ROANOKE, Va. – The Virginia Board of Education wants to paint a clearer picture when it comes to telling the stories of schools throughout the Commonwealth.
In 2022, the board began discussions on a revision to Virginia’s current accreditation system. The discussions followed reports showing Virginia students are experiencing declines in both math and reading performances.
The BOE found Virginia’s current accountability system was not adequately setting high expectations for schools or students. They also found the system was difficult to understand and did not provide clear information to the public on school quality.
Through a series of listening sessions, the board is seeking community input as they work to create a new accountability system.
VDOE Superintendent of Public Instruction, Lisa Coons, wants communities to have a way of knowing how schools are doing rather than just having something based on one word.
“Right now a simple ‘Accredited … not accredited’ doesn’t really paint the picture of how schools are doing. What supports they need? How our students are doing and how we can support them. We’re excited to build a more robust system that really paints a picture of how our schools are doing in Virginia,” Coons said.
The new accountability system is meant to be separate from accreditation. It breaks up accountability into growth, achievement, and readiness.
“Is a student moving faster than expected? Is a student catching up if they’re behind? How close are the students to an achievement measure, an expectation of proficiency? Are students getting ready for the future? Those are the kinds of things we’re hearing from across the state they want to know about their students,” Coons said.
Roanoke City Schools Superintendent, Verletta White, is all for a more comprehensive look into things.
“That then is an apples-to-apples comparison. It is not just a yes or no, you did or you didn’t, or a one or a zero … it is by degree and it also just demographically similar. To me that is a more apples-to-apples comparison,” White said.
You can find a schedule of the next listening sessions here. You can also submit online comments here.