The Virginia Literacy Act (VLA) passed by the Virginia General Assembly in 2022 and expanded in 2023, focuses on improving literacy outcomes for all students in the Commonwealth. The VLA requires that “each local school board shall provide a program of literacy instruction that is aligned with science-based reading research and provides evidenced-based literacy instruction to students in kindergarten through grade 8.” To support school divisions to comply with this requirement, the VLA requires the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) to recommend instructional programs–including core, supplemental, and intervention materials–for approval by the Virginia Board of Education (VBOE).

VDOE partnered with Virginia Literacy Partnerships (VLP) at the University of Virginia School of Education and Human Development to facilitate reviews of core instructional programs. The Core Instructional Program Review process is unique to Virginia and consists of two phases, each with discrete rubrics for each grade band. Rubrics were produced by VLP; reviewed by national experts, Virginia higher education partners, and Virginia educators; and posted online. Reviews were conducted by outstanding Virginia educators including administrators, reading specialists, and teachers from all eight regions. This review process was also designed to align with Virginia’s textbook adoption process.