Virginia DOE releases new Parent Reports for winter growth assessment of students

The Virginia Department of Education announced the release of the new Parent Report covering the results of this year’s Winter Virginia Growth Assessments.

Designed to provide parents additional insight into their child’s individual performance at this point in the school year, the report is available to parents whose children have already taken the Winter VGA in school divisions statewide, with other students scheduled to take the assessments in the weeks ahead. The reports enable parents to understand their child’s academic progress at this point in the 2023-2024 school year.

“It is extremely important that parents have an accurate understanding of where their child stands at this point of the school year,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Lisa Coons said. “As I have listened to parents across the Commonwealth, I have heard their desire to have more understandable information on how their child is performing in school. I want to make sure parents have the information they need, and that they are empowered to work with their child’s teacher to help their child meet or exceed their grade-level expectations.”

An example of the new Parent Report as well as additional resources for parents can be found on the Parent & Caregiver Resources for Assessments webpage on the VDOE website.

“By providing an easy-to-read performance graphic along with resources families can use at home, the new VGA Parent Report empowers parents and students to understand academic performance, set goals together, and track progress over time,” Jenna Alexander, President of the Virginia PTA, said.

The Parent Report ties together the child’s Fall Growth Assessment score and the current winter results to show the current trend in the child’s academic progress this year. The report also clearly informs parents if their child’s test scores show that the child needs additional support, is considered at-risk of falling behind, or if the child is generally well prepared at this point of the school year.

The Winter VGA testing began November 27, 2023, and continues through February 16, 2024, with local school divisions choosing the dates to administer the assessments to students. After a school division has completed the assessments, Parent Reports will be available to parents of children who are enrolled in 3rd- to 8th-grade mathematics and 3rd- to 8th-grade reading classes.

All school divisions already completing the Winter VGA have access to Parent Reports. Remaining school divisions will receive the reports after students have completed the assessments. Parents in school divisions which provide access to the State Parent Portal and which have completed the assessments will have access to their child’s Parent Report starting on Friday, January 19, 2024.

The Winter VGA Parent Report is a resource created for parents by the VDOE’s recently launched Office of Parent Engagement. The Office of Parent Engagement is an initiative of the VDOE focused on supporting parents with the information, resources and answers to questions about their child’s education and helping them understand the importance of working closely with their child’s teacher to help ensure academic success.