RD350 - 2011 Annual Report on the Condition and Needs of Public Schools in Virginia


Executive Summary:
Overview

The "2011 Annual Report on the Condition and Needs of the Public Schools in Virginia" is a companion document to the Board of Education’s "Comprehensive Plan: 2011-2016," which sets forth the Board’s goals for public education in Virginia. (*1)

The first section of this report gives a concise and comprehensive assessment of the extent to which the Board’s goals are being accomplished. Highlights of the policy decisions made by the Board of Education to address each of its seven goals are shown. Major actions to implement the policy decisions are briefly described, along with a candid snapshot of the current condition and needs of the public schools in Virginia.

In addition, the report highlights some of the impressive gains made by our students and our public schools. It is clear that Virginians have much to be proud of in the achievement of its schools and young people. The caveat to this success is that the good news should not mask the fact that Virginia’s public schools have serious needs that remain to be tackled.

This report also contains the information required to be included by the Code of Virginia: information on compliance with the Standards of Quality and the Standards of Accreditation, report on charter schools, and the multidivision online provider report.

Overarching Goal: College and Career Ready Graduates

Schools must meet the increasingly diverse needs of students who will live, compete, and work in an expanding and complex global, technology-driven economy. To that end, the Board of Education’s overarching goal is for all of Virginia’s public school graduates to be college and career ready. Stated succinctly:

. . . “college and career readiness” refers to the content knowledge and skills high school graduates must possess in English and mathematics—including, but not limited to, reading, writing communications, teamwork, critical thinking and problem solving—to be successful in any and all future endeavors. Of course, readiness for college and careers depends on more than English and mathematics knowledge; to be successful after high school, all graduates must possess the knowledge, habits and skills that can only come from a rigorous, rich and well-rounded high school curriculum. (*2)

Using Limited Fiscal Resources Effectively and Efficiently for Student Learning

Raising student achievement is a priority that overrides fiscal difficulties. Virginia, as with most states, is experiencing unprecedented fiscal challenges at both the state and local levels. While funding adequacy and equity must remain a priority, ensuring that limited resources are used as effectively as possible is paramount.

Virginia’s economic condition is better than most states, which has mitigated the impact of reductions to public education funding. Small budget surpluses were realized for both FY10 and FY11, indicative of the budgetary stability Virginia has accomplished through targeted reductions throughout state government and conservative revenue and expenditure budgeting by the administration and the legislature. While reductions had to be made to K-12 funding during the 2009 and 2010 legislative sessions, these reductions were focused on minimizing disruptions in classroom instruction. Unlike many states, Virginia was able to increase state support for K-12 education by over $200 million from last year (FY11) to this year (FY12). Additional information on K-12 funding is shown in Appendix F.

As the economy and revenues improve, Virginia will have the opportunity to reinvest in public K-12 education. While Virginia leaders should look to fund basic operational funds to schools where warranted, with a focus on classroom instruction, new funding provides opportunities to implement new approaches in public education that increase innovation, choice, and flexibility, and that have demonstrated impacts on student achievement. Some of these approaches that will be priorities for Virginia to consider include:

• Providing incentives to focus and redirect local K-12 spending and SOQ spending on teaching and learning;

• Supporting value-added instructional delivery such as STEM, dual enrollment, industry credentials, and extended instructional time during and beyond the current instructional year;

• Combining increases in base teacher pay with differentiated compensation models based on difficulty of assignments and teacher impact on student achievement (e.g., hard-to-staff schools);

• Supporting innovative public school delivery approaches that provide choice and quality options such as charter, college lab, and virtual schools, and flexible funding that follows students choosing these approaches;

• Providing cost-effective models for the use of instructional time; and

• Reviewing the number of diploma types being offered and determining whether each type effectively meets its intended purpose.

Continued Improvement Requires Continued Investment

Virginia may be headed in the right direction in terms of student achievement, but schools have a long way to go if Virginia is to remain competitive nationally and internationally. This annual report points toward critical areas of need that will undermine our public schools’ future success if not addressed quickly and effectively. Any decision regarding the allocation of time, money, or people must be focused on proven, effective policies and actions to reach the Board’s goals. This is especially important during this time of tight budgets at the local, state, and federal levels.

The point that cannot be missed is this: Continued improvement in our public schools will require continued investment. This is not simply a matter of putting more money into our schools; rather it is a matter of carefully and thoughtfully focusing all available resources where they can be most effective.

The Board’s Performance Measures: Are Goals Being Met?

The Board of Education’s "Comprehensive Plan: 2011-2016" defined seven goals and the strategies it will implement to meet its goals. The goals directly address the realities and challenges our public schools face in ensuring all graduates are ready for college and a career. In the body of this annual report, the Board’s recent policy actions related to each of its goals are highlighted. Along with each goal, the Board set performance measures in order to gauge its progress in meeting its goals.

The following pages summarize the Board’s performance measures and where Virginia’s public education system stands in terms of results for each of the seven goals, including a brief overview of programs and initiatives in place that address each goal. Also included is a summary of the needs of Virginia’s public schools as seen from an examination and analysis of data and assessment results. (See full report for "A Report Card on the Board’s Performance Measures.")

Critical Needs of the Public Schools in Virginia

The data and performance measures in this report show that, while the Board of Education has made progress in meeting its goals, much remains to be done. A challenging year is ahead as Virginia’s public schools face the economic headwinds that have developed in recent years. With fiscal challenges as the reality, the Board of Education must redouble its efforts to help schools raise student achievement by focusing policies and targeting resources in the most effective place for student learning: in the classroom.

Studies suggest that for Virginia and the nation to remain competitive in the global economy, the U.S. is going to need to make substantial gains in mathematics and science achievement. A recent study found that “the percentages of high-achieving students in the United States—and in most of its individual states—are shockingly below those of many of the world’s leading industrialized nations.” (*14)

Another study, which also provided a state-by-state comparison, showed that even the top performing state—Massachusetts—is behind 14 countries who participated in the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) assessment. (*15) Virginia ranks 6th in the U.S., but there remain 22 countries in which more students reach advanced levels of mathematics than in Virginia. (*16)

With that perspective, the critical needs of Virginia’s public schools may be summarized as follows:

• Schools need continued investment in resources that are integral to improving student performance, closing achievement gaps, and graduating all students college and career ready. School leaders are struggling with how to best allocate resources essential to their core mission of educating young people in this era of limited state, federal, and local resources.

• The need to comply with federal laws, programs, rules, and regulations has led to a significant strain on fiscal and staff resources at the state and local levels. Virginia needs a new model for federal accountability that maintains high expectations for student achievement, recognizes growth—overall and by subgroup—and accurately identifies schools most in need of improvement. To that end during the fall of 2011, the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Board of Education are engaging stakeholders in discussing process options and parameters for developing a request for federal regulatory relief while maintaining and strengthening Virginia’s educational accountability program. This will be a critically important discussion with far-reaching outcomes for Virginia’s public schools.

• Schools need help and resources to implement new learning opportunities for students, including an emphasis on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) programs; charter school programs; college partnership laboratory programs; and online learning programs. And these programs must thrive along with the more traditional courses, such as the arts and foreign languages.

• Raising the rigor of Virginia’s academic standards is a challenge faced by the Board of Education in its drive to focus on college and career readiness standards—including workplace skills and knowledge—that are internationally competitive. This is what citizens and parents expect and what our students deserve.

• One of the most pressing education-policy challenges that Virginia currently faces is the persistent achievement gaps that exist among subgroups of students. The disparity shows up on statewide and national measures of achievement, including on-time graduation rates, dropout rates, Standards of Learning test performance, NAEP, SAT, Advanced Studies diploma rates. Some specific examples of the gaps include:

• Economically disadvantaged students and minority students are less likely than all students to graduate in four years. There is a 9-, 11-, and 12- point achievement gap for black, Hispanic, and economically disadvantaged students, respectively, compared to the overall graduation rate.

• The most recent results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) show that that black and Hispanic students trailed their white peers by more than 22 test-score points on the reading assessments at 4th and 8th grades. In mathematics, NAEP results at the 4th and 8th grades show a 22- and 29- test-score point difference between black students and their white peers. Similar gaps exist for economically disadvantaged and for limited English proficient students, which are two of Virginia’s fastest growing subgroups.

• These gaps persisted in the NAEP results even though the score differentials between black and white students narrowed between 1992 and 2007 in 4th grade mathematics and reading and 8th grade mathematics.

• Seventy-one percent of Virginia’s Asian graduates earned the Advanced Studies diploma, while 55 percent of white students, 37 percent of Hispanic students, and 29 percent of black students earned the Advanced Studies diploma. Eight percent of students with disabilities and 26 percent of economically disadvantaged students earned the Advanced Studies diploma.

• Another form of achievement gap is the gap between the academic performance of students in the United States compared to other countries. For Virginia and the nation to remain competitive in the global economy, the U.S. is going to need to make substantial gains in mathematics and science achievement.

• Promoting high-quality preschool programs is important. Almost 16,000 children are now served by the Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI); however, almost 6,700 more eligible children are not served. In terms of literacy skills, attending a VPI program showed a beneficial association for all students. This effect is maintained through first grade for blacks and Hispanics, and students with disabilities.17 Thus, increasing the number of children served by the VPI program is of critical importance to preparing Virginia’s students for success early in their school years.

• A high priority for the public schools is dealing effectively with the realities of schooling for some children who face difficult personal circumstances such as high poverty, high crime in their neighborhoods, high rates of unhealthy behaviors, poor nutrition, and other circumstances that obstruct their learning at school. The Board must help local divisions by providing solid, workable guidelines and policies to assist those who are being tripped up by factors that go beyond the school doors.

• Attracting the best and the brightest individuals into the teaching profession is a high priority. Finding and retaining qualified teachers in chronic shortage areas have been persistent problems for many local divisions. Shortage areas include special education, mathematics, some foreign languages, and teachers of English as a Second Language. Of particular concern, too, is recruiting and retaining teachers for STEM programs.

• As schools implement more rigorous standards and tests in English and mathematics, starting with mathematics this year and followed by English during 2012-2013, there may be further declines in accreditation. As more rigorous standards and assessments become effective, a new trend line will begin, but we must not become alarmed or discouraged. We must not give into temptation to preserve the status quo. Raising standards is the right thing to do, and our teachers and schools will rise to the challenge. Virginia students will be better prepared as a result.

Multidivision Online Providers

In 2010, the Virginia General Assembly passed legislation authorizing the establishment of virtual school programs. The legislation required the Superintendent of Public Instruction to develop and the Virginia Board of Education to approve criteria for approving, monitoring, and, if necessary, revoking the contracts of multidivision providers of online courses and virtual school programs. It stipulated that the courses or programs must meet certain requirements with regard to accreditation and staffing and that the educational objectives and assessments meet or exceed the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) and Standards of Accreditation.

Throughout 2011, the Department of Education produced and implemented the multidivision online provider application process, including the development of "Criteria for Approval of Multidivision Online Providers" and the application, appeal, and monitoring process. The application window was open for 30 days, beginning on February 1, 2011. During that time, 14 organizations submitted applications and course correlation documents. After a thorough review, 13 of these organizations were approved to offer online instruction as multidivision online providers. For the one rejected application, review teams noted significant deficiencies in policy, pupil performance standards, Section 508 compliance, teacher licensure requirements, and correlation to the SOL. The full report on multidivision online providers is in Appendix G of the annual report document.

Compliance with the Standards of Quality

One hundred-four divisions (listed in Appendices A and B of the full report) reported full compliance with the provisions of the Standards of Quality (SOQ) in the 2010-2011 school year. Last year, ninety-four divisions reported full compliance. Appendix B contains a list of school divisions that reported noncompliance with certain provisions of the SOQ.

As in previous years, the standard that shows the most divisions in noncompliance is Standard 3: Accreditation, other standards and evaluation. Thirteen divisions reported noncompliance because not all schools in the division were fully accredited, as required by the SOQ. Twelve divisions reported noncompliance with Standard 2: Instructional, administrative, and support personnel because each had teachers teaching in classes outside of their endorsement areas.

Compliance with the Standards of Accreditation

Ninety-six percent of Virginia’s 1,838 public schools are fully accredited and meeting all state standards for achievement in English, mathematics, history and science—and graduation, in the case of high schools. Ninety-eight percent of Virginia’s elementary schools and 97 percent of middle schools are fully accredited for the 2011-2012 school year, based on the performance of students on Standards of Learning (SOL) and other state assessments during 2010-2011. Schools failing to meet the accreditation requirements are listed in Appendix C of the full annual report document.

The percentage of fully accredited high schools dropped to 86 percent, compared with 99 percent last year, as the Board of Education introduced a “graduation and completion index” as a new accountability factor for high schools, in addition to student achievement on state tests. The index system awards full credit for students who earn a board-recognized diploma and partial credit for students who earn General Education Diplomas (GEDs) and local credentials, as well as for students who are still enrolled and expected to return for a fifth year of high school. High schools must have a graduation and completion index of at least 85 for full accreditation.

Closing Statement by the Virginia Board of Education

The condition and needs of Virginia’s public schools described in this report should be viewed as guideposts for action. The information in this report points toward critical areas of need that will undermine Virginia’s future success if not addressed quickly and effectively. Public education benefits everyone. It is the key to ensuring quality of life and economic prosperity for Virginia’s citizens both now and in the future.

The encouraging progress made by Virginia’s schools and students should not mask the realities of schooling for some children who may face difficult personal circumstances such as high poverty, high crime in their neighborhoods, and other circumstances that obstruct their learning at school. Moreover, the condition and needs of schools surely reflect the condition and needs found in their communities. While the achievement gaps that exist among groups of students are narrowing, the gaps persist and provide a huge challenge to our public schools.

Raising the rigor of Virginia’s academic standards is a challenge faced by the Board of Education in its drive to focus on college and career readiness standards that are internationally competitive. As schools implement more rigorous standards and tests in English and mathematics, there may be further declines in accreditation. We must not become alarmed or discouraged. We must not give into temptation to preserve the status quo. Raising standards is the right thing to do and our teachers and schools will rise to the challenge and Virginia students will be better prepared as a result.

The Board of Education is bold in its expectations and the actions taken as a result. It also acknowledges the challenges our students will face as they grow into productive adult citizens of the global economy—the rapid growth in technology, the changing demographics of our communities, and greater demands for skills for all citizens.

With its comprehensive plan of action as its roadmap, the Board of Education’s overarching goal is for all of Virginia’s public school graduates to be college and career ready.
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(*1) The full document may be retrieved from http://www.doe.virginia.gov/boe/plan/comprehensiveplan.pdf.
(*2) Achieve. 2011. "What Is College- and Career-Ready?" Retrieved from http://www.achieve.org/files/CollegeandCareerReady.pdf
(*14) Hanushek, E.A., Peterson, P.E., & Woessmann, L. (2010). Teaching math to the talented. Which countries--and states--are producing high-achieving students? Reported by: Educationnext, Winter 2011/Vol 11, No. 1. http://educationnext.org/teaching-math-to-the-talented/. Cambridge, MA: Program on Education Policy and Governance, Harvard Kennedy School.
(*15) PISA is a triennial survey of the knowledge and skills of 15-year-olds. More than 400,000 students from 57 countries making up close to 90% of the world economy take part. The focus was on science but the assessment also included reading and mathematics.
(*16) Phillips, Gary W., (2007). Chance Favors the Prepared Mind: Mathematics and Science Indicators for Comparing States and Nations. American Institutes for Research: Washington, DC.