The state Board of Education yesterday approved the format for a report card to inform parents and other citizens about the performance of students and public schools in Virginia. The Virginia School Report Card is the final component of a public school reform effort initiated by Governor George Allen. The Governor, who visited the board after the report card was approved, hailed the action as an outstanding achievement. He praised the board for leading the nation in public school reform, and said the report card will bring greater accountability to public education.
Parents can use it as a reference to see how their child's school measures up.
The report card is expected to be used for the first time to report results of the 1997-98 school year after passing scores on the Standards of Learning tests have been established. Other initiatives in the school reform effort include the adoption by the board of new Standards of Learning in four basic subjects, higher accreditation standards for public schools, and a new testing program to assess students' achievement of the Standards of Learning. Governor Allen also called attention to his budget proposals for the 1998-2000 biennium to improve teacher training, reading instruction and remediation for young children, and other initiatives included in his reform program for public education. The Governor received a framed statement of appreciation from the board for his efforts to improve public education in Virginia.