The Virginia Board of Education on October 17 prescribed new Standards of Quality (SOQ) for the Commonwealth’s public schools.
The Standards of Quality describe the foundational instructional programs and support services all schools must provide and drive approximately 85% of state funding for local school divisions.
The proposed new standards are aligned with the Board of Education’s goals of promoting educational equity, supporting educator recruitment and retention and helping students and schools achieve the board’s graduation and accreditation requirements.
“Rather than recommending amendments to the current standards, the Board of Education is again carrying out its constitutional responsibility to determine and prescribe SOQ for the commonwealth’s public schools,” said president Daniel Gecker. “These new standards are the product of a two-year review of…