News & Updates for Parents
New Fall 2024! Virginia Growth Assessment 
(VGA) Parent Report
To help give families and teachers a more complete picture of student progress, VDOE has developed a new Fall Virginia Growth Assessment (VGA) Parent Report designed to provide parents additional information in a clear and accessible format.
These reports may be obtained directly from your child's school.
Additional resources for parents, can be found on the Parent Resources page of the VDOE website under the Assessment tab.
NEW! AP/IB/Cambridge Exam Fee Reduction Program for School Year 2024-2025
Is your student planning on taking an Advanced Placement,
International Baccalaureate, or Cambridge course this year? Are they interested in taking these courses in the future? Is your family experiencing an economic hardship?
If so, now is the time to talk to your high school counselor for the opportunity to potentially receive a reduced exam fee.
Virginia Launches Online VQB5 Portal to Help Families Learn about Early Childhood Options
Virginia Quality Birth to Five (VQB5) is a nation-leading statewide quality measurement and improvement system providing information about child care, family child care, Head Start, and preschool. VQB5, created by state law in 2020, includes all public and private programs that use public funds to serve children from birth to age five.
The VQB5 portal includes information on all publicly-funded sites and any non-publicly-funded sites who opt-in. It enables families to:
- Easily find out whether a site has chosen a quality curriculum and access links to health and safety inspections.
- View sites’ quality rating and performance information.
- Review up-to-date data and information. The VQB5 portal will be updated annually and shared publicly each fall.
- Easily search for a site or program by program name, address, city, or zip code.
Check out this page to learn more.
Cell Phone-Free Education in Virginia K-12 Public Schools
Governor Glenn Youngkin has issued Executive Order 33 to establish cell phone-free education to promote the health and safety of Virginia’s K-12 students. Executive Order 33 is focused on eliminating cell phone use during instructional time and addressing the mental health issues arising from children's social media and cell phone addiction. To learn more about what this means for you and your child, check out this page on the VDOE website.
Commonwealth Conversation on Restoring Childhood Through Common Sense Approaches to Social Media and Cell Phones
On September 19, the First Lady of Virginia and Dr. Jonathan Haidt convened a fireside chat and discussed the findings of Haidt’s book The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness and how it informs our communities and schools in limiting social media and cell phone use to help restore childhood and play.
NASA TechRise Student Challenge - Due Nov. 1
Students in Grades 6-12 are challenged to team up with their schoolmates to design an experiment under the guidance of an educator. Teams can submit ideas for experiments to fly on a suborbital flight platform. Winners receive $1,500 to build their payloads and an assigned spot on a NASA-sponsored commercial flight test. Visit the challenge page to learn how to get involved as an educator, student, or judge.
2025 Student Creative Expressions Contest
High school students in Virginia are invited to honor outstanding African Americans by participating in Dominion Energy and the Library of Virginia’s Strong Men & Women in Virginia History student contest. This year’s contest is built around the inquiry process of project-based learning and is designed to hit grade-specific standards through a multidisciplinary approach. Submit your project online by midnight, November 17, for a chance to win an Apple MacBook Air and $1,000 for your school.
2025 United States Senate Youth Program for High School Juniors and Seniors - Deadline Dec. 1
VDOE will select two student delegates to represent Virginia in the 63rd Annual United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) sponsored by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation. Each selected delegate will receive a $10,000 scholarship and an all-expense paid trip to for Washington Week in D.C., in March. Students interested in applying should complete an application and submit two essay responses. Building administrators will be asked at a later time to certify the student’s application. VDOE strictly adheres to the USSYP program qualifications and expectations outlined by the Hearst Foundation. Contact: Christonya Brown, HSS Coordinator with any questions.
Longwood University Competition for Young Writers
This is an annual contest for high school students in Virginia. This year's theme invites writers to explore all the various ways we can interpret the idea of “home.” Virginia students in Grades 9-12 are invited to enter by submitting to one of the following categories: poetry, fiction, nonfiction, or modern language essay. Submissions well be accepted from February 1 to March 1, 2025. Check out this website for more information.
All In Lexia Parent and Family Sessions
Lexia® has partnered with families and the Virginia Department of Education to help fulfill the state’s ALL In Tutoring priority! Lexia has announces they are now offering information sessions specifically designed for Virginia families. In these sessions, you can expect to learn how Lexia will accelerate your child’s literacy growth and how you can be ALL in with at-home strategies to support your learner!
Register for an upcoming session by creating an account. View the calendar for all upcoming sessions.
For more Lexia Family resources, please visit the Lexia Help Center.
Special Education Parent Involvement Survey for the 2023-2024 School Year
All parents of school-aged children and youth with disabilities who receive special education services in Virginia are requested to complete the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) annual Parent Involvement Survey.
This survey will remain open through December 13, 2024, and is only for families of students who have IEPs. Please complete one survey for each of your children who is currently receiving special education services during the 2023-2024 school year.
If you have any questions regarding this survey, please contact Dr. Chiquita Seaborne, Family Engagement Specialist/Special Projects Coordinator, via email at Chiquita.Seaborne@doe.virginia.gov, or via telephone at (804) 418-4672.
School Safety Resources
Executive Directive 6: Student Safety Resources Considerations for Schools and Families: VDOE published safety resources designed to promote the safety of Virginia’s religious and ethnic communities and help combat incidents of antisemitism, anti-religious bigotry, and ethnic-based violence.
Level Up Virginia: Postsecondary Readiness
Level Up Virginia is a statewide initiative led by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and the VDOE to increase postsecondary readiness, enrollment, and completion for all students in the Commonwealth. The Level Up Virginia website provides information on various educational options, including certificate programs, apprenticeships, the military, trade schools, two-year and four-year colleges, and universities. It also offers guidance on how to prepare, apply, finance, and decide on postsecondary pathways. The website now features Spanish and Arabic translations to assist students and families.
Special Populations
Parents and families of students with disabilities receiving services through an individualized education program may not be aware of available services and eligibility of students for various waiver programs in Virginia designed to provide resources to support students and their families.
The Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services administers the three available developmental disabilities waivers jointly with the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. There is a waiting list for these waivers, and the slots are assigned based on urgency of need. Additional information regarding waivers is available on the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services website.
Families can apply for a waiver by contacting their local Community Services Board (CSB) or by visiting the Virginia Association of Community Services Boards website to locate the CSB in their community.