I am writing in support of the proposed Standards of Accreditation regulations, which will put in place a new school performance and support framework. Virginia students' SOL scores have declined significantly following the impact of the pandemic. Further, Virginia had the largest drop in NAEP scores for 4th graders among all states between 2017 and 2022, with performance declining two times more than the national average in Math and three times more in Reading.  

But even with Virginia’s students struggling greatly, the current accreditation system declares 88% of schools as accredited- the highest category available- in the 2023-2024 school year. The current accreditation system signals that the majority of schools are doing well while our students are falling behind.  The current accreditation and accountability systems are overly complex and mask the true proficiency rates of schools, denying support to students in need.  

Additionally, I support the greater weight placed on mastery. Given the current state of student performance across Virginia, it will ensure high expectations for all students is at the core of the work and all students will meet their potential.