Beginning in 1999, Virginia's public schools will be evaluated by their educational effectiveness, in addition to long-standing requirements of building safety, course offerings, staffing, etc. The same SOL test results used to judge students' achievement will also be used to judge schools' educational effectiveness. If, after three additional years, the school still fails to meet the benchmark, it will lose state accreditation. Loss of Accreditation . The loss of accreditation does not mean the loss of state funding.
Funding is controlled by the Virginia Code, i.e., laws known as the Standards of Quality.
However, the loss of accreditation does mean that the school no longer qualifies for the state's 'seal of quality'. Accreditation is the Board of Education's public pronouncement on the condition of a public school. Under old Standards, a school faced the loss of accreditation if building conditions presented a physical risk to students. Under new SOAs, a school will also face the loss of accreditation if educational conditions present an educational achievement risk to students. To the contrary, it is unconscionable to let schools serving disadvantaged children slide by with lower standards.