A news story by The Times-Dispatch’s Holly Prestidge reported the welcome news: “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.“ Ninety-eight percent of the commonwealth’s schools achieved the standards. Central Virginia mirrored the statewide picture. Every school in Hanover and Chesterfield earned full accreditation. Only one school in Henrico was accredited with warning. Forty-four of Richmond’s 47 schools made the grade. Petersburg recorded improvement, with three of its seven schools listed as accredited. Nearby systems with a 100-percent accreditation rate include the counties of Amelia, Caroline, Charles City, Cumberland, Dinwiddie, Goochland, King William, King and Queen, Louisa, New Kent, Powhatan, and Prince George—plus the cities of Colonial Heights and Hopewell.

Virginia is one of 46 states lined up in support of the campaign led by Washington-based lobbyists and backed by the Obama administration to write National Education Standards. The collaborationists are starting with reading and math. The first draft from the Common Core State Standards “work groups” assembled by the Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Governors Association makes one wonder if Virginia would be taking a step backward by ditching its standards (generally acknowledged to be among the nation’s strongest) in favor of the nationalized version.

The state Department of Education is investigating allegations of standardized testing violations at Eastern Montgomery High School.

Side Effects Virginia legislators are understandably concerned about a recent, and now repudiated, proposal to do away with the history portion of the Standards of Learning for the third grade. (Earlier editorials discussed the particulars at length. Elswhere in today’s Commentary section we reprint a letter from former gov. George Allen on the subject.)

Former Gov. George Allen, whose administration played the essential role in establishing the SOLs, wrote a letter in support of the history test to Mark Emblidge, president of the Virginia Board of Education. While the third-grade history test appears safe, at least for the moment, we decided to publish Allen’s June 19 letter, with his permission, because it is such an eloquent reminder of both the value of SOLs and the importance of teaching history to even—perhaps especially—the youngest Virginians.

Before the Virginia Board of Education voted yesterday to retain the state’s third-grade history exam, several speakers suggested that members use the robust discussion about the possible elimination of that test to start a review of the entire assessment program. It has been roughly a decade since students began taking Standards of Learning exams, and many changes have been made along the way, including a concentrated move to online testing.

A disagreement over whether to scrap the state’s third grade history assessment is leading to a broader discussion about the state’s testing system. State Superintendent of Instruction Patricia I. Wright late last week withdrew her proposal to eliminate the third-grade history and social science Standards of Learning exam, which covers material taught in kindergarten through third grade.

State Superintendent of Instruction Patricia I. Wright told lawmakers this morning that she is “very comfortable” that the Virginia Board of Education will keep the 3rd grade history assessment.

Bowing to pressure, the state superintendent of public instruction has abandoned her proposal to end the third-grade history and social studies Standards of Learning test. The proposal drew a bipartisan outcry from legislators and objections from parents, educational groups and textbook publishers. Superintendent Patricia I. Wright said she made the proposal to save about $380,000 a year and because she thought third-graders were being tested too much.

Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction Patricia I. Wright today withdrew her proposal to drop the 3rd grade history Standards of Learning test. Her proposal had drawn an outcry from legislators, parents and educators. In seeking to drop the test, Wright said she wanted to ease the testing burden on third graders. She said today she understands the concerns of those who wanted to continue.

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 Standards of Learning history test for third-graders. The alliance of lawmakers joins an already vocal opposition to the Virginia Department of Education’s proposal to scrap the test.

ROANOKE—Virginia officials are investigating possible irregularities in Standards of Learning testing at a Roanoke high school. Virginia Department of Education spokesman Charles Pyle said state officials received an anonymous tip Friday that some William Fleming High School students were being excluded from Algebra I testing. City school officials say the alleged exclusion may have involved students with disabilities.

Virginia’s Standards of Learning for history and social science set national standards. The process leading to their adoption and implementation sparked contentious debate. Officials successfully managed the situation. The SOLs have become part of the fabric of education in Virginia. One purpose of the SOLs is to ensure that certain subject matter is taught. History occasionally falls victim to so-called hobby teaching, in which even the best of teachers stress their favorite topics at the expense of others. Thus, in a course on the Civil War and its aftermath, a devotee of Robert E. Lee might spend inordinate time on the campaigns of the Army of Northern Virginia, while slighting turning points in Tennessee and along the Mississippi. The practice is not nefarious; it just reflects human nature. The SOLs rose in part because of concerns that American students simply were not learning enough about the history and culture not only of their own country but of the world. Citizenship depends on shared knowledge.

My friend Raymond puts nitrogen in his car tires. I use air. Naturally, we have had some science chats about which is better, especially for the best gasoline mileage. There are a few basic science facts in this pressurized mix: Raymond uses elemental nitrogen gas, N2, molecules of two nitrogen atoms. I use “air,“ the common word for the gaseous mixture of our atmosphere.

Some area high schools and colleges are teaching students how to handle their money. But should economic education be part of Virginia’s Standards of Learning?