Anne Holton on Some “Terrible Changes” by the VA Board of Education’s Youngkin-Appointed Majority

Thank to Anne Holton for alerting us to these “terrible changes” by the Virginia Board of Education’s Youngkin-appointed majority, and explaining why they are “wrong for Virginia.”

• “The new Accountability Framework will likely declare 70%+ (1200+) of VA schools ‘off-track’ or ‘needs intensive support’—that could go even higher w/ changes being considered re: grading SOL tests.”
• “The current Administration has not proposed any meaningful new resources to help schools improve—creating a huge ‘support gap’. Many schools currently making dramatic progress and helping students grow will be labelled ‘off-track’ but get no new help.”
• “This new framework is not well thought through or vetted—and will not meaningfully focus attention on schools that most need it, which should be the top goal of accountability.”
• “My lonely ‘no’ vote was overruled by Youngkin appointees. We absolutely must do better by our neediest students but punishing schools & teachers who serve them will hurt—not help. Very disappointing. This will create a mess for the next administration or legislature to clean up.”