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VDOE's Accreditation Overhaul: An Unnecessary Risk for Schools

Title "Youngkin's Accreditation Overhaul: Unnecessary Risk for Virginia Schools" with picture of Man wearing a suit walking a tightrope

Accountability Standard Scheme Intends to Make our Schools Sub-Standard 

While the Commonwealth was preparing for the end of the school year and summer vacation, the Virginia Board of Education (VBOE) and Department of Education (VDOE) rammed through unpopular and controversial new accreditation and accountability standards. These standards will tank the credibility of schools across the Commonwealth while making our highly ranked schools ripe for privatization. At the same time, these convoluted standards will confuse families and students and encourage teachers to flee before VDOE places an even heavier burden on them to fix this problem caused by bureaucrats and their consultants.

Only a few months ago, Cheryl Binkley and I both wrote about disappointment in VDOE’s Accountability “Listening” Sessions. After driving an hour each way in rush hour traffic, we were scolded, talked at, and rushed through our only opportunity to understand accountability changes and provide input to Dr. Lisa Coons of VDOE. However, we only had an inkling of what was to come. Now that I see the finished product, it is an absolute horror show for Virginia public schools. 

VDOE Accountability or Disruption?

In April 2024, Cheryl summed up Youngkin’s intent quite well by asking “Does VDOE want Accountability or Disruption of Virginia Schools?” The answer is clearly disruption. If this VDOE plan is implemented, it would mean that most schools will be found to be “off track” or “needs intensive support.” It is important to note that “Needs intensive support” is a euphemism because it almost always involves more punishment than support. Needless to say, there is little guidance and no promise of funds to solve any supposed problems identified by these radical new VDOE Accountability and Accreditation standards. 

As many educators have noted, these accountability and accreditation revisions would hit schools that are in rural areas especially hard because they have fewer financial resources. Also, it will affect those schools with a high number of students who live in poverty, are English language learners, and/or have learning disabilities.

Where is the Outrage and the Action?

Truly, I’m surprised at how little news coverage or outrage there is about this, since with implementation, these new standards would trash the reputations of up to 60% of our schools per VDOE’s projections. How does this help anyone, much less students and teachers?

Before you read further, take an opportunity to tell the Virginia Board of Education how you feel before their August 28th meeting, and consider signing up to speak when they open up the sign up list. You know that I will be there, and I love to carpool.


The thing that angers me the most is that the VDOE and VBOE, mostly Youngkin appointees, are setting up students and schools to fail with absolutely no support or money from the state. We, the taxpayers, teachers, and parents, will be left holding the bag for a flawed solution to a problem that we didn’t have. 

Also, I’m angry that instead of listening to experts, educators, and parents, Youngkin hired consultants to solve a problem that didn’t exist, held listening sessions where they didn’t listen, and then in the middle of the summer released an incomprehensible 50-page revised regulations along with this official statement:

"Those who oppose establishing an accountability system are the same people who allowed the previous two administrations to lower standards and conceal issues and data from parents to prioritize their own agendas at the expense of Virginia’s students and their futures.” - Youngkin Administration

No, Governor Youngkin, Dr. Coons, and VA Board of Education. We all want meaningful accountability and for our students to succeed. In fact, we had a perfectly fine system that was transparent and easy enough to use and understand. But then you came along to waste money and time to create something that when enacted immediately fails the majority of our schools.

To make it even worse, you ignored and belittled families and educators in the process, after claiming that you supported “parents rights.” Where is the accountability for this administration's refusal to fund the JLARC report, continued underfunding to localities, and false publicity campaign against Virginia's public schools?

Ironically, all of those groups and individuals who, since 2020, have fought against local school board control over school districts, as guaranteed by our constitution, are now fully in favor of this accountability and accreditation experiment using our public schools, children, families, and educators as unsuspecting guinea pigs.

Youngkin’s Intent is Clear: Privatization of Public School Funding

In 2022 Youngkin began his attacks on Virginia’s accreditation system. He criticized that “89 percent of Virginia’s public K-12 schools were fully accredited, compared with 92 percent in the 2019-2020 school year” despite a world-wide pandemic, with over a million Americans dead, and remote work and schooling for much of the nation for over a year. As the Washington Post noted at the time, Youngkin’s “push for a new accreditation system [was] also part of his broader effort to declare that the state’s schools need a rescue.” 

As 4 Public Education has shared in an earlier blog: The truth is that Virginia students performed as well or better than students nationwide on the [NAEP], and Virginia’s public schools are rated fourth out of all the states, based on reviews by both Forbes and the World Population Review. 

The path from Younkin’s teacher snitch line in 2022 to this current accreditation and accountability scheme seems clear in retrospect: how else do you arrange state control and/or privatization of schools? Answer: by discrediting them through constant attacks and creating accountability standards that are nearly impossible to achieve by most schools, much less by underfunded school districts with large populations of students who need greater support. 

All students need more education support, not a higher bar that is out of reach. Raising standards does not automatically improve student performance–providing funding, opportunity, and support improves student achievement.

Black chalkboard with steps upward and the words "Time for Action" with colored arrows.

What can you do?

First, get up to date. 

Second, tell the Virginia Board of Education how you feel and consider signing up for their August 28th meeting using the link below.


Third, make this public to as many people as possible. 

Finally, ask all of your friends and neighbors to do the same. 

Do all of this the sooner the better, because this is not a small thing, but actually changes everything for our children, educators, and beloved local schools as education experts know that VDOE’s accountability and accreditation scheme will:

“Penalize schools that demonstrate significant student growth but serve students who start further behind due to various educational barriers.” - State Education Union
Fail ”to provide critical information for parents about which student subgroups are struggling versus schools that are underperforming across all grade levels.” - Virginia PTA President Jenna Alexander.

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