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Board of Education will again consider chronic absenteeism in school accreditation decisions
Virginia will again begin evaluating schools’ efforts to get students into classes regularly as part of school accreditation decisions after the Board of Education rejected a request from Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration. Last Thursday, with student absences due to illness still high, the Department of Education recommended suspending the use of chronic absenteeism as a […]
After months of debate, Virginia Board of Education adopts history standards
After a years-long process, the Virginia Board of Education on Thursday adopted its latest version of history and social science standards that will go into effect during the 2025-26 school year. The next steps for the board include approving textbooks and creating curriculum frameworks, which detail the specific knowledge and skills necessary for students to […]
As AP course enrollment dips, Virginia students eye dual enrollment
Callee Love, a student at William & Mary, is likely to finish her time at the university in two years, thanks to her Southwest Virginia high school offering dual enrollment courses, which allow high school students to earn college credits by taking college-level courses through their high school or community college. Dual enrollment “just really […]
All Virginia schools will soon be required to have defibrillators
Under a law recently passed by the General Assembly, Virginia will require public schools to acquire and maintain automated external defibrillators, or AEDs, a medical device commonly used to help a heart return to a normal rhythm in an emergency. It’s unclear how many schools in the commonwealth already have defibrillators, but the new law […]
General Assembly upholds veto of bill letting utility vehicles park on private property without permission
Lawmakers agreed Wednesday to uphold Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s veto of legislation that would have allowed public utility and broadband providers to temporarily park their vehicles on private property without permission of the owner while conducting service or maintenance. Youngkin had said the bill violated the rights of property owners. The Democratic-controlled Senate accepted the governor’s […]
Virginia bus driver shortages continue, but determining how bad they are is complicated
Virginia’s public schools continue to face challenges transporting students to school amid ongoing bus driver shortages spurred by factors such as low pay and strict safety and retirement regulations. At the same time, divisions have also found creative ways to stay ahead of the driver shortage. Shannon Grimsley, superintendent of Rappahannock County Public Schools, said […]
Rise in absences prompts Virginia to consider changes in accreditation requirements
Virginia education leaders are mulling another temporary pause in the use of chronic absenteeism as a factor the state considers in school accreditation decisions because of increases in student absences due to the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses. Chronic absenteeism, defined as a student being absent for 10% or more of the academic […]
Virginia relying more heavily on provisional licenses to fill teacher shortages
As teacher shortages continue in Virginia, the state is attempting to stave off further educational impacts by granting more provisional licenses. The commonwealth issued a total of 8,434 provisional licenses in 2021-22 compared to an average of 6,787 in the years before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a November report from Virginia’s Joint Legislative Audit […]
With college enrollment dropping, could 529 savings plans help cover workforce credentials?
As more Virginians pivot from the traditional path of going to college and earning a degree, state and federal policymakers are considering expanding government programs designed to encourage college enrollment to cover training for middle-skilled positions in high demand. Two of Virginia’s congressional representatives — Reps. Rob Wittman, R-Westmoreland, and Abigail Spanberger, D-Prince William — […]
Virginia Explained: The debate over student expectations
Throughout his tenure, Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration has focused on the need to “raise expectations” in Virginia public education. As proof, officials have pointed to drops in proficiency ratings and test scores on both state assessments and the National Assessment of Educational Progress. The culprit, says the Youngkin administration, are decisions by the previous Virginia […]
Virginia to conduct in-depth review of SMART SCALE process
Virginia is taking a deeper dive into the award-winning SMART SCALE transportation funding process used by multiple jurisdictions, seven years after the program went into effect. SMART SCALE began distributing awards in 2017 and 2018 as part of a process to determine “the right” transportation projects to prioritize, based on which projects benefit taxpayers the […]
Tennessee official Lisa Coons appointed Virginia’s superintendent of public instruction
Tennessee’s Chief Academic Officer Lisa Coons was appointed superintendent of public instruction in Virginia by Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Wednesday, following the resignation of former superintendent Jillian Balow earlier this month. Coons is expected to start on April 17, according to the Virginia Department of Education, after leading Tennessee’s revisions for English Language Arts instruction […]