April 5, 2011 – Virginia Assessment Letter

April 5, 2011

The Honorable Patricia I. Wright
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Virginia Department of Education
P.O. Box 2120
Richmond, Virginia 23218

Dear Superintendent Wright:

I am writing in response to Virginia’s request to amend its state accountability plan under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), amended. Following discussions between the U.S. Department of Education (the Department) and your staff, you made a change to Virginia’s accountability plan, which is now included in the amended state accountability plan that Virginia submitted to the Department on January 27, 2011. I am pleased to approve Virginia’s amended plan, which we will post on the Department’s website. A summary of Virginia’s requested amendment is enclosed with this letter. As you know, any further requests to amend Virginia’ accountability plan must be submitted to the Department for review and approval as required by section 1111(f)(2) of Title I of the ESEA.

Please also be aware that approval of Virginia’s accountability plan for Title I, including the amendment approved herein, does not indicate that the plan complies with Federal civil rights requirements, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

I am confident that Virginia will continue to advance its efforts to hold schools and school districts accountable for the achievement of all students. If you need any additional assistance to implement the standards, assessment, and accountability provisions of the ESEA, please do not hesitate to contact (Vicki.Robinson@ed.gov) or (David.Harmon@ed.gov) of my staff.

Sincerely,

Thelma Meléndez de Santa Ana, Ph.D.

Enclosure

cc: Governor Bob McDonnell
Linda M. Wallinger, Ph.D.
Diane Jay

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Amendment to Virginia’s Accountability Plan

The following is a summary of Virginia’s amendment request. Please refer to the Department’s website (http://www.ed.govhttps://www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/account/stateplans03/index.html) for Virginia’s complete accountability plan.

Calculating adequate yearly progress (AYP) targets (Element 3.2b)

Revision: As illustrated in the table below, Virginia has amended its annual measurable objectives (AMOs) for school years 2010–2011 through 2013–2014 to reflect the change it previously made for school year 2009–2010 and to conform to the requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended.

School Year

Reading/language
arts AMOs

Mathematics
AMOs
2009-2010 81 79
2010-2011 86 85
2011-2012 91 90
2012-2013 96 95
2013-2014 100 100

Approved State Accountability Plans