I strongly support of the proposed Accountability Framework.

With this new Accountability Framework, Virginia will finally live up to its disclosure responsibilities under the 2015 Every Student Succeeds Act to Virginia students, parents and communities. As is well documented, Virginia’s current combined accreditation and accountability system failed to reflect the dramatic swings in academic achievement from COVID-era learning loss.

Support Mastery vs Growth Weighting

I also strongly endorse the Accountability Framework’s greater weighting of achievement vs. growth similar to Massachusetts. First, parents’ goal for their kids is to reach proficiency or mastery, not to endlessly grow towards it. Second, Maryland’s accountability system weighs mastery and growth almost equally, and Maryland’s accountability system also failed to reflect COVID-era academic achievement swings. As a result, Maryland is revamping its system.

Support Middle School Advanced Coursework Readiness Factor

Lastly, I strongly endorse the Middle School accelerated coursework readiness factor. Civil Rights leader Bob Moses referred to the ability to take Algebra by 8^th grade as a Civil Rights issue. It has been a longstanding goal of the US Department of Education and many organizations.

With Algebra in 8^th grade, kids can take without doubling up: Geometry in 9^th grade; Algebra II in 10^thgrade; Precalculus in 11^th grade; and Calculus in 12^th grade. That math sequence is crucial for kids who are not only interested in STEM, but any quantitative field, such as economics or business.

As noted at the VBOE meetings, Florida has a similar readiness factor they’ve had place for over 10 years that’s working very well there. And Virginia’s readiness factor should take place immediately, considering Virginia schools should have been accelerating 8^th graders into Algebra who are ready for decades now.

Just 3 years ago, numerous Virginia math school leaders fervently supported the Virginia Math Pathways Initiative’s (VMPI) initial proposal that no kids should take Algebra until 9^th grade, which copied San Francisco’s inequitable Algebra for None program.  Virginia school districts should not be rewarded for doing or having done their own local district versions of San Francisco’s Algebra for None or decelerating 8^th graders who are ready for Algebra in 8^th grade into Pre-Algebra instead. (In fact, there’s a comment on the Regulatory Townhall opposing the new Middle School Advanced Coursework from one of the architects of VMPI where he does not want districts to be penalized for decelerating 8^th graders who are ready for Algebra into Pre-Algebra instead.)

But just offering Algebra in 8^th grade is not enough – school districts need to start as early as possible to prepare kids to successfully take Algebra by 8^th grade. The Board of Education adding this readiness factor will provide that incentive. Notably, kids with money are already being prepared – in private schools and via tutors and private math supplement companies, like Kumon and Russian Math.

For excellent public school Algebra readiness efforts, we can already look within Virginia to Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS). One of FCPS’ strategic plan’s goals is to have as many kids as possible successfully take Algebra in 8^th grade. FCPS Superintendent Michelle Reid has spoken about how their Algebra readiness efforts start in early elementary. She was recently favorably featured in the Wall Street Journal for such efforts.