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Senate rejects bill to delay new school accountability system after lengthy debate
Summary
SB 9 79, which would have delayed rollout of Virginia’s revised public-school accountability framework and created an advisory council, failed in the Senate after extended debate on student proficiency measures and NAEP comparisons.
The Virginia Senate rejected SB 9 79 on Tuesday after a long floor debate over school accountability metrics and how to measure student progress.
Senator Hashmi (Richmond City) sponsored the bill, which would have delayed enactment of a revised public-school accountability system for one year and established an advisory council to review implementation. Hashmi said the pause was intended to give local school divisions, teachers and parents more time to prepare and to ensure accountability measures do not “punitively measure” districts serving high percentages of English learners.
Opponents pressed that delay would cost students another year of accountability and transparency. Senator Stanley of Franklin County called the proposal “delay” and urged colleagues that “another year is another lost year of learning for these children.” Several senators, including Van Valkenburg and others, argued that the problems in NAEP scores predate the pandemic and stressed the need for sustained investment rather than postponement.
Senator Van Valkenburg said he opposed the delay, arguing the state needs to put the new system in place so implementation kinks can be identified and fixed in practice; he said repeated shifting of accountability systems harms schools.
Other senators, including advocates for rural districts and superintendents, said they supported a pause to allow districts time to align supports for literacy and growth measures and to bring communities on board. Concern was also raised about shifting reported proficiency numbers: speakers cited discrepancies between NAEP (national) and SOL (state) results and urged clarity on how those metrics would be used.
Action: The Senate voted on final passage; the roll-call tally was 17 yes and 22 no, and the motion failed. The clerk recorded “17 noes 22 — the bill does not pass.”
Ending: The floor debate highlighted deep division over how to weigh proficiency, growth and equity in school accountability. Supporters pressed for more preparation and stakeholder engagement; opponents argued delay would deny transparency and slow corrective action.
