VDOE Announces Revised Math, Reading Objectives

In an effort to raise achievement in Virginia's lowest-performing schools, The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) has unveiled the new annual objectives for reading and mathematics that it will use in place of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) under the No Child Left Behind Act.

The new formula was approved on June 29 by the Board of Education and the US Department of Education (USDE).

According to a press release issued by VDOE, the two-year flexibility waiver "ambitious but achievable annual measurable objectives (AMOs) have been set for student subgroups, including new “proficiency gap groups” comprising students who historically have had difficulty meeting the commonwealth’s achievement standards."

These subgroups include:

• Proficiency Gap Group 1 – Students with disabilities, English language learners and economically disadvantaged students, regardless of race and ethnicity (unduplicated)
• Proficiency Gap Group 2 – African-American students, not of Hispanic origin, including those also counted in Proficiency Gap Group 1
• Proficiency Gap Group 3 – Hispanic students, of one or more races, including those also counted in Proficiency Gap Group 1

The VDOE set the new reading and math objectives with the objective of reducing by half proficiency gaps in between the lowest- and highest-performing schools and for each subgroup over six years.

“Accomplishing this goal will make a difference in the lives of thousands of Virginia students in chronically under-performing schools,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Patricia I. Wright said.

“The commonwealth and school divisions are now able to focus federal resources on the schools most in need of reform while maintaining accountability for raising achievement in all schools through Virginia’s accreditation standards,” Board of Education President David M. Foster said.

The VDOE determined the AMOs using a formula based on existing federal law and student-achievement data from prior years' student assessment results. Reading benchmarks for 2012-2013 were formulated using 2010-2011 state assessments, while math benchmarks are based on assessments during 2011-2012.

Specific benchmarks for reading and mathematics can be found here.

“The mathematics AMOs are based on student achievement on the rigorous new Standards of Learning (SOL) tests introduced last year and are designed for the specific purpose of cutting in half the gap between Virginia’s lowest- and highest-performing schools,” Wright said. “These new annual objectives should not be compared with last year’s AYP benchmarks.”

Furthermore, VDOE announced that reading benchmarks will be recalculated next year based upon student performance on new reading SOL tests that reflect the 2010 revised English standards.