Henrico County Public Schools - K-5 English Language Arts Curriculum
With the passing of the Virginia Literacy Act (VLA) in 2022 by the Virginia General Assembly, we are beginning to see some changes that will affect students across the state, including our own student population here at Rivers Edge. The focus of this Act is to improve early literacy outcomes for all Virginia’s young learners, and the specific details of the act can be found at the Virginia Department of Education website, linked here: VLA details
For the 2024-25 school year, HCPS and Rivers Edge Elementary will see changes in curriculum, assessments, and report card categories as a result of the VLA. Most notably, Henrico County Public Schools will now use a new curriculum called Benchmark Advance for English Language Arts (ELA). Some elements of this new curriculum that parents should expect in your child’s classroom include:
Three-Week Units of Study
Specific and Systematic Instruction
Write-in, Consumable Booklets: Each student will receive a write-in consumable booklet for each unit. After completing each unit, students will bring these booklets home to share what they learned with their families.
Home-School Connection Letters (shared through the classroom teacher)
Learn more: Visit https://www.benchmarkeducation.com/families to learn more about these new resources.
All K-5 students at REES will begin Unit 1 of the Benchmark Advance program in the coming days. This unit will kick off a year of exciting learning and discovery, and we encourage you to engage with your child about what they are learning.
In addition to these curriculum changes, HCPS report cards and assessments will be aligned with expectations included in the VLA, so please be aware of these upcoming changes at this week’s interim point and quarterly report cards viewable through PowerSchool. English Language Arts will be broken into two categories:
Foundations: Includes activities and assessments in Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Oral Language, and Fluency.
Reading, Writing & Research: lessons and assessments in reading comprehension, writing (composition), grammar, and research
Assessments in Foundations and Reading, Writing, & Research identify different strengths and areas of growth in specific strands of literacy. Therefore, the grades in these two areas may be different based on your reader’s performance. The Benchmark Advance curriculum builds on skills throughout the year. We are excited to see our young readers and writers grow!
Thank you for your continued support and partnership in your child's education. Resources for Families | Virginia Literacy Partnerships