Compass Point
A Weekly Collection of Data, Articles and Insights from the Commonwealth Educational Policy Institute
A project of the Virginia Commonwealth University's Center for Public Policy
L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs
Articles of Interest
State & Local Policy

2015 SOL tests: Best and worst Va. school systems
WTOP
August 13, 2015

Falls Church has only five schools, with a total of about 2,500 students, many of whom come from backgrounds that may help them succeed. The Census Bureau estimates 74.4 percent of adults 25 and over living in the city have at least a bachelor’s degree.

In contrast, the Census Bureau estimates just 26 percent of adults over age 25 have bachelor’s degrees in Manassas Park, which Virginia Department of Education data show have some of the lowest pass rates in Northern Virginia.

The Virginia Department of Education finds that, while minority students are making gains in passing the SOLs — which play a role in graduation requirements — there is still a significant achievement gap in the commonwealth between white students and black and Hispanic students.

Virginia teacher wins Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Education
EP Newswire
August 17, 2015

Middle school teacher Anne Moore, who teaches in Virginia’s Goochland County Public Schools, has won the Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Education (PIAEE), according to a release from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued Monday.


Moore was honored for her development of various programs to inspire critical thinking among her students on environmental issues. In one such project, labeled “Trash to Treasure,” students analyzed local waste management practices and their impact on the area’s environment. Another, which encouraged students to research uses for illegally discarded tires, led to a Chesterfield County wide “Tire Amnesty Day,” wherein the community could dispose of their tires.

Virginia Education Improvement Scholarship Tax Credits
Forbes
August 16, 2015

In previous years, we have suggested purchasing Virginia Land Preservation Credits or making a donation to a charity that can provide Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP) Credits to both further your charitable giving and engage in smart tax planning. There are another kind of Virginia income tax credits called Education Improvement Scholarship Tax Credits.

Like NAP Credits, Virginia taxpayers can give generously and offset the cost of those gifts through tax credits and the avoidance of capital gains taxes. For those in the highest tax bracket who give highly appreciated stock, the program can offset all of the costs.

Imagine two married small business owners in the 39.6% federal income tax bracket. They are subject to the maximum 23.8% federal capital gains tax. They decide to give $10,000 of stock with a negligible cost basis to a qualifying Virginia Scholarship Program.

Local Schools Getting Grants from VA Department of Education
ABC 13 (WSET)
August 17, 2015

Several schools in our area are getting some help thanks to grants from the Virginia Department of Education.

The department awarded 35 grants to fund 21st Century Community Learning Centers.

The centers will operate before and after school, Saturdays and during school breaks. Each school is getting between $118,000 and $200,000.

Federal Policy

Will GOP candidates move beyond soundbites at education summit?
CBS NEWS
August 18, 2015

Six Republican presidential hopefuls head to New Hampshire this week to take part in an education summit where they will be expected to dive deep into their visions for education reform. Wednesday's event will also be a test for candidates as they confront a thorny issue that has been riling up conservative activists for years: Common Core.

The event is sponsored by former NBC and CNN journalist Campbell Brown and The Seventy Four, Brown's nonprofit news site focused on education issues. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina will each participate in 45-minute, one-on-one conversations with Brown. They're expected to discuss how the federal government should -- and should not -- influence education policy in the U.S.

Education Dept. Releases Guidance on Handling of Students’ Medical Records

The Chronicle of Higher Education

August 18, 2015

The U.S. Department of Education has released new guidance on the use of students’ medical records in response to a lawsuit. In a blog post published on Tuesday, the department said it was seeking public comment on the new guidance.

The issue drew national attention because of a lawsuit at the University of Oregon. A female student there, who said she had been raped by three basketball players, also claimed that the college had pulled her counseling records to use against her in a lawsuit she filed against the institution. (The lawsuit has since been settled.)

The woman’s case drew outrage online and caused confusion about what the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act allows colleges to do with students’ medical records.
How did Virginia do on SOL accountability tests?

Numerous news stories this past week focused on the recently released data of how school systems did on Standards of Learning (SOL) accountability tests.  (If you want to go straight to the source, here's the VDOE press release and download site.)

Many local papers focused in on performance among local schools systems.  Here are just a few:
In all the numbers and columns, though, it can be hard to get a sense of what areas are doing well and which systems will be looking to improve significantly.  So we tried our hand at a little data visualization, color coding counties/cities by where their pass rate stood relative to the state mandate for accreditation.  The image below shows English Reading pass rates for all students, but if you click on the link, you'll be able to scroll through the writing, math, science and social studies scores.  The underlying data was downloaded from the VDOE website.


In keeping with the focus on SOL scores, our Poll Snapshot this week looks at information from our most recent Commonwealth Education Poll that examined several questions related to testing and the Virginia Standards of Learning.  Read below for more detail.

Finally, much of the pressure for improving performance will come down on the shoulders of school principals.  We share below an excerpt from Dr. Vacca's March 2012 Ed Law newsletter that looked at "Principal Accountability and Student Academic Acheivement."

As you get ready to head back to school, we hope you have a great week!

Sincerely,
CEPI
Poll Snapshot:  Virginians' Opinion of the SOLs

Majorities of respondents see the SOLs as a positive in promoting accountability and equity across educational institutions. Fifty-eight percent (58%) see a benefit in accountability, agreeing that the SOLs hold schools accountable for student achievement. Only 37% disagree. A slightly smaller majority, 54%, see an equity benefit, saying that the SOLs make sure that all students in Virginia meet the same academic standards. Minority respondents are more likely to agree that SOLs hold schools accountable (69%) and ensure that all students meet the same standards (60%) when compared to whites, where only 54% and 50% agreed with the same respective statements.

But while respondents overall feel SOLs create accountability for schools with regards to student performance, a majority of Virginians (58%) feel that SOLs don’t help improve student achievement itself. Likewise, more respondents (38%) feel that increased testing has hurt student performance than feel that it has helped (21%). Almost a third of respondents (32%) feel it made no difference one way or the other when it comes to student performance.

There is also a clear sense from the public that SOLs create negative impacts on the classroom experience and for the individual student. More than three-quarters of Virginians (79%) agree that preparations for SOL testing take so much class time that teachers can’t teach all the important material. A strong majority (66%) agree that SOL tests are putting too much pressure on students.

Within opinion about the impact of SOLs and testing on student performance or achievement, significant differences exist between several demographic groups. In comparing minority and white perspectives, minorities are more likely to say that testing has helped (31% compared to 17% of whites).

Likewise, those with an education level of high school or less are more likely to say testing helped (31%) than are those with some college (19%) or a college diploma (14%). Finally those with household incomes below $50,000 are more likely to say testing has helped (30%) than is the case with the two higher income categories ($50,000-$100,000 – 18%; $100,000 or more – 15%).

To read the full results of the 2015 poll, visit our website.

Education Law:  Principal Accountability and Student Academic Achievement

Excerpted from Dr. Vacca's March 2012 Ed Law Newsletter

"Search for Accountability
Almost forty years ago, a federal district court judge in Virginia made the following statement, “School board members are charged with the crucial task of providing the best quality education possible for all children and this duty may be discharged only if teachers are employed by ability and no other criteria.” U.S. v. Nansemond County (E.D. Va. 1974) There is little doubt that the sine qua non in establishing and implementing quality educational opportunities for today’s students remains in the hiring, rewarding, and retaining of competent teachers and all other professional staff—especially school principals.

With a growing demand for quality education for all children of school age, who should be held directly accountable if a school is declared failing—the local board of education, district superintendent, school principal, classroom teachers, parents, students? If that question can be answered, what alternatives exist to remedy the situation—eliminate tenure status and summarily fire people, spend more money, build new buildings, eliminate subjects and non-productive areas of study from the curriculum, hold parents directly responsible, extend the school calendar, require more homework for students? What?

Two things are clear in searching for causes and remedies for sub-standard academic performance in students. First, a host of factors (both inside and outside the school building) influence student academic performance and academic progress. Second, no single individual or group of individuals can be identified as the proximate cause of below standard academic performance by students. But, are some professional staff members more vulnerable then are others in the search for accountability?

Impact on School Principals. In community after community school principals and classroom teachers have become the focus of attention—especially where student progress in a particular school building consistently falls below an acceptable standard and the school itself is in danger of losing accreditation. In my view, school principals, not classroom teachers are most vulnerable to attack as “the accountability buck stops” at the desk of the person in the leadership position—i.e., the individual responsible for all that takes place in the school building. (Vacca and Bosher, 2012) The reader is cautioned that I am not advocating that principals be held directly responsible for a school’s less than acceptable academic performance of its students, I am simply pointing out their vulnerability to attack.

What Does State Law Say? One must turn to state law to build a foundation for the employment security, or lack thereof, of school principals. In the Commonwealth of Virginia, for example, the law clearly states that “[a] principal shall provide instructional leadership in, shall be responsible for the administration of and shall supervise the operation and management of the school or schools and property to which he has been assigned….” 22.1-293 B, Code of Virginia, Cumm. Supp. (2004) And, the law also mandates that local school boards adopt defined criteria for the performance evaluation of principals that includes among other things “an assessment of such administrator’s skills and knowledge; student academic progress and school gains in student learning; and effectiveness in addressing school safety and enforcing student discipline. 22.1-294 B, Code of Virginia, Cumm. Supp. (2004) At the same time, however, no legal mandate is specified in the Code of Virginia that good cause be shown for reassignment of a school principal. What is more, as legal experts in Virginia law have established, “[u]nlike the procedures for teachers, the law does not set forth any date by which probationary principals, assistant principals and supervisors must receive notification of non-renewal, nor does it specify a procedure that must be followed in such situations.” (Kaminski, Cafferky, Ewing, and Lacy, 2007-2008)"

To read the full newsletter, visit our website.