From the Democratic chairman of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus to the Republican majority leader of the House of Delegates, there's bipartisan bewilderment over a proposal to scrap the state's third grade history SOL test.
The unlikely alliance of lawmakers joins an already vocal opposition to the Virginia Department of Education's proposal to scrap the test.
The third grade history and social science Standards of Learning assessment includes material from kindergarten through third grade, and covers basic economics and geography lessons as well as the contributions of American Indians, George Washington, Martin Luther King Jr. and Jackie Robinson, among others.
"If this area is not tested, third grade teachers will be less likely to cover this curriculum, which addresses Americans of great accomplishment from European, African and Indian descent," Del. Kenneth C. Alexander, D-Norfolk, chairman of the black caucus, wrote to Virginia Board of Education members.
That point was raised again today in a House Appropriations Committee meeting, where legislators peppered State Superintendent of Instruction Patricia I. Wright with questions about the factors driving her proposal.
Find out what she had to say, and what other lawmakers are saying, about the proposal in tomorrow's Richmond Times-Dispatch.
-- Olympia Meola
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