Sen. Schuyler VanValkenburg, D-Henrico, is putting pressure on the Virginia Board of Education to include social studies exam scores in the state’s new school accountability system, which is set to take effect this fall.
The new system will publicly rank each Virginia school in one of four performance categories: distinguished, on track, off track and needs intensive support. The criteria for each ranking include test scores in reading, writing math and science – but not social studies.
VanValkenburg sent a letter to the Virginia Board of Education on Monday, asking members to incorporate social studies exam scores into the school accountability system. The letter’s signers include leaders of the American Historical Association, National Council for the Social Studies and the Virginia Social Science Association, among other organizations.
