U.S. Virgin Islands

The Region 3 Comprehensive Center (R3CC) provides guidance, resources and support to the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Education (VIDE), as it assists districts and schools to improve educational opportunities for all children. In Year 5, R3CC's efforts will focus on curriculum and instruction, which will include an early learning project with the Regional Educational Laboratory – Northeast and Islands (REL-NEI), as well as assisting the VIDE with their Consolidated Grant Application (CGA).

An enhancement to the existing K–12 curriculum and VIDE support system is required to reinforce the foundation laid by the Pre-K initiative; so that 4-year-olds can smoothly transition to kindergarten and beyond. Additionally, the VIDE leadership has identified the need to expand the micro-site (#GoOpenUSVI) to house the enhanced Pre-K–12 curriculum. R3CC will provide technical assistance to the VIDE to facilitate Collaborative Design Team activities and meetings.

In addition, R3CC will partner with the VIDE to build the capacity of state and district leadership through the implementation of the Curriculum and Open Educational Resources Council to address Pre-K–12 curriculum and instruction initiatives in the USVI.

To learn more, visit #GoOpenUSVI (vide.vi)

Since the USVI is considered an Insular Area, it receives its education funding differently from mainland states. It receives its federal education funding through a Consolidated Grant Application (CGA), which is updated annually. The R3CC stands ready to assist the VIDE with any support necessary to submit the CGA, so that it is funded in a timely manner. This assistance could be in the form of helping to review drafts of the CGA and providing support for conducting a comprehensive needs assessment and identifying evidence-based practices.

In 2023, R3CC began working with VIDE’s English Learner’s Program to support them with research concerning dual language and other alternative ESL pathways. In addition, R3CC will assist VIDE with creating:

• an EL Toolkit for General Education Teachers
• a Toolkit for Parents of ELs
• a Toolkit for Teachers of ELs based on the WIDA standards, using infographics and other user-friendly approaches