Bill > HB1323

This bill directs the Department of Education to revise Virginia's public school accountability system and its School Performance and Support Framework to align with federal requirements under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), a federal law governing K-12 education. Key changes include establishing a new "below basic" performance level for certain assessments by the 2026-2027 school year, delaying the implementation of this new level for specific science assessments, and prioritizing performance-based assessments for history and social science mastery. The bill also prohibits middle school students from taking certain high school-level science and social science courses and their associated end-of-course assessments, and adjusts the grading requirement for earning points in Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) or equivalent leadership courses from a "B" to a "C." Furthermore, schools identified for "targeted support and improvement" under ESSA will no longer have their performance category automatically reduced, and parental refusal to allow a child to take a Standards of Learning (SOL) assessment will not negatively impact a school's mastery index calculation, except to ensure federal participation rates are met. The Department must submit any necessary amendments to its consolidated state plan to the U.S. Department of Education by September 1, 2026, and by the start of the 2026-2027 school year, it must provide clear explanations and guidance materials to schools and families on how vertical scaled scores and value tables are calculated for student assessment growth models.

Education

https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB1323