Virginia Department of Education
(updated 4.11.13)
The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), Office of Science and Health Education, is pleased to announce the 2013 Science through an Interdisciplinary Approach (SIA) summer Institutes. The Virginia Department of Education, the Virginia Resource Use Education Council (VRUEC), Regent University’s Martinson Center for Mathematics and Science, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VDEQ), the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF), and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) have formed a partnership to design and deliver three professional development Institutes on both content and pedagogical methods for teachers. Two of the Institutes will be for K-5 teachers and the third Institute will be for middle and high school teachers. These learning experiences for teachers are designed to support the implementation of the Science Standards of Learning (SOL).
The Virginia Association of Science Teachers (VAST) and the Regent University Martinson
Center for Mathematics and Science will manage Institute registration. Registration for each of the Institutes will be closed when the Institute is filled, and all registration will be closed on June 17, 2013. Registration can be completed online at http://vast.org/vaeducation.html. Notifications of acceptance will be provided to applicants and the applicants’ school principals by e-mail on or before June 21, 2013.
To register, please click on the titles below. Note-you may register your team or individuals can register separately. Questions regarding registration should be directed to Charity Mack, via e-mail at cmack@regent.edu or by telephone at (757) 352-4123. Other questions regarding the Institutes should be directed to Barbara P. Young, science specialist, via e-mail at barbara.young@doe.virginia.gov or by telephone at (804) 225-2676.
1. SIA – Register here: Physical Science through an Interdisciplinary Approach
Audience: K-5 teachers
Dates: July 14-19, 2013
Location: Regent University Campus, Virginia Beach, VA
Lead: Dr. Jenny Sue Flannagan, Regent University
Focus: Physical Science
2. SIA – Register here: Our Living Environment: Cycles, Systems, and Processes
Audience: K-5 teachers
Dates: July 28 – August 2, 2013
Location: Graves Mountain Lodge, Syria, VA
Lead: Page Hutchinson, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
Focus: Life and Earth Sciences
3. SIA – Register here: Investigating the Biodiversity of the Southwest Virginia Watersheds
Audience: middle and high school teachers (teachers from Superintendents’ Region 7 will be given first preference)
Dates: July 7-12, 2013
Location: Hungry Mother State Park, Marion, VA
Lead: Suzie Gilley, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries
Focus: Investigating the biodiversity of the southwest Virginia watersheds
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The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) is pleased to announce the availability
ofTeacherDirect, a new Web site that provides information directly to teachers. TeacherDirect has
three components:
o SOL NEWS contains weekly updated items of interest to teachers, such as new instructional
resources, upcoming professional development activities, grant and scholarship opportunities, and student contests;
o SOL EVENTS contains a searchable professional development calendar of conferences, webinars, and institutes that support the Standards of Learning (SOL); and
o SOL LIBRARY contains catalogs of all DOE resources available to teachers of English, mathematics, science, and history and social science; and videos and narrated PowerPoint
presentations on how the Standards of Learning are created and assessed, as well as DOE resources available to support them.
TeacherDirect is available on the DOE’s Web site at:
http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/teacher_direct/index.shtml
NEW! Sign up to receive weekly email
notifications of updates to TeacherDirect News.
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VDOE Science Resources
The science Web page has been updated to the 2010 Science Standards of Learning. New resources have been added and the Science Instruction Web page has been updated in order to allow for easier navigation. Please visit http://www.doe.virginia.gov/instruction/science/index.shtml for professional development and instructional resources such as:
- Science SOL Institute Resources, Virginia Science Standards of Learning Institute Resources, and VISTA Infomration
- Science Instructional Resources by Elementary and Secondary such as:
- Enhanced Scope and Sequence
- Virginia Animals and Their Habitats
- Using Significant Digits in Chemistry
- Practices for Science Investigation Progression
- Science SOL Test Practice Items
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Graduation Requirements
As the school year begins, it is important to be reminded of the graduations requirements. The following offers a link to the Virginia graduation requirements (http://www.doe.virginia.gov/instruction/graduation/index.shtml). The diploma types are listed as well as the associated graduation requirements for each. Also provided is a list of Board of Education approved courses.
Approved Courses:
