Virginia
April 30, 2015
Virginia Department of Education Awards 21st Century Grants
August 26, 2019
On August 26, VDOE announced that it is “awarding 28 grants to fund new 21st Century Community Learning Centers in 19 school divisions,” reports ABC 13 News. “The 21st Century Community Learning Centers program is authorized under Title IV, Part B, of the federal Elementary...
Struggling Schools in Virginia, Equity, and ESSA
October 24, 2018
Virginia’s Department of Education has released a report identifying the state’s lowest-performing schools, Justin Mattingly reports for the Richmond Times Dispatch. Nineteen schools in Richmond were identified “as needing support” under ESSA. “This is the first year the state Education Department has identified schools that...
All About ESSA as Old Dominion Begins School Year
September 2, 2018
Justin Mattingly reports for the Richmond Times-Dispatch that Virginia is in the midst of implementing its ESSA plan, which among other measures includes a new accreditation system. As the state puts its plan into practice, Mattingly provides timely answers “to common questions about ESSA, Virginia’s plan and what it...
Faith Leader Not so Hot on Old Dominion’s ESSA Plan
March 5, 2018
Rev. Tony Suarez opines in The Virginian-Pilot that, “unfortunately for Virginians, an independent and bipartisan peer review of our state [ESSA] plan (published at bit.ly/CheckStatePlansVA) uncovered some serious concerns about our schools’ transparency and accountability.”
MN, NY, VA and WV Also Receive Fed. Feedback
December 20, 2017
Politico’s Morning Education reports that Minnesota, New York, Virginia and West Virginia also received federal feedback this week.
VA’s New ESSA Plan Gives Credits to Students Who Show Growth
September 18, 2017
Student academic growth “will carry greater weight in evaluating Virginia schools” under the Commonwealth’s new ESSA plan, which has been submitted for federal approval. Virginia Department of Education officials “say a big change is that Virginia’s plan uses a metric that includes not just test...
VA Dept. of Ed Proposes New Accountability System
August 8, 2017
The Virginia Dept. of Education is proposing a new accountability system. Under the new plan, “schools will be identified as requiring either ‘comprehensive support and improvement’ — when school-wide test scores fall short of benchmarks — or ‘targeted support and improvement’ — when a subgroup...
Groups Express their Concern about VA’s ESSA Plan
July 26, 2017
The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia and the Legal Aid Justice Center wrote a letter to the state Dept. of Education expressing concern about its ESSA plan. The groups argue, “There have been few meaningful opportunities for public input since the draft’s release.” The...
VA Dept. of Ed Releases Website that Puts Report Card Data into Context Useful for Parents
March 10, 2017
In response to the state report card provision under ESSA, the Virginia Dept. of Education released a website that “captures report card data” and “puts it into context that is meaningful and useful for parents, students and the general public.” Virginia State Superintendent Steven R. Staples stated that the “School...
VA Dept. of Ed Announces Plans to Submit Final ESSA Plan in September
January 30, 2017
The Virginia Dept. of Education announced the state will submit its final ESSA plan in September. State Superintendent Steven Staples stated the pushback came from “uncertainty over how President Donald Trump might affect the law.” Staples does not want to submit the plan until “some...
VA Likely to Postpone ESSA Plan Implementation
December 12, 2016
As reported by the Roanoke Times, Virginia will “likely take advantage” of the new regulations that allow states to postpone ESSA plan implementation. According to State Superintendent Steven Staples, “We may not have to rush to get that plan in now.”
VA Launches Statewide ESSA Implementation Team and Digital Toolkit
July 19, 2016
Virginia Education Association has created a statewide ESSA implementation team and produced an online ESSA Digital Toolkit with resources to help constituents understand the law, creating your own ESSA team, recruiting members and presenting to local school boards.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Releases State ESSA Primers
May 16, 2016
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s primers include individual state by state accountability system fact sheets, which detail each state’s current accountability system, what could change under ESSA, and what to be asking state leaders. See details about your state here.
VA Releases Memo on Changes to Teacher Qualifications under ESSA
April 1, 2016
Steven R. Staples, Superintendent of Public Instruction with the state Department of Education released a memo to VA division superintendents outlining some key differences that are know at this time between teacher qualifications under NCLB and ESSA. Read more here.