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Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Shanker Blog » Who's Afraid of Virginia's Proficiency Targets?

Shanker Blog » Who's Afraid of Virginia's Proficiency Targets?:


Who’s Afraid of Virginia’s Proficiency Targets?

The accountability provisions in Virginia’s original application for “ESEA flexibility” (or “waiver”) have received a great deal of criticism (see hereherehere and here). Most of this criticism focused on the Commonwealth’s expectation levels, as described in “annual measurable objectives” (AMOs) – i.e., the statewide proficiency rates that its students are expected to achieve at the completion of each of the next five years, with separate targets established for subgroups such as those defined by race (black, Hispanic, Asian, white), income (subsidized lunch eligibility), limited English proficiency (LEP), and special education.
Last week, in response to the criticism, Virginia agreed to amend its application, and it’s not yet clearhow specifically they will calculate the new rates (only that lower-performing subgroups will be expected to make