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Education board approves new rules for local student assessments

Jillian Appel

RICHMOND — The Virginia Board of Education has approved new rules for assessing student learning in subjects without statewide Standards of Learning tests, giving schools another way to measure whether students have mastered the required material. [...] Last year, state lawmakers overhauled the state’s testing system to improve how SOL tests are administered and used to evaluate what students should know at the end of each grade or course, setting the stage for the new guidelines.

Local Alternative Assessments, or LAAs, give students opportunities to use critical thinking skills instead of rote memorization. Some education leaders have said that LAAs need basic standards to ensure they are high-quality and administered properly. [...] Minton said local alternative assessments are worth the investment because they are rigorous, relevant and best for students and their learning.

Minton urged the board to consider delaying the new scoring and public reporting requirements until next school year, but the board moved forward with its plan and urged staff to be clear in its messaging to school divisions.

With the guidelines approved, the agency said it will share them with school divisions through newsletters.