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Fairfax County Public Schools highlighted rising phonics performance, proposed construction and renovation projects, new state accountability rules and a packed week of student activities in a January 20 update.
South Lakes High School math teacher Emily Burrell was among six Virginia educators and 336 nationwide to receive federal recognition through the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching and the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring.
The teaching award is the federal government’s highest honor for K-12 mathematics and science educators. The mentoring award recognizes efforts to expand participation in STEM fields.
FCPS Superintendent Michelle Reid also joined Fairfax County Government partners to film the school division’s segment of the 2025 State of the County video. She later attended the Hispanic Educators Association’s annual meeting at the Willow Oaks Administrative Office and watched basketball games involving Westfield, Centreville and South Lakes high schools.
Building plan heads toward February vote
The School Board held a work session and public hearing January 14 at Luther Jackson Middle School on the proposed fiscal 2026-30 Capital Improvement Program.
The annually updated plan accounts for changing construction costs and infrastructure needs. It calls for two new elementary schools, renovations at 18 elementary schools, two middle schools and two high schools, and the relocation of modular buildings.
FCPS, described as the nation’s ninth-largest school district, maintains approximately as much building space as four Pentagons while serving more than 180,000 students.
School properties also host extensive community activity. FCPS reported that its facilities accommodate approximately 500,000 events each year that are not affiliated with the school division. That use includes an average of 91 weekly events held by local nonprofit religious and cultural organizations, Fairfax County Park Authority programs at about 80 schools, School Age Child Care sites at 142 schools, and polling locations at 169 schools and centers during elections.
The board was scheduled to act on the capital plan February 6.
Students complete county leadership program
Reid spoke at the annual Fairfax County Youth Leadership Program graduation ceremony at the county Government Center.
Created through a partnership between FCPS and Fairfax County Government, the program introduces high school students to community leadership and local government. Participants attended monthly learning sessions and completed paid, three-week internships in county departments, where they interacted with government leaders and policymakers.
At Shrevewood Elementary School, the Quad 2 Family Vision Group also discussed the comprehensive school boundary review and reading intervention. Chief of Facilities and Capital Programs Janice Szymanski led the boundary discussion, while Ellen Mukai of the Instructional Services Department addressed intervention efforts. Chief of Schools Dr. Ponce also participated.
Reid and the regional assistant superintendents attended the Fairfax County NAACP’s 2025 Advocacy Agenda Rollout at Gum Springs Community Center in Alexandria. The meeting covered the organization’s legislative priorities and educational access for FCPS students.
Poe teachers target math-learning gaps
During a January 16 visit to Poe Middle School, student ambassadors welcomed Reid in English and Spanish. Students in teacher Rene Ruggle’s class also served coffee and tea from the school’s new coffee cart.
Principal Jason Pannutti then accompanied Reid through several sixth-grade mathematics classrooms. Students worked with classmates on problems posted around their rooms, including color-coded exercises designed for different skill levels.
Pannutti said Poe’s math teachers have been studying student data to identify learning gaps and provide focused assistance during Raven Time, the school’s advisory period. The work supports an FCPS strategic goal of preparing students to complete Algebra 1 successfully by eighth grade.
More boundary meetings scheduled
FCPS continued its virtual community meetings on the comprehensive boundary review, with sessions scheduled for:
- January 25 from 9:30 to 11 a.m.
- January 27 from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
- January 28 from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
- February 10 from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Each online meeting was set to follow the same format and present the same information as the earlier in-person sessions. Attendance was capped at 400 participants, and language interpretation was to be available.
Phonics scores rise across four grades
The West Potomac High School Symphonic Orchestra performed January 17 at the Gatehouse Administration Center. Orchestra director Alicia Day Javkhlan described the group as an ensemble of students committed to music, academics, athletics and other extracurricular activities.
FCPS also reported substantial gains in phonics performance following three years of explicit instruction.
The division introduced its Equitable Access to Literacy plan in 2021 and is now implementing Benchmark Advance as its K-6 language arts curriculum. The approach includes 15-minute daily phonics lessons in kindergarten through second grade and intervention groups for students in grades three through six.
Comparing fall 2024 iReady results with fall 2021, FCPS said the percentage of students performing at or above grade level in phonics increased by 18 percentage points in third grade, 21 points in fourth grade, 18 points in fifth grade and 12 points in sixth grade.
The instruction also aligns with the Virginia Literacy Act, which beginning in the 2024-25 school year required Virginia school divisions to provide evidence-based literacy instruction, including explicit phonics teaching.
WIDA scores gain weight in state ratings
FCPS multilingual learners in kindergarten through 12th grade were preparing to begin a nearly two-month period of annual WIDA English-language proficiency testing.
The scores provide teachers with information about students’ language development and readiness for instruction. Starting in 2025, they also carry greater weight under the Virginia Department of Education’s new School Performance and Support Framework.
Under the former accreditation system, multilingual progress was measured only for students who did not pass the English reading Standards of Learning test. The new framework evaluates every multilingual learner with two consecutive years of WIDA results against an individual English-development target based on the student’s grade and prior proficiency level.
Multilingual progress can now account for 10 percent of a school’s 100 possible framework points when at least 15 students have two consecutive years of WIDA scores.
Those 10 points could affect whether a school is classified as Distinguished, which requires 90 to 100 points; On Track, with 80 to 89 points; or Off Track, with 65 to 79 points.
FCPS has already made annual language-development targets for multilingual students part of its 2023-30 strategic plan.
Athletics and cheer take center stage
At Justice High School, Reid attended girls and boys basketball games January 17. The girls played Falls Church in a close contest, while the boys’ game ended with a last-minute shot from half court.
Justice’s Winter Cheer Team was also celebrating its second season after the school restored winter cheerleading the previous year. The program had grown to more than 40 members.
Principal Sean Rolon said coaches Phillips, Weston and Sanchez rotate groups between the stands and baseline so each student can participate. He credited the program with promoting community, inclusion and school spirit.
The following morning, McLean High School hosted wrestling dual meets that had been affected by weather the previous weekend. Director of Student Athletics Greg Miller and his staff coordinated the event.
Honor Band auditions draw 1,200 students
McLean also hosted Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association District 12 Honor Band auditions for students from 31 schools representing half of FCPS and all of Arlington County. Robinson Secondary School separately hosted the District 11 auditions.
District 12 planned to form two high school bands and one middle school band with a combined 263 students. Just over 20 percent of those auditioning were expected to earn places.
McLean associate band director Scott Weinhold said approximately 1,200 students auditioned in a process requiring months of preparation, 24 rooms and more than 14 hours on the Saturday of the event. Staffing included 150 student volunteers, 75 parent volunteers, 54 paid judges and band directors from most of the district’s schools.
McLean band director Chris Weise emphasized the auditions’ role in providing advanced opportunities for student musicians.
Volunteers tackle student hunger
Before leaving McLean, Reid toured a food-insecurity project supported by students and staff.
Food For Neighbors works with schools to provide nutritious food to students. Through its Red Bag Program, volunteers fill bags with nonperishable items that are collected and sorted.
The organization then supplies schools with categorized food bins. Schools can stock on-campus pantries or prepare packages for students to take home before weekends.
The week’s activities concluded as FCPS prepared to observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day, with staff and community members encouraged to treat the holiday as a day of service. Reid also planned to attend a community worship and conversation event at First Baptist Church of Vienna, weather permitting.