SB 558 Virginia Senate · 2022 Regular Session

Public schools; evaluation & recommendations for certain current and proposed policies.

Summary
Board of Education; evaluation of and recommendations for certain current and proposed policies and performance standards for public elementary and secondary schools. Requires the Board of Education to collaborate with the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Secretary of Education to evaluate, to implement where possible, and to otherwise make recommendations to the General Assembly regarding the following goals: (i) promoting excellence in instruction and student achievement in mathematics, including elimination of the Virginia Mathematics Pathways Initiative and an evaluation of any other proposed changes to the Mathematics Standards of Learning, in advance of the next revision of such standards by the Board, to maintain and increase the rigor of mathematics instruction in public elementary and secondary schools and permit students demonstrating aptitude and high achievement in mathematics to accelerate their progress through core mathematics classes and concepts and take advanced mathematics courses before the eleventh grade; (ii) increasing the number of academic year Governor's Schools in the Commonwealth and maintaining standards of excellence for students in all such schools; (iii) preserving the Advanced Studies Diploma as an option for students in public high schools in the Commonwealth while maintaining or increasing course and credit requirements for such diploma; (iv) increasing the transparency and honesty of performance measures for public elementary and secondary schools in the Commonwealth and ensuring that such measures do not obscure or conceal disparities in performance among student groups; (v) ensuring that performance measures for public elementary and secondary schools prioritize the attainment of grade-level proficiency in reading and mathematics for all students, especially in grades kindergarten through five; (vi) ensuring that the Commonwealth's proficiency standards on Standards of Learning assessments in reading and mathematics are rigorous in comparison with assessments administered by other states and national assessments in reading and mathematics; and (vii) restoring a strong accreditation system that promotes meaningful accountability year-over-year. The bill requires the Secretary of Education and the Superintendent of Public Instruction, no later than November 30, 2022, to report to the chairmen of the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education and Health the results of such evaluation and recommendations to achieve such goals.
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2022
Committee Review
Feb 2022
Senate Passage
Feb 2022
House of Delegates Passage
Governor
Introduced Jan 12, 2022 Last action Feb 10, 2022
Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
6
Key actions
2
Committee
3
Feb 10, 2022
Upper · Passed
Passed by indefinitely in Education and Health (9-Y 5-N)
upper
Feb 10, 2022
Upper · Passed
Senate committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
upper
Feb 1, 2022
Committee
Assigned Education sub: Public Education
upper
Jan 12, 2022
Committee
Referred to Committee on Education and Health
upper
Jan 12, 2022
Introduced
Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/12/22 22104195D
upper
1 primary · 1 co-sponsor

Sponsors