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Parents and educators urge Board of Education to pause plan to add history/social studies to ESSA accountability
Summary
Dozens of parents, teachers and social studies leaders urged the state board to pause a proposed ESSA amendment (Amendment 9) that would add history and social science as an accountability indicator, citing limited stakeholder engagement, conflicts with HB 1957 and concerns about high‑stakes multiple choice testing replacing performance‑based assessments.
At the Virginia Board of Education meeting, a stream of public commenters — parents, teachers and subject‑area leaders — urged the board to pause or withdraw proposed language that could add history and social science to the state's ESSA consolidated plan.
Multiple speakers argued the change was advanced without robust consultation and could conflict with state law (House Bill 1957) that preserves local flexibility for performance‑based assessments. "Using social studies SOLs and accountability indicators would effectively turn an optional test into a de facto state requirement," said…
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