RD367 - 2013 Annual Report on the Condition and Needs of Public Schools in Virginia


Executive Summary:
In keeping with the statutory mandates, the "2013 Annual Report on the Condition and Needs of the Public Schools in Virginia" details the Board of Education's goals, actions taken in alignment with the goals, and analysis of the extent to which they have been met. The 2013 report is based on goals as described in the Board of Education’s "Comprehensive Plan: 2012-2017," and results obtained in the 2012-2013 school year. This report also contains information on the current Standards of Quality (SOQ), compliance with the SOQ and the Standards of Accreditation, a report on charter schools in Virginia, parent and student choice within school divisions, and the multidivision online provider report.

Virginia remains a leader in quality education

The mission of the Board of Education and Superintendent of Public Instruction, in cooperation with their partners, is to develop policies and provide leadership that improve student achievement and prepare students to succeed in postsecondary education and the workplace. Over the last five years, expectations have been raised through the introduction of more rigorous curriculum standards and challenging new Standards of Learning (SOL) assessments that test students’ problem-solving and critical-thinking skills as well as their content knowledge. The benchmark pass rates required for full accreditation have also increased, and high schools must meet goals for improving graduation rates.

The term Standards of Learning dates back to the 1980s.What Virginians today regard as the SOL program began in the mid-1990s in the wake of several ineffective attempts at reform plagued by low minimum expectations for all students, limited accountability for student learning of content and skills needed to be successful in the twenty-first century. The major takeaway from these efforts strongly suggests that students must possess twenty-first century knowledge beyond the “three Rs” (reading, writing, and arithmetic) and twenty-first century skills to include the “four Cs” (collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking).

Today, the focus of the SOL program has shifted to the ambitious but vital goal of college and career readiness for all students. The Board, school divisions, and schools need to remain focused on raising the rigor of Virginia’s academic standards to reflect college and career readiness, while educating the public about the impact of such changes. An historical overview of the Standards of Learning program is included in Appendix A.

The 2012-2013 academic year saw Virginia's public school students make progress in many critical areas, including the on-time graduation rate topping 89% and the dropout rate continuing to fall. While nationwide public school students’ achievement on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) was flat or declining, Virginia students’ average scores increased across the board and showed progress in narrowing achievement gaps. We saw increased Advanced Placement (AP) participation and performance by Virginia students, and our students outperformed public school graduates nationwide on American College Testing (ACT). Students also posted gains on the rigorous new SOL mathematics assessments.

In addition to more rigorous standards and assessments, next year the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) will begin a pilot of Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT) in grade 7 mathematics and grade 8 reading. In CAT, the computer scores the student’s responses to a test item and selects the next item based on the student’s response. CAT is iterative in that the process of choosing questions, scoring responses, and selecting new items is repeated throughout the test. The advantages of CAT include improved security, increased opportunity for retests, more efficient and secure online delivery, increased precision of measurements, shorter test times, and improved student motivation.

Continuing challenges faced by schools and divisions

Although Virginia has witnessed many gains in student achievement, there are continuing challenges and needs facing K-12 public education in Virginia. These include:

• Persistent achievement gaps among groups of students - Family income, race, disabilities, language proficiency, and other demographic factors remain too strong an indicator of passing rates on tests, high school graduation rates, and other measures of academic success.

VDOE continues to provide technical assistance to divisions in examining assessment, attendance, and teacher and principal evaluation data to design appropriate reforms and interventions for addressing achievement gaps. Low-performing schools are required to implement intensive reform models to improve overall reading and mathematics pass rates (and for high schools, graduation rates) and to work with a VDOE-assigned contractor to implement strategies to close achievement gaps. Further, as the Board considers revisions to the Regulations Establishing Standards for Accrediting Public Schools in Virginia, it is focusing on efforts to monitor and close achievement gaps. Recommended changes include requiring remediation and intervention services for certain students, providing for career competencies as part of the Special Diploma, requiring early identification and assistance to students with deficits in reading and mathematics, focusing principals’ efforts on closing achievement gaps, and establishing a process for local school boards to appeal an accreditation rating using student growth data.

• Chronically underperforming schools - A small but significant number of schools remain chronically low-performing by state and federal standards. Improving these schools and better serving the children who attend them will require focus, perseverance, resources, and teamwork.

The Board and VDOE, on the Board’s behalf, continue to provide technical assistance to divisions with schools accredited with warning, provisionally accredited (graduation rate), conditionally accredited and denied accreditation. Schools undergo an academic review process, designed to help schools identify and analyze instructional and organizational factors affecting student achievement. Specifically, the review process focuses on the following areas:

o Implementation of a curriculum aligned with the Standards of Learning;
o Use of time and scheduling practices that maximize instruction;
o Use of data to make instructional and planning decisions;
o Design of an ongoing, school-based program of professional development;
o Implementation of a school improvement plan addressing identified areas of weakness;
o Implementation of research-based instructional interventions for schools warned in English or mathematics; and,
o Organizational systems and processes.

• Professionalism of the teaching profession - Attracting the best and the brightest individuals into the teaching profession, supporting their continued professional development, boosting morale, and retaining those who excel is of critical importance to student achievement.

This year, the Board raised the bar on teacher licensure by increasing the minimum acceptable scores on assessments required for entry into teacher-preparation programs and state licensure, and ended the practice of relying on composite scores that may mask weaknesses in a particular area. The Board also began the process of overhauling the "Licensure Regulations for School Personnel," the "Regulations Governing the Review and Approval of Education Programs in Virginia," the "Regulations Governing the Employment of Professional Personnel," and the "Procedures for Adjusting Grievances" to increase accountability for teacher preparation programs, ensure competency in endorsement areas, and update the licensure and grievance process. The Board also continued its rigorous accreditation and review process for new and existing education programs. Further, Teacher Direct, developed by VDOE in 2013, is a new system to share instructional resources created by department staff as well as make teachers aware of professional development and grant opportunities, and other information of special interest to teachers and their students.

Continued investment of resources is integral to improving student performance, especially given the high expectations reflected in increasingly rigorous SOL tests and efforts to close achievement gaps among demographic groups coupled with fiscal pressures faced by many school divisions. Many local school systems face declining resources as a result of the recession and find it difficult to serve high percentages of students who are from low-income backgrounds, or who have limited English proficiency. While resources are declining in many localities, our expectations are high and continue to increase for all students.

VDOE will report to the Governor and General Assembly the rebenchmarked Direct Aid to Public Education budget, which represents the updated state cost of the Direct Aid programs for the 2014-2016 biennium. If we are to meet the high expectations that Virginia sets for its students, it is critical the rebenchmarked budget be fully funded.

Assessment of the Board’s goals

The Board of Education’s Comprehensive Plan: 2012-2017 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 college and career ready. The Board is committed to assessing its progress in meeting its goals. The "report card,” shown on page 9 of the report, shows 2012-2013 school year results, the one year trend, and the three year trend in several key indicators of student performance.