Report: Virginia 4th in U.S. with B in education

By: ZINIE CHEN SAMPSON THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | Richmond Times Dispatch
Published: January 19, 2009

A report released this month gives Virginia a B in overall educational quality, ranking the state fourth in the nation and better than the U.S. average.

Virginia scored 83.2 out of 100, compared with the national average of 76.2, or C. The states that scored higher were Maryland, Massachusetts and New York, according to the report by researchers at Editorial Projects in Education, which publishes Education Week.

The Quality Counts report measured state education in several categories, including academic achievement, school finance, and standards, assessments and accountability.

A section of the 2009 report focused on the teaching and performance of English-learning students. While it didn't assess a letter grade in the category, the report noted that Virginia has standards for English-language teaching but doesn't require all prospective teachers to demonstrate competence in such instruction.

About 83,800 students received state educational services in 2006-07, the most recent data available, the report said.

The state scored an A, its highest grade, in the standards, assessments and accountability category, compared with a B average nationwide. Virginia ranked sixth nationwide in the category, the report said.

In the chance for success category -- which examines indicators such as parents' income and employment levels and participation in preschool and postsecondary education -- the state scored a B, compared with the C-plus national average. The report noted that 77 percent of Virginia children had at least one parent working full time in 2007, and more than 51 percent of children had at least one parent with a postsecondary degree during the same period.

Virginia scored a C in student achievement, compared with the D-plus national average. Researchers evaluated states on benchmarks including fourthand eighth-graders' performance on national math and reading tests, results of Advanced Placement exams and high school graduation rates.

In the school finance category, Virginia matched the national average of C-plus. The report noted that per-pupil spending, adjusted for regional cost differences, was $8,725 in 2006, according to the most recent figures. The national average was $9,644, the report said.