Public schools; delayed implementation and review of revised public school accountability system.
SB 979 would delay implementation of Virginia’s revised public school accountability system for one year, moving the start date to the 2026-2027 school year. During the delay, no public elementary or secondary school could receive a new school performance score, performance report, performance category, or be subject to corrective action under the revised system. The bill is framed as an emergency measure and would take effect immediately upon passage.
The bill also requires the Department of Education to conduct a comprehensive review of the accountability system and to develop a revised plan based on that review. The review must focus on increasing the weight of student growth measures, fairly including English language learners, evaluating the effects of the proposed “off track” and “needs intensive support” categories, examining the impact of additional standardized testing in grades five and eight, considering added support for struggling schools, and clearly explaining the Board of Education’s theory of change. The Department must also create a stakeholder advisory committee, hold public forums in each superintendent’s region, and submit a report and revised implementation plan by April 1, 2026. The bill further requires state plan amendments to be submitted to the U.S. Department of Education and reinstates existing accountability regulations until the review is complete and federal approval is obtained.
SB 979 would temporarily suspend the rollout of the revised accountability framework under Virginia regulations in 8VAC20-132 and keep the prior regulations in 8VAC20-131 in effect until the Department of Education completes its review and receives federal approval for any state plan amendments. It would affect how schools are scored, categorized, and potentially required to take corrective action, while also shaping future policy by directing the Department to redesign the system around growth, fairness, contextual factors, and reduced testing burden. The bill would primarily affect public schools, school divisions, students, teachers, parents, and English language learner communities.
The bill appears to have drawn mixed but substantial support in the Senate committee process, advancing out of Education and Health on a narrow 8-7 vote and later out of Finance and Appropriations on a 10-5 vote. However, it ultimately failed on the Senate floor by a 17-22 vote, indicating that while many lawmakers were receptive to delaying the new accountability system and reviewing its design, enough members opposed the measure to stop it. The vote pattern suggests the proposal was controversial but not without meaningful backing.
The main points of contention were the delay itself and the substance of the accountability redesign. Supporters of the bill likely viewed the revised system as too fast-moving, too reliant on standardized testing, and insufficiently attentive to student growth, English language learners, rural schools, and schools serving high-need populations. Opponents likely objected to postponing implementation of a system already adopted through regulation and to reopening the policy after significant development work. The proposed changes to performance categories, additional testing at grades five and eight, and the requirement to account for socioeconomic and systemic factors were also likely debated as either necessary fairness measures or as complications that could weaken accountability.