Should they be signed into law by Governor McAuliffe, bills recently passed by the General Assembly would modify some of the scrutiny of school systems that meet state standards. The state would also create a different method to inform parents of how well those schools are doing.
After educators lambasted the state's A-F grading system created a few years ago, lawmakers crafted a new method to measure school performance. Bill sponsor Delegate Tag Greason says this gives the Board of Education authority to redesign a more comprehensive school performance report card.
"And provides more guidance on a broader area of metrics that people can look at, not just a single letter grade, and so I think this is an improvement."
The metrics include student growth indicators. A second measure would allow the Board to forego reviewing the accreditation status of a public school every year if it has been fully accredited for three consecutive years. The Board could instead opt to review the school’s status once every three years.