High Expectations

From Day One of Governor Youngkin’s administration, we have been committed to restoring excellence in education and making Virginia the most transparent, accountable state in the nation. We entered office in 2022 with a tough reality facing our students: nearly ten years of declining test scores, record learning loss and persistent achievement gaps exacerbated by the pandemic, and massive honesty gaps that caused parents to overestimate their children’s proficiency.

Key to this educational decline was previous Administrations’ systemic dismantling of a culture of high expectations. Over the past two years, the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) has undertaken an ambitious and comprehensive effort to elevate academic rigor, improve student outcomes, and engage stakeholders in meaningful educational reform.

Standards 

This work began with a phased revision of academic standards---starting with History and Social Science in April 2023, followed by Mathematics in August 2023, English Language Arts in March 2024, and Computer Science in June 2024---ensuring that Virginia's students are challenged by modern, high-quality expectations.

Assessments 

To support this shift, VDOE is set to produce a request for proposal for a new, best-in-class student assessment system based on recommendations set forth in the HB585 work group.  

Proficiency 

The dismantling of high expectations began when Virginia lowered proficiency cut scores (the number of questions answered correctly in order to be considered proficient), falling out of alignment with NAEP proficiency. Virginia’s standards for reading in grades 4 and 8 are set to below NAEP Basic proficiency, placing us last in the nation for rigor in academic standards. This hides the truth from students and families – and our students deserve better. 

To address this honesty gap and get Virginia students back on track, we have raised the proficiency cut score to align with NAEP-Proficient standards, with states with the highest expectations of proficiency, and with the entry requirements of Virginia employers, colleges, and the military. We have also invested nearly $35M in our schools to raise student achievement (in addition to the $418M+ ALL In VA investment), and have doubled down on our commitment to preparing students for success in life, requiring mastery in key subject areas to graduate. 

In September, the Virginia Board of Education voted unanimously to raise proficiency cut scores, and committed to a multi-year phase-in. In November, the Board affirmed that the 2025-26 school year will serve as a planning year, getting parents, teachers, and students on the same page about high expectations, and getting schools the support they need to implement high expectations well. In December, the Board will discuss and approve a final implementation plan."

For more information on Virginia's actions towards High Expectations, and details regarding Proficiency Cut Scores, please refer to the one-pagers found below.

Literacy 

Virginia was 7th-to-last in the nation to reopen schools, exposing Virginia students to catastrophic learning loss after the COVID-19 pandemic. Recognizing the foundational importance of literacy, the Virginia Literacy Act (VLA) mandated the adoption of High-Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM) across all K–5 classrooms by the 2024–2025 school year. The Virginia Board of Education has curated an approved list of HQIM to support divisions in this transition. VDOE also created individualized reading plans accessible to families on its website and invested over $61 million across two years to expand reading specialists in grades 4–8. These specialists now benefit from increased professional learning opportunities, including micro-credentialing, webinars, and consolidated resource hubs. 

Data

Governor Youngkin's Bridging the Gap initiative delivers individualized data reports for every K-8 student, giving families and teachers clear, actionable insights into student progress. Additionally, personalized tutoring platforms such as Zearn, Ignite, and Lexia are available to all families to support learning beyond the classroom. As of April, 109 school divisions have opted to use Zearn across 1,123 schools, with 236,104 active students.

Stakeholder Engagement

Throughout all of these changes, stakeholder engagement has been a guiding principle. VDOE has developed a comprehensive tutoring playbook to empower partnerships, volunteer campaigns, and community collaboration. Over the past year, 15 in-person and virtual listening sessions were hosted across the Commonwealth, offering over 800 parents, educators, and community members the opportunity to shape the development of the new School Performance and Support Framework. For other priority issues---such as cell phone-free education---VDOE and the Secretary of Education have continued the conversation with events like the Commonwealth Conversation between the First Lady and Dr. Jonathan Haidt.