Superintendent’s Feb. 28, 2024 Update

Dear APS Families,

As part of our continued focus on student growth, I want to share an update on the mid-year testing that our elementary and middle schools recently completed in reading and math, along with other updates and reminders. 

DIBELS
Students in grades K-5 took the midyear DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) Screener as one of the measures we use to assess progress in literacy skills. Across the school division, mid-year DIBELS results indicate that 71.1% of our K-5 students are on track to demonstrate proficiency in grade-level literacy skills by the end of the school year; this represents a 1.3% increase from last year’s mid-year data.

NWEA MAP Growth
Students in grades 1-8 were assessed in reading and math on the NWEA MAP Growth Assessment. This is a new assessment that provides us with a comparison of student performance to their peers nationwide.

• Approximately 77% of students in grades 6-8 are on track to demonstrate proficiency in grade-level literacy skills on the end-of-year reading SOL assessment.
• Approximately 81% of students in grades 2-5 are on track to demonstrate proficiency in grade-level mathematics skills on the end-of-year mathematics SOL assessment.
• For grades 6-8, 67% of students are currently on track to demonstrate proficiency in grade-level mathematics skills on the end-of-year mathematics SOL assessment.

Our teachers and staff will utilize these assessment results to target support for those not meeting goals and make instructional decisions, while they continue to support all students by name, strength, and need.  Your student’s mid-year assessments will be posted in ParentVUE under Test History by March 1. If you have questions about your student’s performance, please contact their teacher.  You can also access past year’s data and other information on the Student Progress Dashboard.

Additional Updates and Reminders:

• Fiscal Year 2025 Budget: Tomorrow, I will present the Proposed FY 2025 Budget at 7 p.m. The budget strives to sustain our core investments in our students, staff and schools, while acknowledging the unmet needs that remain high priorities for the division.
  • The proposed budget focuses on three main priorities: Enhancing student well-being and academic progress; recruiting, retaining and investing in a high-quality and diverse workforce; and improving operational efficiency.
  • There are a variety of ways for families to provide input, including through engage@apsva.us as well as during the Public Hearing on my proposed budget on March 14. More information on the budget can be found here.

• No School on Tue, March 5: As a reminder, next Tue, March 5 is a student holiday and teacher workday since many schools serve as polling locations on the Presidential Primary Day.  As many staff will telework, please note that school front office staff can be reached by phone and email. The Welcome Center at Syphax will be open.

Have a wonderful remainder of the week!

Sincerely,

Dr. Francisco Durán
Superintendent