News Alert

HURRAH FOR ALEXANDRIA PUBLIC SCHOOLS;
Who Says Standards Don't Work

(June 28, 1999) In 1995 the state of Virginia was the first in the US to adopt rigorous standards for grades across the board in their public schools. In the Spring of 1998, the first testing for the Standards of Learning (SOL) were given to 3^rd, 5^th, 8^th and high school students. Preliminary results were discouraging.

        The Alexandria school district is the first to announce the results of the SOL testing this year. With one year under their belts, students in 3^rd, 5^th and 8^th grades showed increased ranging from 3 % to 18% in math, English, history, science, and computer technology. Virginia will release statewide results in late July.

        Their scores show that the adoption of rigorous standards, with consequences, (schools will lose their accreditation if their scores don’t reach established percentages by 2007), is an important ingredient to improve education.

        Educational experts view the Virginia’s SOL as the model program for improvement of US schools. Even though the Alexandria school district did not yet achieve the benchmarks set for 2007, they are well on their way. Congratulations, students, teachers, parents, principals and all those who worked hard to bring this improvement about.

        View the SOL at the Virginia Department of Education Standards Page. For more information on Standards, visit our Standards & Curriculum Library.

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The Center for Education Reform is a national, independent, non-profit advocacy organization providing support and guidance to individuals, community and civic groups, policymakers and others who are working to bring fundamental reforms to their schools.

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