The Standards of Learning brought to Virginia schools something they had lacked for too long: accountability. They also put tremendous pressure on teachers and administrators to improve performance. The vast majority of educators have stepped up to the plate. But others have taken the easy way out: cheating. The cheating has taken many forms. Looking the other way when a borderline student drops out of school is one. Testing irregularities have afflicted several districts over the years as well. Now comes word that some districts have greatly increased the use of an alternative testing procedure—a student portfolio, rather than a standardized test.

Next year’s high school freshmen in Virginia will be required to take an economics and financial literacy course to graduate, but some educators worry that the new class will force students to drop electives such as art or band. Others question the timing of adding a required course when many school divisions don’t have money for new textbooks and materials.

PETERSBURG—Changing the culture of low student achievement at Petersburg High School didn’t happen overnight. Through steady, persistent work by an administration and instructional staff led by Principal Alicia Fields, the high school is leading a resurgence in student achievement in Petersburg’s much-maligned school system. For the first time, Petersburg High is fully accredited by the Virginia Department of Education and met Adequate Yearly Progress benchmarks set forth by the federal No Child Left Behind.

Petersburg School Superintendent James M. Victory once referred to the city’s schools as the poster child for school improvement. City school officials have said for months that the division is making gains in student achievement, and the results are showing. When the Virginia Board of Education voted unanimously yesterday to give A.P. Hill Elementary School full accreditation status, it gave the city four fully accredited schools - a marked increase from last year’s one school out of the district’s seven.

For the second consecutive year, a record number of Virginia’s public schools have reached full accreditation after passing state tests in math, English, science and history during the 2008-09 academic year.

It could be more than two months before the Roanoke School Board determines whether a high school principal acted improperly regarding the Standards of Learning tests.

A state investigation found Standards of Learning testing irregularities at a Petersburg elementary school, according to a report released yesterday. The report by the Virginia Department of Education shows that as many as 12 students at A.P. Hill Elementary School did not take one or more SOL tests during the spring testing period. Attendance records show that those students should have had time to take the tests in a regular or makeup testing session.

Recommendations
The principal needs to become an integral part of the testing process . . . and to be fully aware of all testing procedures.
The principal and school testing coordinator need to establish an effective process for communicating all attendance and disciplinary actions during testing.
The school testing coordinator needs to develop a procedure for retaining all materials associated with testing until all testing is complete and scores have been accurately reported.

The Virginia Department of Education is investigating allegations that students were improperly excluded from spring Standards of Learning tests at a Petersburg elementary school. The department, acting on a tip received June 4, spent three days in June investigating the alleged incident at A.P. Hill Elementary School. Department of Education spokesman Charles Pyle said the investigation is being finalized.

PETERSBURG—State education officials are investigating an anonymous tip that some Petersburg elementary students were improperly excluded from taking the Standards of Learning tests. A spokesman for the state Department of Education said the tip was received June 4 and involved students at A.P. Hill Elementary School. According to the department’s Charles Pyle, the tip alleged that students who should have taken the state-required test were excluded during the spring.

Responding to economic realities and changing testing methods, the Virginia Board of Education is considering scrapping the third-grade history/social studies assessment. State educators say the content that students learn from kindergarten through third grade would be incorporated into the third-grade reading test instead. But the idea didn’t sit well with some board members yesterday. After hearing multiple pleas to leave the test as is, they asked Department of Education staff members to explain exactly how the material would be woven together.

Snow blanketing much of the state not only closed schools but also affected scheduled Standards of Learning writing tests. For school systems returning to a regular schedule today, the essay-writing portion will be administered as scheduled, said Charles Pyle, a spokesman for the Virginia Department of Education. However, for schools closed today or opening on a delay that might affect administering the assessment, the rescheduled date is March 11.