Competence to Excellence: Building on the Standards of Learning Successes

Competence to Excellence: Building on the Standards of Learning Successes

SOLs: A Yardtick of Success
From Competence to Excellence
Challenges Remain
Early Childhood Initiatives
Adult Education

One of my greatest pleasures as Mayor of Richmond, Lieutenant Governor, and now Governor, has been to congratulate students and teachers for successful efforts to improve learning and raise achievement.

I have visited hundreds of schools since I began public life and have met thousands of the bright students and hardworking teachers, principals, and other educators who are largely responsible for the great progress Virginia has made in public education.

But the successes of the commonwealth's public schools also are a direct result of the leadership of the Board of Education. The Board has shown flexibility when required, while steadfastly maintaining the core principals of accountability.

You have tackled tough issues dealing with student achievement, school accreditation, the Standards of Quality, and teacher quality. You have moved forward on these issues while undertaking the daunting challenge of merging Virginia's Standards of Learning reform with the federal requirements of No Child Left Behind into a single, statewide system of accountability and support for Virginia's schools and students.
SOLs: A Yardstick of Success Go back to top of page

My terms as mayor of Richmond coincided with the rollout of the SOL program, which remains the foundation of our accountability system. The establishment of statewide content standards in English, mathematics, science, and history has brought about a greater consistency of instruction from school division to school division. And we now measure student achievement with the same yardstick, regardless of whether students attend school in the inner city, in the suburbs, or in a rural area.

As a parent and patron of this city's public schools, I am grateful to the Board, the General Assembly, and my predecessors in the governor's office for maintaining accountability while providing schools and teachers with the flexibility and time they needed to make the SOL program work for children.

And as a Richmonder, I am proud that 90 percent of the city's schools are now fully accredited, roughly the same percentage as statewide. Even the most enthusiastic cheerleaders for the SOLs in the late 90s would hardly have dared to predict this level of success. But Richmond has shown that accountability, investment, and leadership can make a difference in schools that critics of public education were once willing to write off.

The SOLs have focused our schools on achievement as never before. Public education is increasingly data-driven, as teachers and principals harness the power of information to address the instructional needs of students. The result is that, overall, our students know more and can do more. This is clear from the rising pass rates on SOL tests and increased achievement on other tests, such as the National Assessment for Educational Progress.
From Competence to Excellence Go back to top of page

But while the Standards of Learning have raised the academic floor and enabled many students to reach higher, the SOLs have always been intended as minimum standards for competency. To say this is not to denigrate the SOLs or to suggest that the SOLs somehow limit learning and achievement. To the contrary, the success of our schools and students under the SOL program underscores the relationship between rigorous minimum competency standards and increased achievement.

But the enthusiastic response to high school reform initiatives such as Early College Scholars and the Virginia Virtual Advanced Placement School demonstrate that there are thousands of students in the commonwealth who are ready and eager to soar from competence to excellence. The SOLs, as minimum standards, do not hold schools accountable for meeting the needs of these students.

I take great pride in the leadership I provided as mayor to create the Maggie L. Walker Governor's School for Government and International Relations in Richmond. Maggie Walker and our other Governor's Schools offer high-octane academic environments where excellence is the standard.

But we have far more high school students with the potential to excel than we have seats in our regional Governor's Schools. Every high school - and every school for that matter - should have a vision that looks beyond SOL benchmarks and includes challenging programs for students who are ready to move from competence to excellence.

Governor Warner showed us through initiatives such as Project Graduation and Early College Scholars that we can address the needs of students who are challenged by the SOLs and at the same time provide incentives and opportunities for students who are already exceeding the commonwealth's minimum competency standards.

We can build on this success by challenging the thousands of students who fall between these two groups. These are students who are meeting or exceeding our SOL standards, but who are not enrolled in gifted programs or taking college-level courses or on track for an advanced diploma.

An example of this approach is the Commonwealth Scholars program I announced this month (see news release). This program is aimed at students who may not achieve an Advanced Studies Diploma but who are capable of exceeding the course requirements for a Standard Diploma. We are starting this effort in 11 school divisions and hope to expand it statewide.

I also believe that schools and school divisions should be recognized and rewarded for making measurable progress in the journey to excellence. The commonwealth's vision of educational excellence must combine SOL competency requirements with incentives that recognize and reward higher levels of achievement and progress on multiple indicators of school and student performance.

We need a formal process to recognize and reward schools and school divisions on an annual basis that far exceed the standards for state accreditation and adequate yearly progress under NCLB. Let's begin a conversation now about how such a process would work and how it would fit with the Standards of Accreditation.
Challenges Remain Go back to top of page

At the same time, it is sobering to note that there are pockets of low achievement in rural and urban communities across the commonwealth where meeting the minimum competency standards of the SOLs still represents a challenge for many students.

Education reform takes time, but more than a decade has now passed since the beginning of the SOL reform and no child should be left to languish in a school that is either unable or unwilling to make the changes necessary to raise achievement and attain full accreditation. I commend the Board for the steps it is taking through the revision of the SOA to increase the level of assistance, intervention, and accountability for schools that lose accreditation.

We must encourage and reward significant progress in closing the achievement gap while raising the achievement of all students. In addition, we must increase graduation rates, particularly among our minority populations, and place greater attention on career and technical education. And we must continue to encourage our high school students to strive for excellence by successfully completing college-level courses and acquiring the skills necessary for personal success in the 21st century.

I will continue to promote the Partnership for Achieving Successful Schools model, known as the PASS Initiative, to help low-performing schools and school divisions improve student achievement. This coming year, for the first time in Virginia, we face the possibility of schools losing their accreditation due to chronic problems with student achievement. I pledge to work with the Board, the Department of Education, and business partners to make sure these schools have extra support to turn around student performance.
Early Childhood Initiatives Go back to top of page

The achievement gaps that still divide our students along racial, ethnic, and economic lines begin as "readiness gaps" before children enter school. At present, too many children are unprepared for learning when they enter kindergarten and quickly fall behind. We can see this when we look at schools where third-graders are struggling to pass SOL tests in reading and mathematics. So, another major focus of my plan for public education is to increase access to affordable and quality preschool programs in Virginia.

Early childhood education builds a foundation for academic and economic success. Expanding access to quality pre-K programs will lead to increased achievement in elementary schools, and eventually, in middle and high schools as well.

The Board and the department have demonstrated their commitment to early childhood education through the Virginia Preschool Initiative and the establishment of standards for preschool teachers and instruction. Virginia's Foundation Blocks for Early Learning and the board's licensure standards ensure that the "at risk" children who participate in the Virginia Preschool Initiative are prepared to learn when they enter kindergarten.

But I believe every child can benefit from quality preschool. In one of my first executive orders, I established the Start Strong Council. The purpose of the Council will be to oversee the development of infrastructure for voluntary Start Strong early childhood education programs in the commonwealth.

The Start Strong Council will look for ways to make quality preschool programs available to any parent who wishes their child to participate, by expanding the successful Virginia Preschool Initiative, working with Head Start providers, and building on the network of private and faith-based providers to make high-quality pre-K available to more children and parents.

The research is clear that quality preschool experiences produce children who are more likely to become strong readers. Last month, I read a Dr. Seuss story to children at Holton Elementary School and was impressed by the young readers I met. These children were full of enthusiasm and I have no doubt that by grade 3, most if not all of them will pass the reading SOL. But it is not enough for children to read at grade level by the third grade. Our schools must work with parents, the private sector, community groups, and religious institutions to keep the love of reading alive year after year in a culture full of attractive technological distractions. A literate citizenry is essential to maintain our way of life, our political and civic institutions, and our ability to compete in the global marketplace.
Adult Education Strategies Go back to top of page

We must not forget the thousands of working men and women whose educations have not prepared them for the dislocations of today's global economy. Let's continue to meet these working Virginians where they live with programs like the Race to GED that will help them to secure new livelihoods and training for the jobs of the 21st century.

Under the leadership of Secretary of Education Tom Morris, the P-16 Education Council will be studying how best to create and implement seamless transitions from preschool to kindergarten, middle school to high school, and from high school to college or work. This advisory council includes the president of the Board of Education, the state superintendent, and representatives from local school boards, higher education, business and industry, and the legislature. I am hopeful that recommendations from the P-16 Council can be used to inform your work on the state board and the policy boards that have responsibility for higher education in Virginia.

Excellence also means that our schools give students the tools they need to succeed in the workplace. Every student should have the opportunity to prepare for his or her chosen career, whether going directly into the workforce, the armed services, or on to further education and training.

I support career and technical programs in our middle and high schools to prepare students for the workforce, whether they enter immediately after high school or following additional postsecondary education and training. I applaud the work of the state board in permitting high school students to earn verified credits in career and technical education as well as in academic subjects.

I support expanding career and technical education programs in our schools. In addition to providing skilled technicians for our economy, these courses create opportunities for students to experience the practical application of lessons taught in our traditional classrooms. We need to value our "gold collar" technicians, electricians, plumbers, and mechanics as much as we value our doctors and lawyers. We should encourage students to study challenging academic and career-focused curricula that prepares them for postsecondary education and a technical career in a 21st-century global society.

Gifted students should not have to choose between career and technical education and academics. If there is regional interest in establishing a Governor's School with a specific career and technical focus, I hope the Board of Education will look upon such proposal favorably. In turn, I will work with the General Assembly to secure funding.

I support raising Virginia teachers' salaries to a level competitive with the national average and providing teachers with regular, meaningful evaluations and continuing professional development. Ongoing professional development supports our teachers by helping them keep their classroom skills sharp and their educational knowledge up to date.

The General Assembly passed legislation this session that requires school divisions to evaluate teachers with continuing-contract status at least once every three years. The bill also sets a goal of having sufficient salaries to attract highly qualified teachers. We also must build on the successful pilot programs initiated by Governor Warner and provide incentives for our best teachers to serve in schools where they are needed the most.

Like you, I believe that the success of Virginia's public schools under the SOL program makes the case for increased flexibility from Washington in the implementation of No Child Left Behind. I share the Board's view that many of the provisions of NCLB complement the SOL program. We will never close the achievement gap unless we hold schools accountable for the achievement of student subgroups and all children deserve to be taught by highly qualified teachers.

Reauthorization next year will provide Congress with an opportunity to revisit issues such as the appropriate testing of students with disabilities and children with limited English skills. In the meantime, I encourage you to press the case for flexibility so we can implement this important legislation in a way that makes sense for Virginia.

Student achievement and good health go hand in hand, and I am concerned about school children who are overweight, do not enjoy a healthy diet, and are at-risk of developing childhood diseases. This is a problem that transcends the school house, but public schools can do their part to promote healthier lifestyles for students and families.

We must recognize communities, schools and school divisions that promote the health and wellness of their students by encouraging good nutrition and increased physical activity. Later this morning I will be in Amherst County to present a Healthy Virginians "Gold Award" for nutrition and physical activity to Madison Heights Elementary School. I want all schools to strive to meet this standard.

While transportation is the pressing issue of the moment, education must be our priority as we move deeper into this new century. I look forward to working with you during these next four years as we harness the power of public education to keep Virginia moving forward.

http://www.governor.virginia.gov/MediaRelations/Speeches/2006/EdBoardAddress.cfm