We write today to strongly support the revised Accountability and Accreditation Framework. The current system is failing to provide the type of transparency families need to assess their child’s school’s performance while also complicating efforts to direct support to schools in greatest need. We fully endorse the Framework’s greater weight given to mastery vs. growth. We also firmly support a mastery index (vs. a simplistic proficiency measure). The use of a mastery index which weights differing student outcomes is critical in incentivizing districts to develop students to their full potential. The old system was focused on students passing their SOLs without providing incentive to encourage students to more fully master material. We also support giving chronic absenteeism a meaningful weight in the performance measure; if we want students to progress academically, we need them to be in school. We strongly support the middle school advanced coursework readiness indicator. Every Virginia middle school student who is properly prepared for Algebra in middle school should have the opportunity to take it in middle school. A middle school advanced coursework readiness factor incentivizes Virginia school districts to offer Algebra to any properly prepared middle schooler (not just in 8th grade), and disincentives school districts from removing such crucial opportunities. It also will incentivize more robust Algebra readiness efforts, which are crucial for Virginia’s future workforce.