The U.S. Department of Education granted preliminary approval to “Virginia’s request for waivers from provisions of the Every Student Succeeds Act and the General Education Provisions Act that govern how and when federal education funds must be spent by states and local school districts.” Without...
The U.S. Department of Education granted permission to the Commonwealth of Virginia “to cancel federally mandated Standards of Learning tests for the 2019-2020 school year.” Under the Every Student Succeeds Act, states are required “to administer annual assessments in reading and mathematics from third grade...
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...
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...
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...
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.”
Politico’s Morning Education reports that Minnesota, New York, Virginia and West Virginia also received federal feedback this week.
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...
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...
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...
