities Current Enrollment Data: Virginia’s School Quality
and focusing on underserved student Profile data reflects 2020-21 school year enrollment of
groups by gender) gender: Female: 49% Male: 51%
VDOE is committed to ensuring that educational equity
is a reality for each Virginia student. EdEquityVA is
defined by our commitment to eliminating the
predictability of student outcomes based on race,
gender, zip code, ability, socio-economic status, and/or
languages spoken at home. A systematic deployment of
data from the state using the School Quality Profile as
well as local assessment data can be used to meet the
educational needs of every learner and combat gender
disparities. Examples of instructional strategies include
encouraging students at every level to challenge
stereotypes; mitigate any power imbalances based on
gender or other forms of intolerance and oppression.
Resources from VDOE including the Navigating
EdEquityVA - Virginia’s Road Map, Virginia
L.E.A.R.N.S and the Gender Diversity resource page,
provides support to the LEA on how to lead gender
equity work in their school communities.
Social-emotional well-being. Guidance from VDOE
has a focus on prioritizing the social-emotional
development of all students and utilizing
trauma-sensitive teaching practices to support students
and families in learning environments and meetings.
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Relief funding has also been directed to support SEL
and mental health in school based initiatives.
English learners Academic. Some English Learners (EL) may be on
target with goals and objectives depending on their
level of English proficiency, access to formal education
prior to joining a Virginia school, and access to ELD
instruction during school closures. Others may have
been adversely impacted by extended school closures,
especially those who were joining Virginia schools
with possibly years of interruptions or lack of access to
formal education. Guidance from VDOE includes a
focus on EL to assist teams in their formative
evaluation of language skills using WIDA rubrics and
proficiency level descriptors, and providing the
appropriate Language Instruction Educational Program
(LIEP) services. Instruction for EL will need to be both
culturally and linguistically responsive in order to
accelerate their academic progress.
Social-emotional well-being. Guidance from VDOE
has a focus on prioritizing the social-emotional
development of all students and utilizing
trauma-sensitive teaching practices to support students
and families in learning environments and meetings.
Relief funding has also been directed to support SEL
and mental health in school based initiatives.
Additionally, VDOE has provided pandemic related
academic and mental health resources in multiple
languages for families.
Children with disabilities Academic. Some students with disabilities (SWD) will
be on target with goals and objectives, whereas others
may have been adversely impacted by extended school
closures. Guidance from VDOE includes a focus on
SWD to assist teams in their review of individual
student data to document recoupment of skills or
persisting skill deficits. Guidance titled; Special
Education Students After COVID-19 Key
Considerations urges school staff to consider student’s
progress compared to the progress of all students
during the extended school closures to determine
needed interventions or COVID recovery services.
Social-emotional well-being. Guidance from VDOE
has a focus on prioritizing the social-emotional
development of all students and utilizing
trauma-sensitive teaching practices to support students
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and families in learning environments and meetings.
Relief funding has also been directed to support SEL
and mental health in school based initiatives.
Students experiencing homelessness Ensuring identification and support to specialized
student populations who may have experienced
disproportionately negative impacts from the
pandemic and impact on schools. The pandemic’s
impact on local school divisions had a direct academic,
social, and emotional impact on youth in foster care
and students experiencing homelessness, and the
systems that support these students have also been
tested in unprecedented ways. The demands of
resourcing and providing meaningful support in
different learning environments (virtual, remote, etc.) is
compounded by the difficulty of identifying students in
need of such support. Remote learning changed the
ways schools and students engage with one another,
and in some cases, this disguised some of the tell-tale
signs that students are struggling with more than just
changes to instructional modalities and classroom
environments. Virginia has experienced a dramatic 85
percent decline in referrals of incidents of child abuse
and neglect, a corresponding drop in the number of
children entering foster care, as well as a 14 percent
decrease in student homelessness despite evidence to
the contrary from local partners, pediatricians, and
others.
Parent and family engagement and support. The
ongoing impact of the pandemic also exacerbated
conditions for families already under immense stress
and pressure. Foster parents, foster-to-adopt families,
and kinship caregivers, also referred to as resource
families, are critical partners in child welfare and
reunification processes but have been strained by the
transition to remote learning for their foster care
placements. Resource families, like many others, have
struggled to secure and sustain childcare for their
remote learners. Some have been reluctant to take on
additional placements out of COVID-related health
concerns. The stress, trauma, and logistical constraints
of the pandemic have also increased the instances of
conflict, sometimes requiring a child or family to leave
a host home without other options in place. VDOE
continues to work with agencies and localities to ensure
guidance, support and resources are made available
with a focus on support of families and parents as
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students return to in-person learning. This specialized
support is also focused on finding specific and
individualized support for families and they work to
address the impact on them and the students they
support.
Children and youth in foster care Ensuring identification and support to specialized
student populations who may have experienced
disproportionately negative impacts from the
pandemic and impact on schools. The pandemic’s
impact on local school divisions had a direct academic,
social, and emotional impact on youth in foster care
and students experiencing homelessness, and the
systems that support these students have also been
tested in unprecedented ways. The demands of
resourcing and providing meaningful support in
different learning environments (virtual, remote, etc.) is
compounded by the difficulty of identifying students in
need of such support. Remote learning changed the
ways schools and students engage with one another,
and in some cases, this disguised some of the tell-tale
signs that students are struggling with more than just
changes to instructional modalities and classroom
environments. Virginia has experienced a dramatic 85
percent decline in referrals of incidents of child abuse
and neglect, a corresponding drop in the number of
children entering foster care, as well as a 14 percent
decrease in student homelessness despite evidence to
the contrary from local partners, pediatricians, and
others.
Parent and family engagement and support. The
ongoing impact of the pandemic also exacerbated
conditions for families already under immense stress
and pressure. Foster parents, foster-to-adopt families,
and kinship caregivers, also referred to as resource
families, are critical partners in child welfare and
reunification processes but have been strained by the
transition to remote learning for their foster care
placements. Resource families, like many others, have
struggled to secure and sustain childcare for their
remote learners. Some have been reluctant to take on
additional placements out of COVID-related health
concerns. The stress, trauma, and logistical constraints
of the pandemic have also increased the instances of
conflict, sometimes requiring a child or family to leave
a host home without other options in place. VDOE
continues to work with agencies and localities to ensure
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guidance, support and resources are made available
with a focus on support of families and parents as
students return to in-person learning. This specialized
support is also focused on finding specific and
individualized support for families and they work to
address the impact on them and the students they
support.
Migratory students Academic. Supplementary instructional support in
reading (i.e. phonemic awareness, comprehension,
vocabulary), math (i.e. algebra readiness, computation,
number sense, and process goals and standards), and
writing.
Training for staff on supporting migrant students with
credit accrual and records transfer to achieve on-time
graduation.
Other groups of students identified by the Social-emotional well-being. VDOE is committed to
State (e.g., youth involved in the criminal working with school divisions to ensure Virginia
justice system, students who have missed schools are welcoming, affirming, and safe learning
the most in-person instruction during the environments for all students. Every Virginia student,
2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years, regardless of their gender identity, gender expression,
students who did not consistently or sexual orientation, has a right to learn free from
participate in remote instruction when discrimination and harassment. Virginia’s Education
offered during school building closures, Equity Framework, Navigating EdEquityVA, outlines
LGBTQ+ students) VDOE’s commitment to dismantle any and all forms of
inequity in Virginia’s public education system and
includes strategies to support LGBTQ+ students. The
Roadmap is guided by the EdEquityVA Compass,
which articulates the essential competencies necessary
to advance equity in the Commonwealth.
Pursuant to the Code of Virginia, local school divisions
should adopt policies, procedures, and practices for an
inclusive school environment that are consistent with
Model Policies for the Treatment of Transgender
Students in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools.
Schools are encouraged to conduct a comprehensive
equity audit to help facilitate this process, which can be
found on the Virginia is for Learners website.
Student Engagement. For students who may not have
consistently participated in virtual learning, VDOE has
provided guidance to school divisions as well as
funding supports and resources to ensure a focus on
student well-being for the 2021-2022 school year. This
includes a focus on ensuring nurturing relationships
and strong teacher-child interactions. Providing a
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structured environment with a consistent schedule and
routines. Prioritizing young children’s social emotional
skills (e.g., positive self-concept, emotional literacy,
social problem solving, and friendship skills).
Supports LEA implementation of the Virginia
Tiered Systems of Supports (VTSS), Virginia’s
multi-tiered systems of supports (MTSS) initiative,
to enhance Tier 1 supports. This work will be greatly
aided with the partnership with the Office of Special
Education Programs (OSEP) funded technical
assistance center State Implementation and Scaling Up
of Evidence Based Practices (SISEP). Virginia has
entered into an agreement with SISEP to focus on using
the science and practice of implementation to
strengthen equity within the public school system,
support educators and improve outcomes for children,
family and communities.
4. Understanding the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Describe how the SEA
will support its LEAs in identifying the extent of the impact of the COVID-19
pandemic on student learning and student well-being, including identifying the
groups of students most impacted by the pandemic. Where possible, please
identify the data sources the SEA will suggest its LEAs use in thoughtfully
diagnosing areas of need, including data on the academic, social, emotional, and
mental health impacts of lost instructional time.
VDOE supports LEAs in identifying the extent of the impact of the pandemic on students’
learning and well-being via multiple statewide and local data sources.
Statewide Data Sources
Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) Tests
Virginia SOL grade level and end of course assessments were administered during the
2020-2021 school year. Though participation in SOL assessments were much lower than in
previous years, the results of the SOL tests administered in 2020-2021 will provide valuable
information regarding student strengths and instructional needs as the 2021-2022 school year
commences.
Virginia Remote Student Progress Test
In addition to state and federally-mandated grade-level or specific course assessments that
were administered statewide in Spring 2021, VDOE leveraged CARES Act funding to
support the development of the Virginia Remote Student Progress Test (VRSPT). The
VRSPT is an online set of assessments offered to students in grades 3-8 who, due to the
pandemic, received all of their instruction in a virtual environment and were not able to go to
their school to take the SOL tests in person. The VRSPT is a grade-level assessment intended
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to help parents, teachers, and students better understand areas that are strengths and those
where the student could benefit from additional instruction going forward. Student test
results are made available to schools/teachers and provided to parents. The information is
intended to be helpful and useful for parents, teachers, and students as they collaborate to
address areas of academic challenge or unfinished learning.
Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS)
Statewide screening for early signs of reading difficulties has occurred in the Commonwealth
of Virginia since 1997 and is guided under the legislative mandate called the Early
Intervention Reading Initiative. EIRI requires that students attending public school in
Virginia are screened for signs of reading difficulty at four mandatory points in time across
K-2 (fall and spring of kindergarten, spring of first grade, and spring of second grade for
students who are not exempt because of high performance). Additionally, testing in the fall of
third grade is mandatory for students who fail to meet the screening threshold (i.e., "PALS
benchmark") in the spring of second grade. PALS has been tremendously helpful in
identifying areas of challenge in early literacy and impacts on specific groups of students.
Growth Assessments
For the 2021-2022 school year and beyond, Virginia will use ESSER funds to invest in a new
statewide growth assessment that will be administered to students in grades 3 - 8 in math and
reading in the fall of the 2021 school year in order to closely monitor student progress. In
subsequent years, the growth assessment will be administered not only in the fall, but also in
the winter. The results of the growth assessments will be compared to the spring end-of-year
assessments to measure growth.
Just In Time Mathematics Quick Checks
Just in Time Mathematics Quick Checks are formative assessments that align to the 2016
Mathematics Standards of Learning (SOL). These resources, developed by Virginia teachers
and mathematics leaders, are designed to help teachers identify students with unfinished
learning and assist in planning instruction to fill potential gaps “just in time.” As new content
is introduced throughout the school year, teachers can use these Quick Checks to identify and
diagnose unfinished learning at grade level and/or to assess understanding of prerequisite
knowledge that may be needed to access grade level content. Student gaps in mathematics
understanding exist for a variety of reasons and these resources can be used to help get
student mathematical learning back on track.
LEA Data Sources
LEAs in Virginia utilize a variety of student assessments to monitor student growth, inform
instructional decisions, and monitor student well-being. Virginia’s teacher evaluation system
requires teachers to set goals related to the academic progress of students. LEAs develop
and/or select assessments to monitor students academically, support the teacher evaluation
student growth component, and assess and monitor student well-being. VDOE provided grant
funding to support the purchase of assessments for monitoring and determining the
social-emotional needs and their well-being. Additional grant funding has been provided to
LEAs in support of mental health programs
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5. School Operating Status: It is essential to have data on how students are learning
in order to support the goals of access and equity, especially for student groups
that have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Describe
the current status of data collection on operational status and mode of instruction
of all schools in your State. This description must include:
i. A description of to what extent, and how frequently, the State
collects now and will collect in the future data for all schools in your
State on:
a. Mode of instruction: The number of schools in your State that are
offering fully remote or online-only instruction; both
remote/online and in-person instruction (hybrid model); and/or
full-time in-person instruction;
b. Enrollment: Student enrollment for all students and
disaggregated for each of the student groups described in
A.3.i-viii for each mode of instruction; and
c. Attendance: Student attendance for all students and
disaggregated for each of the student groups described in
A.3.i-viii for each mode of instruction.
On March 13, 2020, the Governor of Virginia closed school buildings in Virginia as a
preventative measure to combat the spread of COVID-19 and in conjunction with the
statewide stay at home order. School buildings remained closed for the remainder of the
2019-2020 school year. From mid-March 2020 through the end of the school year, school
divisions were asked to provide continuity in learning. School divisions provided instruction
in different ways. Subsequently, VDOE collected data on computing devices to student ratios
and instructional methodologies. VDOE also provided guidance and waivers addressing
instruction, awarding of credits, promotion/retention, and graduation. In anticipation of the
2020-2021 school year, healthy and safety guidance was provided in conjunction with the
Virginia Department of Health (VDH) regarding reopening schools in Virginia. This included
a requirement for LEAs to submit and post their health and instructional plans to their
websites prior to the reopening of schools. LEAs were also expected to provide updates to
the department when there were substantive changes to their health or instructional plans,
especially if instructional modality was changing in excess of 4 weeks. As VDOE collected
data on LEA modes of instruction, a visualized summary was posted on the VDOE website
as the State Snapshot: Virginia School Operational Status and updated at regular intervals
throughout the 2020-2021 school year. Included on this webpage is a summary of schools'
instructional modality in Virginia based on the federally-established categories.
During the 2021 legislative session the Virginia General Assembly passed bipartisan
legislation requiring all school divisions to offer in-person instruction to any enrolled student
for the duration of the 2021-2022 school year. (SB1303)
16
The bill requires each school board to provide such in-person instruction in a manner which
adheres, to the maximum extent practicable, to any currently applicable mitigation strategies
for early childhood care and education programs and elementary and secondary schools to
reduce the transmission of COVID-19 that have been provided by the CDC. The bill requires
the Department of Education to establish benchmarks for successful virtual learning and
guidelines for providing interventions to students who fail to meet such benchmarks and for
transitioning such students back to in-person instruction. The bill also requires that all
teachers and school staff be offered access to receive an approved COVID-19 vaccination
through their relevant local health district. The bill has an expiration date of August 1, 2022.
VDOE collects enrollment and attendance data through the Student Record Collection (SRC)
three times each school year: Fall, Spring, and End-of-Year (EOY). Prior to the start of the
2020-2021 school year, VDOE provided guidance and expectations to school divisions on
attendance through Superintendent's Memo 188-20.
Enrollment
On the SRC, VDOE collected the following for each student at three points during the
year (Fall, Spring, and EOY):
● Entry and exit codes and dates to determine student entries and exits to and
from K-12 public education and transfers within schools and divisions
● Responsible, Serving, and Resident Division (used to identify where the
student is zoned to attend school when they are enrolled in another school
division)
● Non-public student FTE to indicate a non-public school student taking courses
in a K-12 public education setting
On the Master Schedule Collection (MSC), VDOE collected course enrollment for
each student at two points during the year (Fall and EOY).
Attendance
On the SRC, VDOE collected the following for each student at three points during the
year (Fall, Spring, and EOY):
● Total number of days present, absent, unscheduled and unexcused absences
● Attendance Plan Code to indicate whether a plan was jointly developed to
resolve the student's nonattendance after 5 unexcused absences
● Attendance Conference Code to indicate whether a conference was held, with
or without a parent, within ten school days from the date of the tenth
unexcused absence
Mode of Instruction
On the SRC, VDOE collected the following for each student at three points during the
year (Fall, Spring, and EOY):
● Active status indicator (student coded as a “V” if they are only receiving
educational services via virtual mode)
● Cumulative percentage of time spent in a virtual setting
17
● Full time virtual program code to indicate how the student is participating
virtually (from home, from a public school, from a private school, etc.)
Internet Access for Remote Learning
VDOE required for the first time in the Fall of 2020 that schools report internet and
computing device access for students. The following data elements were used:
● Internet access for remote learning (access from home, public access, no
access, etc.)
● Device access for remote learning (school provided, personal, etc.)
● Parental remote learning decision to indicate if the student’s virtual placement
is due to parent choice
ii. The data described in A.5.i.a. and b. using the template in Appendix
A (and to the extent available, the data described in A.5.i.c.) for the
most recent time period available. Please note that this data can be
submitted separately within 14 calendar days after a State submits
this plan. The SEA must also make this data publicly available on its
website as soon as possible but no later than June 21, 2021, and
regularly provide updated available information on its website. The
Department will periodically review data listed in A.5.i on SEA
websites.
Mode of instruction data are posted on the State Snapshot: Virginia School Operational
Status webpage. Disaggregated student enrollment and attendance (chronic absenteeism) data
by mode of instruction are posted at
https://www.doe.virginia.gov/statistics_reports/enrollment/modes-instruction-attendance/202
0-2021-mode-of-instruction.xlsx.
iii. To the extent available, a description of the planned operational
status and mode of instruction for the State and its LEAs for Summer
2021 and for the 2021-2022 school year.
Both in-person and virtual instruction are being offered during the summer of 2021. New
Virginia legislation now requires all Virginia public schools to open for all students in-person
for the 2021-2022 school year. The only exceptions will be temporary building level closures
required by the local health department to contain an outbreak. Many Virginia public schools
will continue to offer a virtual instruction model for those parents that choose that modality
for their child. VDOE will continue to require all schools to report students that are
attending virtually through the SRC collections.
B. Safely Reopening Schools and Sustaining their Safe Operations
The Department recognizes that safely reopening schools and sustaining their safe operations
to maximize in-person instruction is essential for student learning and student well-being,
18
and especially for being able to address the educational inequities that have been worsened
by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this section, SEAs will describe how they will support their
LEAs in this vital area.
1. Support for LEAs: Describe how the SEA will support its LEAs in safely
returning to in-person instruction and sustaining the safe operation of schools.
This description must include:
i. How the SEA will support its LEAs implementing, to the greatest
extent practicable, prevention and mitigation policies in line with the
most up-to-date guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (“CDC”) for the reopening and operation of school
facilities to effectively maintain the health and safety of students,
educators, and other staff;
Complete the table below, adding rows as necessary, or provide a
narrative description.
Per the Constitution of Virginia (Article VII, Section 7), the supervision of schools in each
school division shall be vested in a school board and therefore, many of the decisions related
to operations and reopening fall under the purview of the LEA. However, throughout the
pandemic, VDOE, the VDH, and the Governor’s Office have worked collaboratively to
address school reopening and health and safety of students through Executive Orders, Public
Health Orders of the Commissioner of Health, and through comprehensive guidance
documents. The first edition of a comprehensive reopening guidance document was issued in
June 2020 in conjunction with an Order of the Commissioner of Public Health which
required divisions to submit reopening plans, mitigation strategies, and school policies to the
Department before opening in the summer of 2020 or the 2020-2021 school year. The
Virginia Guidance was updated numerous times to account for updated strategies from the
CDC and changing conditions. The most recent version, titled Interim Guidance for COVID-19
Prevention in Virginia PreK-12 Schools, is available on our website.
During the 2021 legislative session the Virginia General Assembly passed bipartisan
legislation requiring all school divisions to offer in-person instruction to any enrolled student
for the duration of the 2021-2022 school year. (SB1303)
The bill requires each school board to provide such in-person instruction in a manner which
adheres, to the maximum extent practicable, to any currently applicable mitigation strategies
for early childhood care and education programs and elementary and secondary schools to
reduce the transmission of COVID-19 that have been provided by the CDC. The bill requires
the Department of Education to establish benchmarks for successful virtual learning and
guidelines for providing interventions to students who fail to meet such benchmarks and for
transitioning such students back to in-person instruction. The bill also requires that all
teachers and school staff be offered access to receive an approved COVID-19 vaccination
through their relevant local health district. The bill has an expiration date of August 1, 2022.
19
It should be noted that since the initial building closures, Virginia guidance has placed a
strong emphasis and priority on safely returning children most disproportionately impacted
by building closures for in-person instruction. This included English learners, students with
disabilities, young learners, and others.
In addition, VDOE and VDH provided many other supplemental resources to school leaders
on specific activities or populations. FAQs, resource webpages, and weekly calls - sometimes
conducted jointly with division leaders and local health departments - have supported timely
and consistent communication to the field.
Additionally, VDOE maintains a Frequently Asked Question page to provide information to
divisions on other relevant information
Table B1.
Mitigation strategy SEA response
Universal and correct wearing of masks All versions of Virginia School Reopening Guidance
documents have prioritized proper mask wearing, including but
not limited to the most recent Interim Guidance for COVID-19
Prevention in Virginia PreK-12 Schools.
As of July 1, 2021 state law requires school boards to offer in
person instruction during the 2021-22 school year in
accordance with CDC school guidance, to the maximum extent
practicable. This includes mask guidance from the CDC.
Additionally, as of August 12, 2021 an order of the State Health
Commissioner requires all individuals age 2 and older to wear
masks indoors in PreK-12 settings in accordance with CDC
guidance.
Physical distancing (e.g., including use All versions of Virginia School Reopening Guidance
of cohorts/podding) documents have prioritized distancing and use of
cohorting/podding within schools, including but not limited to
the most recent Interim Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in
Virginia PreK-12 Schools.
As of July 1, 2021 state law requires school boards to offer in
person instruction during the 2021-22 school year in
accordance with CDC school guidance, to the maximum extent
practicable.
Handwashing and respiratory etiquette All versions of Virginia School Reopening Guidance
documents have prioritized hand hygiene and respiratory
etiquette, including but not limited to the most recent Interim
Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in Virginia PreK-12
Schools.
20
Cleaning and maintaining healthy All versions of Virginia School Reopening Guidance
facilities, including improving documents have prioritized healthy facilities, including but not
ventilation limited to the most recent Interim Guidance for COVID-19
Prevention in Virginia PreK-12 Schools.
As of July 1, 2021 state law requires school boards to offer in
person instruction during the 2021-22 school year in
accordance with CDC school guidance, to the maximum extent
practicable.
Additionally, the Commonwealth has appropriated $250M in
ARP funding for HVAC improvements to school buildings.
Contact tracing in combination with All versions of Virginia School Reopening Guidance
isolation and quarantine, in documents have prioritized contact tracing partnerships with
collaboration with the State, local, local health departments, including but not limited to the most
territorial, or Tribal health departments recent Interim Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in Virginia
PreK-12 Schools.
Additionally, VDH has issued supplemental contact tracing
guidance specific to schools, VDH Case Investigation and
Contact Tracing for K-12 Schools.
Diagnostic and screening testing Testing is prioritized in the Interim Guidance for COVID-19
Prevention in Virginia PreK-12 Schools.
VDH and VDOE are partnering to use federal ELC grant
funding to support additional testing efforts via local school
divisions.
Efforts to provide vaccinations to The Commonwealth prioritized teacher and administrator
educators, other staff, and students, if access to vaccines in the spring of 2021; and tracked progress
eligible on a weekly basis by division in order to target vaccine
distribution.
VDOE and VDH have encouraged all schools to partner with
local providers to make vaccines available to students, as
appropriate, on school sites.
Appropriate accommodations for All versions of Virginia School Reopening Guidance
children with disabilities with respect to documents have prioritized serving students with disabilities,
the health and safety policies and included health and safety protocols, including but not
limited to the most recent Interim Guidance for COVID-19
Prevention in Virginia PreK-12 Schools.
ii. Any Statewide plans, policies, estimated timelines, and specific
milestones related to reopening and operation of school facilities,
including any mechanisms the SEA will use to track, monitor, or
enforce their implementation;
21
In June of 2020, the Governor announced guidance to support a safe reopening of Virginia
schools, following the March closures. This included a phased reopening that prioritized
bringing back young learners, English learners, students with disabilities and others
disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. All divisions were required to submit health
and safety plans to VDOE outlining their adherence to Virginia and CDC guidance.
Virginia school guidance was updated regularly throughout the year, most significantly in
October 2020 and January 2021. Following the January update to the guidance, the Governor
called on all schools in the Commonwealth to reopen for at least some students by
mid-March. This call to action resulted in a number of additional offerings and all divisions
in the Commonwealth offered an in person experience for at least some of their students by
the end of April.
Additionally, during the 2021 legislative session the Virginia General Assembly passed
bipartisan legislation requiring all school divisions to offer in-person instruction to any
enrolled student for the duration of the 2021-2022 school year. (SB1303)
The bill requires each school board to provide such in-person instruction in a manner which
adheres, to the maximum extent practicable, to any currently applicable mitigation strategies
for early childhood care and education programs and elementary and secondary schools to
reduce the transmission of COVID-19 that have been provided by the CDC. The bill requires
the Department of Education to establish benchmarks for successful virtual learning and
guidelines for providing interventions to students who fail to meet such benchmarks and for
transitioning such students back to in-person instruction. The bill also requires that all
teachers and school staff be offered access to receive an approved COVID-19 vaccination
through their relevant local health district. The bill has an expiration date of August 1, 2022.
Over the last year, Virginia has tracked the reopening status of divisions via a public, online
map available here. VDOE has also required that divisions submit periodic reports
throughout the year as a condition of receiving a waiver for statutory requirements for length
of school terms when unable to serve all students for the full term in-person.
iii. To what extent the SEA and its LEAs consult with Federal, State,
and local health officials. This description should include, if
available, whether the SEA and its LEAs have received support for
screening testing from their State or local health department based
on funding awarded by the CDC; and
Throughout the pandemic, VDOE has worked very closely with the VDH to develop joint
health and safety guidance for schools that is aligned to CDC guidance. Similarly, school
leaders and local health directors have worked collaboratively to assess local community
conditions and adjustments necessary to school mitigation strategies as a result.
22
Additionally, VDOE and VDH have worked closely with the Virginia Chapter of the
American Academy of Pediatrics, as we strive to support the health and well-being of all
children in the Commonwealth.
Most recently, VDH and VDOE have partnered to develop a shared vision for maximizing
the federal ELC grant resources for testing in Virginia schools. To date, very few Virginia
school divisions have adopted screening testing programs, and VDH and VDOE are working
diligently with both school leaders and local health departments to communicate the
necessity and value of standing up such programs for the 2021-2022 school year.
Participating in such programs will be optional for divisions, and programs can be tailored to
their particular community needs.
iv. Any guidance, professional learning, and technical assistance
opportunities the SEA will make available to its LEAs.
With regard to guidance and technical assistance specific to health and mitigation strategies
for schools, VDOE intends to continue its collaborative work with VDH to provide timely,
relevant and high quality resources for schools. This will include:
● Updating Virginia’s operational guidance for schools for the 2021-2022 school year;
● Standing calls with school leaders and local health department directors;
● Issuance of additional resources on best practices and mitigation measures; and
● Timely communications on any changes to Executive Orders relevant to school staff
and students.
VDOE will continue to provide high quality instructional resources and guidance for schools.
Notably, VDOE has recently published the following for schools to consider when reopening
in 2021-2022.
● Virginia LEARNS
● Virtual Learning benchmarks and guidelines pursuant to SB1303
● Unscheduled Remote Learning Day guidance pursuant to HB1790
2. Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plans: Describe
how the SEA will ensure that its LEAs that receive ARP ESSER funds meet the
requirements in section 2001(i) of the ARP Act and the requirements relating to
the ARP ESSER funds published in the Federal Register and available at
https://oese.ed.gov/offices/american-rescue-plan/american-rescue-plan-elementar
y-and-secondary-school-emergency-relief/ (ARP ESSER requirements) to either:
(a) within 30 days of receipt of the funds, develop and make publicly available on
the LEA’s website a plan for the safe return to in-person instruction and continuity
of services, or (b) have developed and made publicly available on the LEA’s
website such a plan that meets statutory requirements before the enactment of the
ARP Act, including:
i. How the SEA will ensure that each LEA plan includes, or will be
modified to include, the extent to which it has adopted policies and a
23
description of any such policies on each of the strategies listed in
table B1;
ii. How the SEA will ensure that each LEA plan describes how it will
ensure continuity of services including but not limited to services to
address the students’ academic needs, and students’ and staff social,
emotional, mental health, and other needs, which may include
student health and food services;
iii. How the SEA will ensure that the LEA periodically reviews, no less
frequently than every six months for the duration of the ARP ESSER
grant period (i.e., through September 30, 2023),2 and revises as
appropriate, its plan, and how the SEA will ensure that the LEA
seeks public input, and takes such input into account on (1) whether
revisions are necessary and, if so, (2) the revisions to the plan; and
iv. Describe, to the extent the SEA collects it, information about LEA
implementation, to the greatest extent practicable, of each element of
the most up-to-date CDC guidance listed in table B1 and its LEAs’
needs for support and technical assistance to implement strategies
consistent, to the greatest extent practicable, with relevant CDC
guidance.
VDOE provided training on the requirements for LEA Safe Return to In-Person Instruction
and Continuity of Services plans on May 13, 2021. The training included an overview of the
LEA plan requirements as stated in the interim final rule. VDOE also provided a template for
LEAs that includes the required elements of the interim final rule, such as: 1) the extent to
which the LEA has adopted policies and a description of any such policies on each of the
strategies listed in table B1 of this document; 2) a description of how the LEA will ensure
continuity of services including but not limited to services to address the students’ academic
needs, and students’ and staff social, emotional, mental health, and other needs; 3) a
description of how the LEA solicited and took into account public input in the development
of the plan; and 4) a statement assuring that the LEA will periodically review, no less
frequently than every six months for the duration of the ARP ESSER grant period, and revise
its plan as appropriate, taking into account public input during each review period.
Within 30 days of the receipt of grant funds, LEAs must post their plans for Safe Return to
In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services on their local websites. VDOE will review
each LEA’s plan for compliance with the interim final rule requirements as a part of the ARP
ESSER federal fund application review process. This compliance element will also be
included in the federal program monitoring protocol for ARP ESSER funds.
VDOE will collect information about subsequent LEA plan reviews and revisions, to include
the link to the most recently updated plan, a description of the LEA’s public input process,
2
ARP ESSER funds are subject to the Tydings amendment in section 421(b) of the General Education Provisions
Act, 20 U.S.C. 1225(b), and are therefore available to SEAs and LEAs for obligation through September 30, 2024.
Review and revisions of these plans, if necessary, are not required during the Tydings period.
24
and a description of revisions made, using a periodic data collection process every six
months until the end of the grant period.
VDOE does not currently collect and disaggregate information about LEA implementation of
each element of the most up-to-date CDC guidance listed in table B1. VDOE conducts
frequent meetings with LEAs highlighting the most recent health and safety guidance and has
aligned its reopening guidance with the CDC.
C. Planning for the Use and Coordination of ARP ESSER Funds
The Department recognizes that seeking input from diverse stakeholders is essential to
developing plans for the use of ARP ESSER funds that are responsive to the needs of
students, families, and educators. In this section, SEAs will describe their plans for
consultation and for coordinating the use of ARP ESSER funds with other resources to meet
the needs of students.
1. SEA Consultation: Consistent with the ARP ESSER requirements, describe how
the SEA engaged in meaningful consultation with stakeholders, and incorporated
input into its plan, including, but not limited to:
i. students;
ii. families;
iii. Tribes (if applicable);
iv. civil rights organizations (including disability rights organizations);
v. school and district administrators (including special education
administrators);
vi. superintendents;
vii. charter school leaders (if applicable);
viii. teachers, principals, school leaders, other educators, school staff, and
their unions; and
ix. stakeholders representing the interests of children with disabilities,
English learners, children experiencing homelessness, children and
youth in foster care, migratory students, children who are
incarcerated, and other underserved students.
The description must include how the SEA provided the public the opportunity to
provide input in the development of the plan, a summary of the input (including
any letters of support), and how the SEA took such input into account.
Since the spring of 2020, VDOE has consulted with numerous school and community
stakeholders on how best to support students, families, and communities during the
pandemic. Virginia Learns is one notable product of this consultation. VDOE convened the
VA LEARNS workgroup to develop a guidance document for LEAs that focused on equity,
wellbeing, and instructional issues including curriculum, assessment and remediation,
recovery and interventions. The workgroup members included stakeholders representing
students, families, student groups disproportionately impacted by COVID-19,
25
administrators, principals, school leaders, district equity directors, school counselors, school
psychologists, school social workers, and institutes of higher education.
VDOE sought input and feedback specific to the ARP ESSER state plan and resource
allocation from a wide variety of constituents, advocates and practitioners throughout the
Commonwealth. Consultation meetings were held with representatives from all required
stakeholder groups as specified in the table below.
Focus Group Stakeholders Represented
The Committee of Practitioners; Title I, Part School and district administrators (including
C administrators; and Title I, Part D special education administrators); teachers,
administrators principals, superintendents; the Virginia
Parent Teacher Association (representing
students and families); charter school
leaders; other educators and school staff; the
Virginia Education Association; private
school leaders; migratory children; children
who are incarcerated
The Virginia Tribes Tribes
Virginia’s NAACP Leaders Civil Rights organizations
The Virginia Latino Advisory Board English Learners
The Virginia EL Supervisors’ Association English Learners
The Project HOPE Advisory Board and Children experiencing homelessness;
LEA Project HOPE Charlie Check-in children and youth in foster care
Meeting
The Federal Program Coordinators’ School and district administrators of Title I;
Academy Title II; Title III; Title IV; and federal
pandemic relief programs
The Fund our Schools Coalition Parents, students, teachers and organizations
including disability rights organizations;
civil rights advocates; the Virginia Parent
Teacher Association (representing student
and families); the Virginia Education
Association
Community of Practice of LEA Equity Civil rights; school division equity and
Leaders diversity leaders
26
During stakeholder meetings, VDOE staff provided information about ESSER I and II
initiatives and potential uses of ARP ESSER funds, and invited feedback from stakeholders.
Public comment was announced in Superintendent’s Memo 148-21 and the announcement
was shared widely with stakeholder groups. VDOE staff reviewed stakeholder input and
incorporated numerous funding recommendations into the ARP ESSER state plan. The
themes that emerged during consultation and public comment and VDOE’s response are
summarized below.
Summary of Stakeholder Consultation and Public Comment
VDOE should support LEAs by: VDOE Response
Providing support for LEAs in addressing The agency will use ARP ESSER funds to
mental health issues, including provide evidence-based instructional
wraparound services support, summer programming and after
school enrichment programs that include
interventions that respond to students’
social-emotional and mental health needs.
Providing resources for families, The agency will consider this in its
particularly for caregivers supporting provision of instructional remediation
virtual academic instruction of students supports and ongoing provision of Virtual
Virginia options for students.
Assisting LEAs in addressing student The LASER (Learning Analytics to
attendance and re-engagement in school Support Education and Reporting) tool
will be a suite of reporting tools and
dashboards which will allow teachers,
school leaders, and division administrators
to better understand the performance of
their students and make data-informed
decisions. The tool functions as an early
warning system and will assist school
divisions in identifying attendance and
engagement issues so that supports are
provided to students in a timely manner.
Supporting the Equity Fund, a proposal During its August 2021 Special Session,
from the Board of Education to the Virginia General Assembly
incentivize highly-qualified teachers to appropriated $11.5M of ARP ESSER state
serve students and schools with the set-aside funds for teacher recruitment and
greatest needs retention incentives. Incentives in this
program are increased for those teachers
in hard to staff positions.
Providing more resources for ELs Providing targeted support for ELs will be
27
a focus of all remediation and
instructional programs. In particular, ELs
will receive targeted support through
greater statewide literacy initiatives
funded by ARP ESSER.
Providing resources to assist with student Although ARP ESSER funds are not
transportation (in particular for students proposed for this purpose at this time,
experiencing homelessness) consideration will be given to ARP
McKinney-Vento funds as well as
continued collaboration with Title I, Part
A, which can be used to support
transportation for students experiencing
homelessness.
Addressing teacher During its August 2021 Special Session,
shortage/recruitment/retention challenges the Virginia General Assembly
appropriated $11.5M of ARP ESSER to
go to teacher recruitment and retention
incentives.
Providing resources to support culturally During the regular 2021 session, the
responsive practices Virginia General Assembly passed a new
law and appropriated new state funding to
support culturally competent educators
and responsive practices.
Investing in literacy The VDOE has proposed using $12M in
ARP ESSER for a statewide literacy and
numeracy initiative to support
foundational skills in students.
Providing support for community level During its August 2021 Special Session,
internet connectivity in homes and the Virginia General Assembly
increasing teacher proficiency in appropriated ARP funding to achieve
technology universal broadband in Virginia by 2024.
Supporting early childhood education and Federal pandemic funds to support early
childcare childhood education and childcare include
$70 million in Child Care and
Development Block Grant (CCDBG)
funding under the CARES Act; ~$206
million in CCDBG funding under
CRRSA; ~$305 million in CCDBG
funding under ARPA; $488 million for
28
Child Care Stabilization Grants under
ARPA; and $10 million in GEER I
funding.
Investing in school construction During its August 2021 Special Session,
the Virginia General Assembly
appropriated ARP funding to upgrade
HVAC in PreK-12 schools.
2. Coordinating Funds: Describe to what extent the SEA has and will coordinate
Federal COVID-19 pandemic funding and other Federal funding. This description
must include:
i. How the SEA and its LEAs 1) are using or have used prior to the
submission of this plan and 2) plan to use following submission of
this plan, Federal COVID-19 funding under the Coronavirus Aid,
Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act and the CRRSA Act
to support a safe return to and safely maximize in-person instruction,
sustain these operations safely, and address the disproportionate
impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on individual student groups
(including students from low-income families, children with
disabilities, English learners, racial or ethnic minorities, students
experiencing homelessness, children and youth in foster care, and
migratory students);
Complete the table below or provide a narrative description.
LEA Funds
ESSER I and II formula funds, GEER funds, and funds awarded from the ESSER state
set-aside have been obligated and utilized for a wide range of allowable uses to meet their
most pressing needs in addressing the impacts of COVID-19. This includes maintaining
operations and continuing to pay existing staff, hiring additional staff to address learning loss
and to provide mental health and social-emotional supports (especially for students and
student groups disproportionately impacted by COVID-19), addressing unfinished
learning/learning loss, supporting early childhood education, increasing access to technology
devices and internet accessibility for students and families who do not have access to the
internet, purchasing sanitization supplies and PPE to promote a healthy school environment,
and utilizing various strategies to increase school capacity for social distancing.
ESSER I set-aside and GEER I funds have been obligated and the planned uses of ESSER II
set-aside funds have been approved following a Governor’s approval process. When
applicable, these funds have been awarded to LEAs following an application approval
process. ESSER I and II set-aside and GEER funds have been targeted for specific purposes
and priorities as determined by the SEA and Governor’s office.
29
ESSER I formula grants to LEAs - $214,739,273
ESSER I set aside initiatives (completed or in process)
● Special education services and supports - $5,000,000 (awards to LEAs)
● Summer academic academies - $1,237,311 (awards to LEAs)
● Social emotional universal screener - $750,566 (awards to LEAs)
● Cleaning and sanitization supplies - $2,000,000 (awards to LEAs)
● Facilities upgrades - $3,000,000 (awards to LEAs)
● School-based mental health - $1,000,000 (awards to LEAs)
● Instructional delivery supports - $2,088,946 (awards to LEAs)
● Grants to regional programs - $450,000 (awards to LEAs)
● Growth assessment alignment study - $1,691,871 (awards to LEAs)
● Virtual Virginia Expansion - $2,810,000
● Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Professional Development - $250,000
● Continuity of Operations - $225,000
● Instructional Access - $200,000
● Technology Training for Teachers - $223,000
GEER I initiatives (completed or in process)
● School Nutrition - $3,000,000 (awards to LEAs)
● VISION technology - $26,860,322 (awards to LEAs)
● Early Childhood - $10,000,000
● Virtual Virginia Expansion - $3,450,000
ESSER II formula grants to LEAs - $845,352,520
ESSER II set-aside initiatives (planned)
● Virtual Virginia Expansion - $3,200,000
● SEL screeners, curriculum development, and LEA grants - $500,000
● Statewide literacy initiative - $13,731,655
● LASER data analytics application development - $300,000
● Digital tools for instruction - $250,000
● Statewide teacher/staff recruitment strategies - $1,000,000
● Expanded learning time/unfinished learning time - $53,496,000 (awards to LEAs)
● Extended School Year/Year Round Schools - $1,504,000 (awards to LEAs)
● Post-secondary Special Education Support - $6,500,000 (awards to LEAs)
● Growth Assessment Development - $8,750,000
GEER II initiative (planned)
● Virtual Virginia Expansion - $7,000,000
ii. To what extent ESSER I and ESSER II funds have been awarded to
LEAs and, if funds have not yet been made available to LEAs, when
they will be. In addition, please provide any available information on
the total dollar amounts of ESSER I and ESSER II funds that have
30
been obligated but not expended by the SEA and its LEAs, including
whether the SEA is able to track LEA obligations.
ESSER I and II formula funds have been awarded to LEAs. Superintendent’s Memos
announcing the awards are available on the federal pandemic relief programs webpage.
Expenditure information is below. Virginia does not have the capability to track LEA funds
that have been obligated but for which reimbursement has not yet been requested; the
amounts and percentages below reflect LEA reimbursements where applicable.
● ESSER I formula – all formula funds awarded to LEAs; $103,146,115 unexpended
● ESSER I set aside – all set-aside funds obligated;
● ESSER II formula – all formula funds awarded to LEAs; $838,565,220 unexpended
● ESSER II set aside – obligation process for set-aside funds has recently begun and
funds are beginning to be expended
iii. In supporting LEAs as they plan for the safe return to and continuity
of in-person instruction and for meeting the academic, social,
emotional, and mental health needs of students resulting from the
COVID-19 pandemic, the extent to which the SEA is also using
other Federal funding sources including but not limited to under the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (“ESEA”), IDEA,
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (“WIOA”), funding for
child nutrition services, and McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance
Act, and the funds to support the needs of students experiencing
homelessness provided by section 2001(b)(1) of the ARP Act. 3
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
VDOE continues to develop plans for IDEA funding that are aligned with the U.S.
Department of Education’s OSEP guidance. VDOE recently received preliminary IDEA
funding under the ARP Act. Preliminary allocations were shared with LEAs on June 21,
2021. The funding allocations for federal fiscal year (FFY) 2021 from OSEP were made
available to VDOE on July 1, 2021 and will be shared with LEAs following an internal
review of the calculations.
McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and Students Experiencing Homelessness
Virginia has received $3,545,572 from the U.S. Department of Education under the ARP Act
for the purposes of identifying homeless children and youth, providing wraparound services
in light of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and providing assistance needed to enable
3
Please note that the needs of students experiencing homelessness must be addressed (along with the other groups
disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic) through the use of the ARP ESSER SEA reservations and
the required LEA reservation for the academic impact of lost instructional time; the funding provided to support the
needs of students experiencing homelessness by section 2001(b)(1) of the ARP Act is in addition to the supports and
services provided with ARP ESSER funds.
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homeless children and youth to attend school and participate fully in school activities,
including in-person instruction this spring and summer learning and enrichment programs
that begin in the coming months.
This first disbursement (25% of the total ARP-HCY funding) is designed to provide funding
to states immediately as a supplement to their McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless
Children and Youth (EHCY) funds, so that states can address urgent needs of homeless
children and youth - including academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs - and so
states and LEAs can increase capacity by hiring staff, dedicating resources, and planning
partnerships with community-based organizations, among other strategies. Funds must be
administered by the Office of the State Coordinator for the Education of Homeless Children
and Youth, consistent with the requirements for EHCY funds. VDOE has designated the
William & Mary School of Education as the institution responsible for effective coordination
of the Virginia Homeless Education Program.
Virginia’s ARP Homeless I funds will supplement the EHCY program, and all allowable
EHCY uses will apply to these funds. These activities will include any expenses necessary to
facilitate the identification, enrollment, retention, and educational success of homeless
children and youth, such as:
● providing wraparound services (which could be provided in collaboration with and/or
through contracts with community-based organizations, and could include academic
supports, trauma-informed care, social-emotional support, and mental health
services);
● purchasing needed supplies (e.g., PPE, eyeglasses, school supplies, personal care
items);
● providing transportation to enable children and youth to attend classes and participate
fully in school activities;
● purchasing cell phones or other technological devices for unaccompanied youth to
enable the youth to attend and fully participate in school activities;
● providing access to reliable, high-speed internet for students through the purchase of
internet-connected devices/equipment, mobile hotspots, wireless service plans, or
installation of Community Wi-Fi Hotspots (e.g., at homeless shelters), especially in
underserved communities;
● paying for short-term, temporary housing (e.g., a few days in a motel) when such
emergency housing is the only reasonable option for COVID-safe temporary housing
and, when necessary, to enable the homeless child or youth to attend school and
participate fully in school activities (including summer school); and
● providing store cards/prepaid debit cards to purchase materials necessary for students
to participate in school activities.
ESEA
State set-aside funds under ESEA are being used to support multiple initiatives to assist
LEAs in addressing issues that have emerged or been exacerbated by COVID-19, including:
● support for GoOpenVA, an open education resource repository;
32
● resources and support for SEL;
● Just In Time mathematics resource development to address unfinished learning;
● teacher education and recruitment platform; and
● professional development for teachers of ELs.
D. Maximizing State-Level Funds to Support Students
The Department recognizes that States have an extraordinary opportunity to address the
disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on underserved students through the
ARP Act’s required State set-asides to address the academic impact of lost instructional time,
provide summer learning and enrichment programs, and provide comprehensive afterschool
programs. In this section, SEAs will describe their evidence-based strategies for these
resources.
1. Academic Impact of Lost Instructional Time: Describe how the SEA will use the
funds it reserves under section 2001(f)(1) of the ARP Act (totaling not less than 5
percent of the State’s total allocation of ARP ESSER funds) on evidence-based
interventions to address the academic impact of lost instructional time by
supporting the implementation of evidence-based interventions, such as summer
learning or summer enrichment, extended day, comprehensive afterschool
programs, or extended school year programs, and ensure that such interventions
respond to students’ academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs. The
description must include:
i. A description of the evidence-based interventions (e.g., providing
intensive or high-dosage tutoring, accelerating learning) the SEA has
selected, and the extent to which the SEA will evaluate the impact of
those interventions on an ongoing basis to understand if they are
working;
See description below
ii. How the evidence-based interventions will specifically address the
disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on certain groups of students,
including each of the student groups listed in question A.3.i.-viii.
When possible, please indicate which data sources the SEA will use
to determine the impact of lost instructional time; and
See description below
iii. The extent to which the SEA will use funds it reserves to identify
and engage 1) students who have missed the most in-person
instruction during the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years; and 2)
students who did not consistently participate in remote instruction
when offered during school building closures.
See description below
2. Evidence-Based Summer Learning and Enrichment Programs: Describe how the
SEA will use the funds it reserves under section 2001(f)(2) of the ARP Act
(totaling not less than 1 percent of the State’s total allocation of ARP ESSER
33
funds) for evidence-based summer learning and enrichment programs, including
those that begin in Summer 2021, and ensure such programs respond to students’
academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs. The description must
include:
i. A description of the evidence-based programs that address the
academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs of students
(e.g., providing intensive or high-dosage tutoring, accelerating
learning) the SEA has selected, and the extent to which the SEA will
evaluate the impact of those programs;
See description below
ii. How the evidence-based programs will specifically address the
disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on certain groups of students,
including each of the student groups listed in question A.3. i.--viii.
When possible, please indicate which data sources the SEA will use
to identify students most in need of summer learning and enrichment
programs; and
See description below
iii. The extent to which the SEA will use funds it reserves to identify
and engage 1) students who have missed the most in-person
instruction during the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years; and 2)
students who did not consistently participate in remote instruction
when offered during school building closures.
See description below
3. Evidence-Based Comprehensive Afterschool Programs: Describe how the SEA
will use the funds it reserves under section 2001(f)(3) of the ARP Act (totaling
not less than 1 percent of the State’s total allocation of ARP ESSER funds) for
evidence-based comprehensive afterschool programs (including, for example,
before-school programming), and ensure such programs respond to students’
academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs. The description must
include:
i. A description of the evidence-based programs (e.g., including
partnerships with community-based organizations) the SEA has
selected, and the extent to which the SEA will evaluate the impact of
those programs;
See description below
ii. How the evidence-based programs will specifically address the
disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on certain groups of students,
including each of the student groups listed in question A.3.i.-viii.
When possible, please indicate which data sources the SEA will use
to identify students most in need of comprehensive afterschool
programming; and
See description below
34
iii. the extent to which the SEA will use funds it reserves to identify and
engage 1) students who have missed the most in-person instruction
during the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years; and 2) students
who did not consistently participate in remote instruction when
offered during school building closures.
See description below
4. Emergency Needs: If the SEA plans to reserve funds for emergency needs under
section 2001(f)(4) of the ARP Act to address issues responding to the COVID-19
pandemic, describe the anticipated use of those funds, including the extent to
which these funds will build SEA and LEA capacity to ensure students’ and
staff’s health and safety; to meet students’ academic, social, emotional, and
mental health needs; and to use ARP ESSER funds to implement evidence-based
interventions.
Background - Provision of Funding to Support Unfinished Learning
VDOE assembled a team of stakeholders from LEA and professional organizations to
develop foci to address unfinished learning. As a result, VDOE published Virginia LEARNS,
which provides recommendations and identifies resources and best practices related to equity,
curricula - especially in literacy and mathematics - remediation and intervention strategies,
assessments, data analysis, student and staff wellness, and technology to support instruction
and learning. The Virginia LEARNS stakeholder workgroup identified the priorities to
address unfinished learning related to the impact of COVID-19, including:
● Increased Face-to-Face Instruction and/or Small Group Learning;
● Targeted Remediation, Extension, and Enrichment;
● Strategic Virtual Learning/Technology and Training;
● Social/Emotional/Behavioral/Mental Health Supports;
● Extended Learning Time; and
● Student Progress Monitoring and Assessment.
A specific focus on the student groups listed in question A.3.i-viii are supported through VA
LEARNS’ equity focus, defined by our commitment to eliminating the predictability of
student outcomes based on race, gender, zip code, ability, socio-economic status, and/or
languages spoken at home. The document provides benchmarks and strategies for addressing
social-emotional as well as academic impacts of COVID-19 and lost instructional time.
VDOE will use statewide data on interventions through state literacy (K-12) and numeracy
(3-12) assessments and annual data collections (Master Schedule Collection and Student
Record Collection).
Uses of ARP ESSER III Funds
ARP ESSER III state set-aside funds will be used to support grants and initiatives that
mitigate the academic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on students, including meeting
the needs of quarantined students; and to prioritize and provide for the learning needs of all
students, with targeted support for struggling students and vulnerable populations including
students with disabilities, English learners, students that are economically disadvantaged,
35
early learners, and underserved and/or underperforming students. In areas D.1-D.4, funding
will prioritize efforts to address unfinished learning through additional supports including
before, after, and summer school programs through a combination of LEA grants, grants to
Institutes of Higher Education (IHE), and funding initiatives to support LEAs. State set-aside
initiatives will provide:
● improved and new instructional and assessment resources;
● staffing to support evidence-based instruction and quality instructional programs;
● support for teacher development, recruitment, and retention;
● identification of high-quality instructional materials and resources;
● support to address students’ needs in social emotional, behavioral, mental health,
and trauma areas;
● modules for statewide cultural competency education professional development;
● a statewide learning management system;
● a statewide data analysis tool; and
● virtual course content development for LEAs.
D.1 Addressing Unfinished Learning (~$105M - 5%)
● Competitive grants to LEAs will provide funding to:
○ mitigate the academic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on students,
including meeting the needs of quarantined students;
○ provide sustained support for students to address academic,
social-emotional, behavioral, and mental health needs;
○ reduce student-teacher/tutor ratios through small groups to provide
data-driven, personalized instruction during the regular school day;
○ hire individuals to coordinate efforts to support and address unfinished
learning needs of students, including tutors and paraprofessionals;
○ accelerate, reinforce, remediate, extend, enrich, and reteach targeted skills
based on students’ specific academic needs;
○ provide funding for student virtual course options that address unfinished
learning including credit recovery programs;
○ provide free kits to students/families that support literacy and numeracy in
PK-8;
○ purchase evidence-based instructional resources to address unfinished
learning, including subscriptions for instructional and/or tutoring services;
○ address student progress monitoring, program evaluation, and assessment,
including academic screening tools;
○ provide technology including devices required to implement proposed
programs;
○ create, procure, or curate curriculum to address student learning needs and
various instructional modalities; and
○ develop or provide professional learning opportunities for staff related to
addressing the learning needs of students disproportionately impacted by
COVID-19.
● Grants and agreements with IHEs will provide funding to:
36
○ develop evidence-based resources and services to support addressing
unfinished learning, especially in the areas of literacy and numeracy;
○ develop professional development resources to improve literacy and
numeracy instruction;
○ support teacher development, recruitment, and retention;
○ create tutoring programs and train educators/community partners for
literacy and numeracy programs to address unfinished learning; and
○ support the development of regional hubs to support unfinished learning.
● Other state-supported initiatives will provide funding to:
○ improve state-provided assessments and screening tools;
○ build LEA capacity to support evidence-based instruction and implement
programs that address unfinished learning;
○ identify high-quality instructional materials; and
○ support LEAs in addressing student needs in the areas of social,
emotional, behavioral, mental health, and trauma.
D.2 Before and After School Programs (~$21M - 1%)
● Competitive grants to LEAs will provide funding to:
○ provide sustained after school support for students to address academic,
social-emotional, behavioral, and mental health needs;
○ engage community partners to provide staff to address student needs and
expand student opportunities in before and after school programs;
○ accelerate, reinforce, remediate, extend, enrich, and reteach targeted skills
in before and after school programs based on students’ specific academic
needs;
○ reduce student-teacher/tutor ratios through small groups to provide
data-driven, personalized instruction during before and after school
programs;
○ hire staff to coordinate and address the learning needs of students,
including tutors and paraprofessionals, for before and after school
programs;
○ provide technology including devices required to implement proposed
programs;
○ provide funding for subscriptions and/or student virtual course options that
address unfinished learning in before and after school programs; and
○ support student transportation.
D.3 Summer School Programs (~$21M - 1%)
● Competitive grants to LEAs will provide funding to:
○ provide sustained summer learning support (at least four hours per day,
four days per week, and eight weeks in duration) for students to address
academic, social-emotional, behavioral, and mental health needs;
○ provide evidence-based options for all students that address student
learning needs (intervention, remediation, acceleration, bridge programs)
within summer school programs;
37
○ engage community partners to provide staff to address student needs and
expand student opportunities in summer school programs;
○ reduce student-teacher/tutor ratios through small groups to provide
data-driven, personalized instruction during summer school programs;
○ hire staff to coordinate and address the learning needs of students,
including tutors and paraprofessionals, for summer school programs;
○ provide funding for student subscriptions and/or virtual course options to
address unfinished learning in a summer school program or for credit
recovery;
○ provide technology including devices required to implement proposed
summer school programs;
○ develop and provide marketing and communication tools associated with
proposed summer school programs;
○ accelerate, reinforce, remediate, extend, enrich, and reteach targeted skills
in summer school programs based on students’ specific academic needs;
and
○ support student transportation for summer school programs.
D.4 Addressing Emergency Needs (~$52M - 2.5%)
● Funding will prioritize initiatives that support LEA instructional staff and build
statewide capacity including:
○ supporting LEA teacher development, recruitment, and retention efforts;
○ developing statewide growth assessments;
○ developing professional learning modules for statewide cultural
competency education;
○ providing a statewide learning management system;
○ developing a statewide data analysis tool; and
○ developing virtual course content development for LEAs.
● During the August 2021 Special Session, the Virginia General Assembly
appropriated $11.5 million in ARP ESSER funding to support recruitment efforts
for LEAs to fill instructional positions between August 15, 2021, and November
15, 2021. Priority for distribution will be to school divisions experiencing the
most acute difficulties in recruiting qualified teachers. Additional information
about this initiative is provided in Section F.1.iii.
E. Supporting LEAs in Planning for and Meeting Students’ Needs
The Department recognizes that the safe return to in-person instruction must be accompanied
by a focus on meeting students’ academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs, and by
addressing the opportunity gaps that existed before – and were exacerbated by – the
pandemic. In this section, SEAs will describe how they will support their LEAs in
developing high-quality plans for LEAs’ use of ARP ESSER funds to achieve these
objectives.
38
1. LEA Plans for the Use of ARP ESSER Funds : Describe what the SEA will
require its LEAs to include in LEA plans consistent with the ARP ESSER
requirements for the use of ARP ESSER funds, how the SEA will require such
plans to be made available to the public, and the deadline by which the LEA must
submit its ARP ESSER plan (which must be a reasonable timeline and should be
within no later than 90 days after receiving its ARP ESSER allocation). The LEA
plans must include, at a minimum:
i. The extent to which and how the funds will be used to implement
prevention and mitigation strategies that are, to the greatest extent
practicable, in line with the most recent CDC guidance, in order to
continuously and safely operate schools for in-person learning;
ii. How the LEA will use the funds it reserves under section 2001(e)(1)
of the ARP Act (totaling not less than 20 percent of the LEA’s total
allocation of ARP ESSER funds) to address the academic impact of
lost instructional time through the implementation of evidence-based
interventions, such as summer learning or summer enrichment,
extended day, comprehensive afterschool programs, or extended
school year programs;
iii. How the LEA will spend its remaining ARP ESSER funds consistent
with section 2001(e)(2) of the ARP Act; and
iv. How the LEA will ensure that the interventions it implements,
including but not limited to the interventions under section
2001(e)(1) of the ARP Act to address the academic impact of lost
instructional time, will respond to the academic, social, emotional,
and mental health needs of all students, and particularly those
students disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic,
including students from low-income families, students of color,
English learners, children with disabilities, students experiencing
homelessness, children and youth in foster care, and migratory
students.
VDOE provided training on the requirements for the LEA Use of ARP ESSER Funds plan on
May 13, 2021. The training included an overview of the LEA plan requirements as stated in
the interim final rule. The SEA also provided a template for LEAs that includes the required
elements of the interim final rule, such as: 1) the extent to which and how the funds will be
used to implement prevention and mitigation strategies that are, to the greatest extent
practicable, in line with the most recent CDC guidance, in order to continuously and safely
operate schools for in-person learning; 2) how the LEA will use at least 20 percent of the
LEA’s total allocation of ARP ESSER funds to address the academic impact of lost
instructional time through the implementation of evidence-based interventions, such as
summer learning or summer enrichment, extended day, comprehensive afterschool programs,
or extended school year programs; 3) how the LEA will spend its remaining ARP ESSER
funds; and 4) how the LEA will ensure that the interventions it implements will respond to
the academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs of all students.
39
Within 90 days of the receipt of grant funds (by August 1, 2021), LEAs must post their plans
for the LEA Use of ARP ESSER Funds on their local websites. The SEA will review each
LEA’s plan for compliance with the interim final rule requirements as a part of the ARP
ESSER federal fund application review process. This compliance element will also be
included in the federal program monitoring protocol for ARP ESSER funds. In addition, the
application for federal funds includes the identification of funds reserved to support learning
loss and calculates the percentage of funding identified in this area to ensure that the
minimum requirement is met by the LEA.
The SEA will continue to provide frequent support for LEAs on the safe return to in-person
instruction; meeting students’ academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs; and
addressing learning gaps. The state superintendent of public instruction conducts meetings
with district leaders to ensure that they are aware of the myriad of resources and
opportunities that have been made available. VDOE leaders also conduct regional meetings
with district leaders to provide support and gather input on the most pressing needs and
priorities facing districts.
2. LEA Consultation: Describe how the SEA will, in planning for the use of ARP
ESSER funds, ensure that, consistent with the ARP ESSER requirements], its
LEAs engage in meaningful consultation with stakeholders, including, but not
limited to:
i. students;
ii. families;
iii. school and district administrators (including special education
administrators); and
iv. teachers, principals, school leaders, other educators, school staff, and
their unions.
The LEA must also engage in meaningful consultation with each of the following
to the extent present in or served by the LEA:
i. Tribes;
ii. civil rights organizations (including disability rights organizations);
and
iii. stakeholders representing the interests of children with disabilities,
English learners, children experiencing homelessness, children and
youth in foster care, migratory students, children who are
incarcerated, and other underserved students.
The description must also include how the SEA will ensure that LEAs provide the
public the opportunity to provide input in the development of the LEA’s plan for
the use of ARP ESSER funds and take such input into account.
VDOE training for LEAs on the requirements of the LEA Use of ARP ESSER Funds plan
addressed the stakeholder consultation requirements as stated in the interim final rule. The
template for LEAs includes a description of how the LEA engaged in meaningful
40
consultation with the required stakeholder groups, and how stakeholder input was taken into
account in the development of the LEA plan.
VDOE will review each LEA’s plan for compliance with the stakeholder engagement
requirements as a part of the ARP ESSER federal fund application review process. This
compliance element will also be included in the federal program monitoring protocol for
ARP ESSER funds.
3. Describe how the SEA will support and monitor its LEAs in using ARP ESSER
funds. The description must include:
i. How the SEA will support and monitor its LEAs’ implementation of
evidence-based interventions that respond to students’ academic,
social, emotional, and mental health needs, such as through summer
learning or summer enrichment, extended day, comprehensive
afterschool programs, or extended school year programs – including
the extent to which the SEA will collect evidence of the
effectiveness of interventions employed;
VDOE will support LEAs by providing resources, webinars, conference calls,
Superintendent’s Memos and Emails, and through state set-aside grants that direct funds
specific to evidence-based interventions. Evidence of effectiveness of interventions
employed will be a required element of the grant award process for state set-aside funds. For
formula grants, evidence of effectiveness of interventions employed will be a component of
program monitoring.
ii. How the SEA will support and monitor its LEAs in specifically
addressing the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
on certain groups of students, including each of the student groups
listed in question A.3.i.-viii; and
As noted in Section 4 in much greater detail, Virginia will use the Phonological Awareness
Literacy Screening, Virginia Assessment Program, Virginia’s Remote Student Progress Test,
Growth Assessments, Just In Time Math Quick Checks, and local data sources to assists
school divisions in measuring and making decisions on how to combat COVID-19 learning
loss. Additionally, Virginia is developing a data analytics system that provides an early
warning system (EWS), for extensive analysis and visualizations for student coursework,
grades, absenteeism, behavior, and state accreditation. The system will contain a student
group comparison application with pre-populated reports to help school divisions drive their
equity efforts. A prototype of the system is nearing completion with Orange County, Virginia
where other divisions will have the opportunity to join in the fall. There will be a rolling
enrollment schedule for all divisions throughout the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years.
Virginia is fortunate to have a solid foundation for its longitudinal data system that includes a
State Testing Id, Virginia’s unique identifier for all students, and elements to account for each
student’s current demographics. Data collections from the LEAs are collected at the
41
student-level allowing all student-based metrics to be disaggregated at the school,
division/district, and state level by any reporting group defined within the LDS. Many
opportunity to learn metrics can be analyzed including attendance (chronic absenteeism),
behavior and administrative responses (exclusionary discipline), transcript-like data
(advanced coursework), and device and internet access (access to technology).
This element will be reviewed with LEAs during ESSER program monitoring, which is
described in detail in Section G.
iii. How the SEA will support and monitor its LEAs in using ARP
ESSER funds to identify, reengage, and support students most likely
to have experienced the impact of lost instructional time on student
learning, such as:
a. Students who have missed the most in-person instruction during
the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years;
b. Students who did not consistently participate in remote
instruction when offered during school building closures; and
c. Students most at-risk of dropping out of school.
Support for school division in identifying students in these areas will included the EWS and
longitudinal data described above. VDOE will continue to provide tools and resources for
LEAs to reengage students who have experienced lost instructional time and/or most at-risk
of dropping out of schools. Tools include a universal SEL screener and SEL Quick Guides,
as well as curriculum supports.
This element will be reviewed with LEAs during ESSER program monitoring, which is
described in detail in Section G.
4. Describe the extent to which the SEA will support its LEAs in implementing
additional strategies for taking educational equity into account in expending ARP
ESSER funds, including but not limited to:
i. Allocating funding both to schools and for districtwide activities
based on student need, and
ii. Implementing an equitable and inclusive return to in-person
instruction. An inclusive return to in-person instruction includes, but
is not limited to, establishing policies and practices that avoid the
over-use of exclusionary discipline measures (including in- and
out-of-school suspensions) and creating a positive and supportive
learning environment for all students.
Virginia guidance documents have attempted to support all the needs (academic, social
emotional and mental well-being) of children, and to guide LEAs in evaluating and aligning
resources to meet identified needs in the wake of the pandemic. For example, using CARES
funds, VDOE has made a universal SEL screener available to all divisions to inform their
42
local strategies as well as incentivizing the use of relief funding to augment positions focused
on school-based mental health support in local school divisions.
Additionally, a year into the COVID-19 pandemic VDOE brought together a variety of
stakeholders – the Virginia LEARNS workgroup – to use information collected and compiled
from many sources to create a guidance document for school divisions. The workgroup
focused on equity, wellbeing, and instructional issues including curriculum, assessment and
remediation, recovery and interventions. The group also weighed in on funding allocations
recommendations for state and federal appropriations, with a clear desire and emphasis on
equitable distribution of those resources to meet the needs of our most impacted students.
As schools reopen and develop plans for summer programs and the 2021-22 school year,
keen attention needs to be given to addressing learning gaps exacerbated by the pandemic
and to the mental health needs of students and staff. Understanding that all of our programs
need to ensure equity, the checkpoints and resources in the Virginia LEARNS document will
assist leaders and staff as they consider guiding questions, assess and allocate available
resources, and deploy plans to meet the needs of all students. This will be greatly aided by
the guidance from VDOE titled; the Model Guidance for Positive, Preventive Code of
Student Conduct Policy and Alternatives to Suspension, a blueprint for school boards in
revising local policies, systems, and practices related to student conduct and school climate.
The Model Guidance focuses on ensuring equity and establishing prevention and intervention
in a MTSS model. The Model Guidance also provides references to relevant Code of Virginia
statutes and includes resources for developing alternatives to suspension.
F. Supporting the Educator Workforce
The Department recognizes the toll that the COVID-19 pandemic has taken on the Nation’s
educators as well as students. In this section, SEAs will describe strategies for supporting and
stabilizing the educator workforce and for making staffing decisions that will support
students’ academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs.
1. Supporting and Stabilizing the Educator Workforce:
i. Describe the extent to which the State is facing shortages of
educators, education administration personnel, and other school
personnel involved in safely reopening schools, and the extent to
which they vary by region/type of school district and/or groups of
educators (e.g., special educators and related services personnel and
paraprofessionals; bilingual or English as a second language
educators; science, technology, engineering, and math (“STEM”)
educators; career and technical education (“CTE”) educators; early
childhood educators). Cite specific data on shortages and needs
where available.
Complete the table below, changing or adding additional rows as
needed, or provide a narrative description.
43
Table F1. The data in the table below are from the most recently
completed LEA “Supply and Demand” report. We believe these
data are an underestimate of current shortages.
Area Data on shortages and Narrative description
needs
Special educators and 284 FTE The following areas are
related service included: Emotional
personnel and Disturbance; Hearing
paraprofessionals Impairment; Learning
Disabilities; Intellectual
Disabilities; Severely
Profound Disabilities;
Visual Impairments;
Special Education -
Other
Bilingual educators Data not collected
English as a second 42 FTE The following areas are
language educators included: English as a
Second Language
STEM educators 171 FTE The following areas are
included: Computer
Science; Science-
Physics; Science-
Middle; Science - Earth
Science; Science -
Chemistry; Science -
Biology; Math -
Algebra 1; Math -
Middle; Math -
Secondary
CTE educators 90 FTE The following areas are
included: Trade and
Industrial; Vocational
Special Needs;
Technology Education;
Marketing Education;
Industrial Cooperative
Training; Health and
Medical Services;
Family and Consumer
Sciences; Business and
Information
Technology;
44
Agriculture Education;
CTE - Other
Early childhood 12 FTE The following areas are
educators included: Early/Primary
or Elementary PreK-6
School counselors 39 FTE The following areas are
included: School
Counselor -
Elementary; School
Counselor - Middle;
School Counselor -
Secondary
Social workers 3 FTE The following areas are
included: School Social
Worker
Nurses Data not collected
School psychologists 36 FTE The following areas are
included: School
Psychology
ii. Describe how the SEA will assist its LEAs in identifying the most
urgent areas of shortages or potential shortages, with particular plans
for individual LEAs facing the most significant needs (e.g., by
avoiding layoffs, providing high-quality professional learning
opportunities, and addressing the impact of stress or trauma on
educators). Include a description of how other Federal COVID-19
funding (e.g., ESSER and GEER funds under the CARES Act and
CRRSA Act) have already been used to avoid layoffs during the
COVID-19 pandemic.
The SEA has encouraged LEA’s to use ESSER and GEER funds to stabilize and support the
educator workforce and to support the conditions that will allow schools to return to
in-person instruction. This includes using funds to pay teacher salaries and avoid layoffs and
addressing educator shortages exacerbated by the pandemic by hiring new teachers and
expanding student access to a well-prepared and diverse educator workforce. Examples of
strategies that may be employed to stabilize and support the educator workforce include:
● Supporting partnerships with educator preparation programs to expand opportunities
for extensive clinical experience to teaching candidates, including leveraging
candidates to provide additional support to students and address the impact of lost
instructional time as students return to in-person instruction;
● Providing ongoing support to recruit, hire, and retain a diverse school staff, including
through high-quality induction and mentoring programs;
● Offering supplemental financial support for educators who commit to working in a
high-need field or school for a minimum number of years (e.g., four years);
45
● Providing teachers professional learning opportunities on strategies for the effective
use of technology for remote, hybrid, and accelerating learning; or
● Creating and/or supporting educational assistance programs that pay off student loans
on behalf of staff as a component of recruitment and retention efforts in response to
the pandemic.
LEAs have used ESSER formula funds to maintain operations and avoid teacher layoffs as
needed.
iii. Describe the actions the SEA will take to fill anticipated gaps in
certified teachers for the start of the 2021-2022 school year and to
what extent the SEA will further support its LEAs in expanding the
educator pipeline and educator diversity while addressing the
immediate needs of students disproportionately impacted by the
pandemic (e.g., recruiting teaching candidates to provide
high-dosage tutoring or implementing residencies for teacher
candidates).
During the August 2021 Special Session, the Virginia General Assembly appropriated $11.5
million in ARP ESSER funding to support recruitment efforts for LEAs hiring to fill
instructional positions between August 15, 2021, and November 15, 2021 (see section D.4 -
Addressing Emergency Needs). School divisions will submit data to the Virginia Department
of Education including the number of hard-to-staff vacancies defined by the Critical
Teaching Shortage Areas list and non-hard-to-staff vacancies for the 2021-2022 school year
by school. Priority for distribution will be to school divisions experiencing the most acute
difficulties in recruiting qualified teachers, defined for this initiative as the overall free and
reduced lunch rate of greater than 40 percent (2019-2020 eligibility data will be used). An
eligible teacher will receive a $2,500 incentive award for filling a non-hard-to-staff position,
or an incentive award of $5,000 for a hard-to-staff position. LEAs will provide half of the
incentive payment to the individual no later than January 1, 2022 and provide the balance of
the full amount to the individual no earlier than May 1, 2022, provided the individual receive
a satisfactory performance evaluation and provides a written commitment to return to the
same school for the 2022-2023 school year.
2. Staffing to Support Student Needs: Describe the extent to which the SEA has
developed or will develop strategies and will support its LEAs in increasing
student access to key support staff within school buildings, including school
counselors, special education personnel, nurses, social workers, and psychologists
(e.g. hiring additional personnel or freeing up these staff to focus on providing
services to students).
VDOE has developed numerous strategies and resources to assist LEAs in increasing access
to key support staff with a focus on special education services and support and staff who
support school-based mental health services and supports (i.e., school counselors, special
education staff, school social workers, school psychologists and school nurses). LEA needs
were identified through multiple stakeholder convenings (Secretary of Education (SOE)
46
listening sessions, SOE COVID-19 Education, VDOE Recovery task force) and focused on
the following areas; enhancement of supports at the universal level: implementation of
social-emotional learning and trauma -informed strategies, increasing staffing levels of
school-based mental health providers (school counselors, school psychologists, school social
workers, community mental health providers), supporting the delivery of virtual services
(training needs / equipment needs), focusing on strengthening partnerships with community
providers, the high level of coordination needed for service provision when virtual/hybrid
and a focus on the provision of mental wellness supports to the adults: school staff and
parents.
VDOE has utilized relief funding to support partnerships with institutes of higher education
to provide professional development and training for school staff on providing online
instruction, remote support services, as well as addressing students' social-emotional learning
needs impacted by the pandemic. This funding has also specifically supported development
of specialized instructional support personnel resources and professional development. For
example, the Center for Implementation and Evaluation of Education Systems (CIEES) at
Old Dominion University has partnered with VDOE’s Department of Special Education and
Student Services in the creation of asynchronous modules for the professional development
of school instructional support personnel (SISP). This professional development has
included; creation of asynchronous professional development activities, illustrated video
modules and additional development materials to support implementation of VDOE Social
Emotional Wellness Quick Guides. Radford University has also partnered with VDOE to
develop, implement and evaluate the provision of training focused on school building
administrators to implement effective social emotional development, learning and support.
VDOE has also utilized federal funding to support specific initiatives related to the
recruitment, preparation and retention of special education teachers and specialized
instructional support personnel. For example, state set-aside special education funding has
been used to support programs for training teachers of students with severe disabilities,
endorsement programs for special education teachers and the endorsement of teachers for
students with sensory based disabilities. Funded by a multi-year grant from the U.S.
Department of Education, the Virginia Career and Learning Center (CLC) for school mental
health professionals supports efforts to recruit and retain school counselors, school
psychologists, and school social workers in Virginia school divisions. The CLC website
provides links to job openings throughout Virginia, guidance on state licensing requirements,
information on school-based mental health careers, as well as professional development
modules for school mental health professionals. The Learning and Resource Center pages of
the CLC currently provide over 50 free on-demand learning modules and webinars designed
for school-based mental health providers. The Virginia Partnership for School Mental Health
(the Partnership) is a U. S. Department of Education grant-funded initiative that seeks to
increase the number of qualified school mental health (SMH) professionals employed by
high need school divisions. In partnership with Institutions of Higher Learning, training is
provided in the provision of evidence-based school mental health interventions to graduate
students, while also building capacity of current SMH professionals to provide
47
evidence-based services and supervise trainees. The Partnership currently includes seven
participating school divisions and partner universities.
Needs assessments done in partnership and collaboration with local school divisions ensured
that application priority from VDOE reflected the current needs of schools during and after
the pandemic. VDOE’s application priorities are as follows; low levels of current staffing for
school-based mental health providers (as evidenced by higher than state median student to
provider ratio and free and reduced lunch percent eligible students (2019-20) over 60%).
Additional support to school divisions on an application basis has focused on resourcing
additional staffing, programs and supports for students. Each LEA submitted their own plan.
Most common examples of use of funds: additional staffing of school-based mental health
personnel (e.g. partially funding an additional counselor; stipends for after hours work;
contracting with community provider for licensed personnel to provides school-based
services), school-based mental health intervention materials purchase (e.g. Kognito for peer
to peer suicide prevention; Zones of regulation; SEL curriculum) and professional
development for staff (youth mental health first aid; training on specific interventions).
G. Monitoring and Measuring Progress
The Department recognizes that transparency on how ARP ESSER funds are used and their
impact on the Nation’s education system is a fundamental responsibility of Federal, State,
and local government. In this section, SEAs will describe how they are building capacity at
the SEA and LEA levels to ensure high-quality data collection and reporting and to safeguard
funds for their intended purposes.
1. Capacity for Data Collection and Reporting: It is important for an SEA to
continuously monitor progress and make adjustments to its strategies, as well as
to support its LEAs in making adjustments to LEA strategies, based on impact.
Describe how the SEA will ensure its capacity and the capacity of its LEAs to
collect data on reporting requirements, including but not limited to the examples
of reporting requirements described in the SEA’s Grant Award Notification (listed
in Appendix B). Describe the SEA’s capacity and strategy to collect data from its
LEAs (disaggregated by student group, where applicable), to the greatest extent
practicable, including any steps the SEA will take to build its capacity in the
future (which may include the use of ARP ESSER and other Federal COVID-19
pandemic funds at the SEA and LEA levels), on issues that may include the
following:
i. Student learning, including the academic impact of lost instructional
time during the COVID-19 pandemic;
ii. Opportunity to learn measures (e.g., chronic absenteeism; student
engagement; use of exclusionary discipline; access to and
participation in advanced coursework; access to technology,
including educator access to professional development on the
effective use of technology; access to high-quality educators; access
to school counselors, social workers, nurses, and school
48
psychologists; and results from student, parent, and/or educator
surveys);
iii. Fiscal data that is comparable across the State (e.g., per-pupil
expenditures at the LEA and school levels);
iv. Jobs created and retained (by position type);
v. Participation in programs funded by ARP ESSER resources (e.g.,
summer and afterschool programs); and
vi. Other reporting requirements reasonably required by the Secretary
(please refer to Appendix B of this template; final requirements will
be issued separately).
As noted in Section 4 in much greater detail, Virginia will use the Phonological Awareness
Literacy Screening, Virginia Assessment Program, Virginia’s Remote Student Progress Test,
Growth Assessments, Just In Time Math Quick Checks, and local data sources to assists
school divisions in measuring and making decisions on how to combat COVID-19 learning
loss. Additionally, Virginia is one of the only states that is developing a data analytics system
that provides an early warning system (EWS), for extensive analysis and visualizations for
student coursework, grades, absenteeism, behavior, and state accreditation. Moreover, the
system will contain a student group comparison application with pre-populated reports to
help school divisions drive their equity efforts. A prototype of the system is nearing
completion with Orange County, Virginia where other divisions will have the opportunity to
join in the fall. There will be a rolling enrollment schedule for all divisions throughout the
2021-22 and 2022-23 school years.
Virginia is fortunate to have a solid foundation for its longitudinal data system that includes a
State Testing Id, Virginia’s unique identifier for all students, and elements to account for each
student’s current demographics. Data collections from the LEAs are collected at the
student-level allowing all student-based metrics to be disaggregated at the school,
division/district, and state level by any reporting group defined within the LDS. Many
opportunity to learn metrics can be analyzed including attendance (chronic absenteeism),
behavior and administrative responses (exclusionary discipline), transcript-like data
(advanced coursework), and device and internet access (access to technology).
VDOE will utilize its existing annual financial data collection of Virginia LEAs (i.e., Annual
School Report-Financial Section) to provide fiscal data that is comparable statewide. This
data collection is used to meet the annual ESSA Per Pupil Expenditures reporting
requirement at the LEA and school levels.
VDOE will develop and implement an online data collection form for use by LEAs to report
data on jobs created and retained with ARP ESSER funds, based on data specifications
issued by USED. Parameters will be set on data fields to increase data quality. LEAs will
submit their data to a central data set at VDOE.
VDOE will develop and implement an online data collection form for use by LEAs to report
participation in programs funded by ARP ESSER funds, based on data specifications issued
49
by USED. Parameters will be set on data fields to increase data quality. LEAs will submit
their data to a central data set at VDOE.
Based on the final reporting requirements and data specifications issued by USED, VDOE
will utilize both existing state-level data elements currently collected from LEAs, as
applicable, and develop and implement an online data collection form to collect other
required data not currently available.
2. Monitoring and Internal Controls: Describe how the SEA will implement
appropriate fiscal monitoring of and internal controls for the ARP ESSER funds
(e.g., by updating the SEA’s plan for monitoring funds and internal controls under
the CARES and CRRSA Acts; addressing potential sources of waste, fraud, and
abuse; conducting random audits; or other tools). In this response, please describe
the SEA’s current capacity to monitor ARP ESSER; steps, if needed, to increase
capacity; and any foreseeable gaps in capacity, including how the SEA will
provide its LEAs with technical assistance in the anticipated areas of greatest
need.
VDOE has a well-established and effective internal control plan in place for implementing ESEA
grants, and this structure will be used to implement the ESSER grants. A high-level summary of
VDOE’s internal control plan is below.
● The control environment includes the agency’s system of oversight, organizational
structure, and performance evaluation. Documentation of the control environment is
evidenced by the agency’s Administrative Manual, Human Resources Policy Manual, and
Agency Risk Management Internal Controls Standards (ARMICS) program plan.
● The ARMICS program plan includes the implementation of an annual agency-wide risk
assessment. The risk assessment process is managed by VDOE’s Director of Risk
Management. The process includes identification, analysis, and response to risks,
identification of change, and response to change.
● VDOE’s control activities for managing federal grants include implementation of the
performance review system, segregation of duties, and accurate and timely recording of
and documentation of transactions. The agency’s Online Management of Education Grant
Awards (OMEGA) grants management system provides built-in controls for the
subgrantee application approval and reimbursement processes. The system is designed to
control user rights and access by assigned duty/permissions. Details about the grant
management structure and process are below.
o Upon receipt of each award from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of
Federal Pandemic Relief Programs staff applied allowable set-asides and
calculated LEA allocations. Calculations were reviewed and approved by the
Office of Budget prior to making awards to LEAs.
o For each program’s state set-aside budget, proposed activities to be funded must
be approved by staff at both VDOE and at the Governor’s Office. This process
was implemented to maximize the impact of the programs and activities funded
with the state set-aside budgets.
50
o To receive formula funds, each LEA must submit an application for funds through
OMEGA. The application includes a detailed budget breakdown identifying each
expense by allowable category aligned with the allowable uses of ESSER funds.
Applications are reviewed in the OMEGA system by two program staff prior to
approval. Following initial approval of an application, all budget changes must be
justified in an application amendment.
o Following application approval, the LEA must submit a budget transfer request
aligned with the approved application. The budget transfer request places funds in
the correct object codes for reimbursement, and is reviewed by two levels of
program staff prior to approval. The OMEGA system will not allow an LEA to
transfer more funds than have been allocated.
o Following budget transfer approval, each LEA must submit reimbursement
requests to receive reimbursement for funds expended. Reimbursement requests
include a description of each program and activity by object code. They are
reviewed by program staff to ensure alignment with the application. They are then
reviewed by fiscal staff to ensure that they comply with laws, guidelines, and cash
management principles regarding allowable expenses. The OMEGA system will
not allow the LEA to request reimbursement for more funds than have been
transferred into each object code.
o Documentation for LEA grants (applications, budget transfers, and
reimbursements) is maintained in the OMEGA system. For state set-aside
activities, primary documentation to support fiscal reviews and audits for grants
and contracts that are not awarded to LEAs is maintained in the Office of Finance.
● VDOE maintains a consistent focus on information and communication with internal
and external stakeholders. Program staff and other agency staff attend meetings with the
U.S. Department of Education (USED) and other national educational organizations that
feature USED presentations. VDOE Office of Finance conducts periodic training for
agency staff, and program staff attend these trainings. VDOE Leadership Team meets
regularly and receives updates on agency policy changes and the required ARMICS
process. Program staff provided training in conjunction with the annual ESEA programs
virtual coordinators academy and will continue to provide grants management training, as
well as targeted training on areas of need, throughout the period of performance. The
current area of greatest need appears to be uses of funds for construction and renovation.
VDOE provided training on this topic recently and is providing one-on-one technical
assistance to LEAs that wish to use their funds in this manner.
● VDOE’s system for internal and external monitoring includes an annual focus on
agency-wide ARMICS testing and evaluation facilitated by the Director of Business and
Risk Management as well as federal program monitoring of subgrantees (described
below).
Subrecipient Monitoring Plan
VDOE has a well-established and effective subrecipient monitoring plan in place for
implementing ESEA grants, and this structure will be modified to implement the ESSER grants.
The Office of Federal Pandemic Relief Programs employs four full time and two wage staff who
51
can conduct monitoring. Additional staff may be hired on a part time basis to conduct monitoring
if needed. The monitoring process is summarized below.
● Develop monitoring protocol
o Programmatic and fiscal indicators will be identified to determine the degree of
implementation of ESSER programs and activities administered by subrecipients.
ESEA program subrecipient protocols will serve as a model for the ESSER fund
protocols.
o Guiding questions and interview questions will be developed to assist
subrecipients in self-assessing their compliance with each indicator and in
preparing for the monitoring visit.
● Identify subrecipients to receive monitoring
o The use of ESSER funds will be continuously monitored for all subrecipients
using the OMEGA application, budget transfer, and reimbursement approval
process outlined above; certain subrecipients will be identified to receive formal
monitoring using the monitoring protocol based on a risk assessment.
o Factors including funding amount, uses of funds as outlined in the program
application, timeliness in submitting the program application and reimbursement
requests, and program coordinator experience will be considered in identifying
subrecipients for monitoring.
● Schedule monitoring
o Subrecipient monitoring will be scheduled beginning in 2021 and will continue
throughout the period of performance.
o Subrecipients identified as having higher risk will be monitored first.
● Provide technical assistance
o Prior to the subrecipient monitoring visit, training will be conducted to assist
subrecipients as they prepare for monitoring. The monitoring protocol will be
reviewed. An overview of the fiscal and programmatic documentation to be
reviewed during the monitoring process will be provided.
● Conduct monitoring
o Monitoring will take place primarily through virtual reviews; onsite reviews may
also be scheduled.
o During the monitoring visit, VDOE staff will review documentation and
subrecipients will be interviewed.
● Notification of findings
o After the monitoring visit, a letter regarding the results of the visit will be
prepared. The letter will indicate whether the subrecipient was fully in
compliance or whether there are areas of noncompliance.
o If a subrecipient receives a letter of noncompliance, action steps and a timeline for
completion will be indicated.
o VDOE staff will monitor the completion of action steps.
52
Appendix A: School Operating Status and Instructional Mode Data Template
The data provided in Appendix A are a snapshot view of the operating status and instructional
modes provided to Virginia public school students on March 31, 2021.
Table 1
In the most recent time period available, how many schools in your State offered each mode of
instruction or learning model described below? Each row should account for all schools in your
State, so that, for each row, the sum of the numbers in the “offered to all students,” “offered to
some students,” and “not offered” columns is equal to the number in the “all schools” column.
Add or change rows as needed
Number of All schools Offered to all Offered to Not offered
schools students some students
Remote or 74 74
online only
School 1,748 1,748
buildings open
with both
remote/online
and in-person
instruction
(hybrid)
School 2 2
buildings open
with full-time
in-person
instruction
To the extent data are available, please complete the above table for 1) all schools in the State,
and 2) separately for each instructional level (e.g., pre-kindergarten/elementary schools, middle
schools, high schools).
Number of schools Elementary Middle High Combined
Remote or online only 44 13 14 3
School buildings open with both 1,112 294 291 51
remote/online and in-person instruction
(hybrid)
School buildings open with full-time 1 1
in-person instruction
53
Table 2
In the most recent time period available, what was the enrollment and mode of instruction for the
schools in your State?
Add or change rows as needed
Number of Total Remote or Both Full-time
students enrollment online only remote/online in-person
and in-person instruction
instruction
(hybrid)
Students from 538,610 272,866 241,917 23,827
low-income
families
White, not 563,735 204,313 322,692 36,730
Hispanic
Black or 267,021 174,351 83,885 8,785
African
American, not
Hispanic
Hispanic, of 212,635 104,693 99,966 7,976
any race
Asian, not 92,005 66,868 23,922 1,215
Hispanic
American 3,130 1,642 1,375 113
Indian or
Alaskan Native,
not Hispanic
Native 2,000 1,103 836 61
Hawaiian or
Pacific Islander,
not Hispanic
54
Two or more 75,662 37,161 35,687 2,814
races, not
Hispanic
English learners 162,024 80,500 75,829 5,695
Children with
163,795 69,757 84,223 9,815
disabilities
Students
experiencing 10,848 4,934 5,461 453
homelessness
Children and
youth in foster 2,930 918 1,708 304
care
Migratory
282 56 181 45
students
55
Appendix B: Reporting Language Included in the Grant Award Notification (“GAN”)
As described in the Grant Award Notification (“GAN”), the SEA will comply with, and ensure
that its LEAs comply with, all reporting requirements at such time and in such manner and
containing such information as the Secretary may reasonably require, including on matters such
as:
● How the State is developing strategies and implementing public health protocols
including, to the greatest extent practicable, policies and plans in line with the CDC
guidance related to mitigating COVID-19 in schools;
● Overall plans and policies related to State support for return to in-person instruction and
maximizing in-person instruction time, including how funds will support a return to and
maximize in-person instruction time, and advance equity and inclusivity in participation
in in-person instruction;
● Data on each school’s mode of instruction (fully in-person, hybrid, and fully remote) and
conditions;
● SEA and LEA uses of funds to meet students’ social, emotional, and academic needs,
including through summer enrichment programming and other evidence-based
interventions, and how they advance equity for underserved students;
● SEA and LEA uses of funds to sustain and support access to early childhood education
programs;
● Impacts and outcomes (disaggregated by student subgroup) through use of ARP ESSER
funding (e.g., quantitative and qualitative results of ARP ESSER funding, including on
personnel, student learning, and budgeting at the school and district level);
● Student data (disaggregated by student subgroup) related to how the COVID-19
pandemic has affected instruction and learning;
● Requirements under the Federal Financial Accountability Transparency Act (“FFATA”);
and
● Additional reporting requirements as may be necessary to ensure accountability and
transparency of ARP ESSER funds.
56
Appendix C: Assurances
By signing this document, the SEA assures all of the following:
● The SEA will conduct all its operations so that no person shall be excluded from
participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under the ARP
ESSER program or activity based on race, color, national origin, which includes a
person’s limited English proficiency or English learner status and a person’s actual or
perceived shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics; sex; age; or disability. These
non-discrimination obligations arise under Federal civil rights laws, including but not
limited to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education
Amendments Act of 1972, section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Age
Discrimination Act of 1975. In addition, the SEA must comply with all regulations,
guidelines, and standards issued by the Department under any of these statutes;
● The SEA will comply with all ARP Act and other ARP ESSER requirements and all
requirements of its Grant Award Notification, including but not limited to:
o Complying with the maintenance of effort provision in section 2004(a)(1) of the
ARP Act, absent a waiver by the Secretary pursuant to section 2004(a)(2) of the
ARP Act; and
o Complying with the maintenance of equity provisions in section 2004(b) of the
ARP Act, and ensuring its LEAs comply with the maintenance of equity provision
in section 2004(c) of the ARP Act (please note that the Department will provide
additional guidance on maintenance of equity shortly);
● The SEA will allocate ARP ESSER funds to LEAs in an expedited and timely manner
and, to the extent practicable, not later than 60 days after the SEA receives ARP ESSER
funds (i.e., 60 days from the date the SEA receives each portion of its ARP ESSER
funds). An SEA that is not able to allocate such funds within 60 days because it is not
practicable (e.g., because of pre-existing State board approval requirements) will provide
an explanation to the Department within 30 days of receiving each portion of its ARP
ESSER funds (submitted via email to your Program Officer at [State].OESE@ed.gov
(e.g., Alabama.OESE@ed.gov)), including a description of specific actions the SEA is
taking to provide ARP ESSER funds to LEAs in an expedited and timely manner and the
SEA’s expected timeline for doing so;
● The SEA will implement evidence-based interventions as required under section 2001(f)
of the ARP Act and ensure its LEAs implement evidence-based interventions, as required
by section 2001(e)(1) of the ARP Act;
● The SEA will address the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on
underserved students (i.e., students from low-income families, students from racial or
ethnic groups (e.g., identifying disparities and focusing on underserved student groups by
race or ethnicity), gender (e.g., identifying disparities and focusing on underserved
student groups by gender), English learners, children with disabilities, students
experiencing homelessness, children and youth in foster care, and migratory students), as
required under section 2001(f) of the ARP Act, and ensure its LEAs address the
disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on underserved students (i.e.,
students from low-income families, students from racial or ethnic groups, gender, English
57
learners, children with disabilities, students experiencing homelessness, children and
youth in foster care, and migratory students), as required by section 2001(e)(1) of the
ARP Act; and
● The SEA will provide to the Department: (1) the URL(s) where the public can readily
find data on school operating status and (2) the URL(s) for the SEA and/or LEA websites
where the public can find the LEA plans for a) the safe return to in-person instruction and
continuity of services required under section 2001(i) of the ARP Act, and b) use of ARP
ESSER funds. SEAs should consider ensuring a standardized URL format in all cases
(e.g., xxx.gov/COVIDplan).
58
Appendix D
OMB Control No. 1894-0005 (Exp. 06/30/2023)
NOTICE TO ALL APPLICANTS
The purpose of this enclosure is to inform include in its application a description of the
you about a new provision in the steps the applicant proposes to take to
Department of Educations General ensure equitable access to, and participation
Education Provisions Act ("GEPA") that in, its Federally-assisted program for
applies to applicants for new grant awards students, teachers, and other program
under Department programs. This provision beneficiaries with special needs. This
is Section 427 of GEPA, enacted as part of provision allows applicants discretion in
the Improving America's Schools Act of developing the required description. The
1994 (Public Law (P.L.) 103-382). statute highlights six types of barriers that
can impede equitable access or participation:
To Whom Does This Provision Apply? gender, race, national origin, color,
disability, or age. Based on local
Section 427 of GEPA affects applicants for
circumstances, you should determine
new grant awards under this program. ALL
whether these or other barriers may prevent
APPLICANTS FOR NEW AWARDS
your students, teachers, etc. from such
MUST INCLUDE INFORMATION IN
access to, or participation in, the
THEIR APPLICATIONS TO ADDRESS
Federally-funded project or activity. The
THIS NEW PROVISION IN ORDER TO
description in your application of steps to be
RECEIVE FUNDING UNDER THIS
taken to overcome these barriers need not be
PROGRAM.
lengthy; you may provide a clear and
(If this program is a State-formula grant succinct description of how you plan to
program, a State needs to provide this address those barriers that are applicable to
description only for projects or activities that your circumstances. In addition, the
it carries out with funds reserved for information may be provided in a single
State-level uses. In addition, local school narrative, or, if appropriate, may be
districts or other eligible applicants that discussed in connection with related topics
apply to the State for funding need to in the application.
provide this description in their applications
Section 427 is not intended to duplicate the
to the State for funding. The State would be
requirements of civil rights statutes, but
responsible for ensuring that the school
rather to ensure that, in designing their
district or other local entity has submitted a
projects, applicants for Federal funds
sufficient section 427 statement as described
address equity concerns that may affect the
below.)
ability of certain potential beneficiaries to
What Does This Provision Require? fully participate in the project and to achieve
high standards. Consistent with program
Section 427 requires each applicant for requirements and its approved application,
funds (other than an individual person) to an applicant may use the Federal funds
59
awarded to it to eliminate barriers it In accordance with provisions in Section 427 of
identifies. GEPA, Virginia requires applicants for federal
ESSER funds to include in the individual or
What are Examples of How an Applicant consolidated program application the steps that
Might Satisfy the Requirement of This the applicant will take to ensure equitable access
Provision? to, and participation in, ESSER funded programs
for students, teachers, and other program
The following examples may help illustrate beneficiaries with special needs. Information
how an applicant may comply with Section about this requirement is provided in the
427. program application, in the application
Guidelines, Instructions, and Assurances
(1) An applicant that proposes to carry document. A review of the steps to remove
out an adult literacy project serving, barriers under Section 427 of GEPA will be
among others, adults with limited incorporated into the federal program
English proficiency, might describe in its monitoring process for ESSER programs. If
application how it intends to distribute a during the monitoring process barriers to access
brochure about the proposed project to are identified, the applicant will be required to
such potential participants in their native develop and implement a plan to remove the
language. barrier.
(2) An applicant that proposes to
develop instructional materials for
classroom use might describe how it will
make the materials available on audio
tape or in braille for students who are
blind.
(3) An applicant that proposes to carry
out a model science program for
secondary students and is concerned that
girls may be less likely than boys to
enroll in the course, might indicate how
it intends to conduct "outreach" efforts
to girls, to encourage their enrollment.
(4) An applicant that proposes a project
to increase school safety might describe
the special efforts it will take to address
concerns of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
transgender students, and efforts to reach
out to and involve the families of LGBT
students.
We recognize that many applicants may
already be implementing effective steps to
ensure equity of access and participation in
their grant programs, and we appreciate your
cooperation in responding to the
requirements of this provision.
60
Estimated Burden Statement for GEPA Requirements
According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to
a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number.
Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 3 hours
per response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources,
gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of
information. The obligation to respond to this collection is required to obtain or retain
benefit (Public Law 103-382). Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other
aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to
the U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20210-4537 or
email ICDocketMgr@ed.gov and reference the OMB Control Number 1894-0005.
61
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