Henrico County schools brace for new Virginia accountability system as SOL ratings await

Superintendent Dr. Cashwell and assessment staff on Oct. 23 briefed the Henrico County School Board on the Virginia Department of Education's new School Performance and Support Framework and how the division is preparing for the first set of statewide accountability ratings under the new model.

Dr. Tiffany Hinton, HCPS' director of assessment, research and evaluation, said the framework separates three distinct components: accountability (student learning outcomes), federal identification (federal reporting and student-group performance), and accreditation (standards-of-practice compliance). "A school that earns 90 points or above is considered distinguished," Hinton said, describing the four state performance categories and the cut points that will determine each school's placement.

Hinton spelled out how component weightings vary by school level: at the elementary level mastery is weighted at roughly 65%, growth 25% and readiness 10%; middle schools shift mastery to 60% with growth and readiness at 20% each; high schools include mastery, readiness and a graduation component. She said the state used statistical modeling, in partnership with SAS, to set student-level expected growth measures rather than relying on the old "progress tables" approach.

Taylor Snow, who presented division-level trends, told the board the student population is changing quickly. Elementary membership increased about 3.7% from 2021 to 2025, Snow said, special-education identification at the elementary level has grown about 21%, and students receiving English learner services rose by roughly 66% in the same period. Snow warned that changes to assessment eligibility—fewer students now qualify for the Virginia Alternate Assessment Program (VAAP)—mean more students who previously took alternate assessments are now taking regular SOL tests.

Presenters noted one specific policy shift that will affect school ratings: the window allowing newly arrived English learners to be excluded from accountability calculations has narrowed from up to 11 semesters under the prior rules to fewer than three semesters under the new system. "That change will make EL scores count much sooner and may affect school rating results," Snow said.

Board members asked whether the new accountability measures would affect teacher evaluations and daily workload. Staff replied that HCPS has revised its evaluation system in recent years and that teacher growth measures can draw on multiple metrics—not solely SOL scores—but acknowledged the cumulative effect of new standards, updated curriculum under the Virginia Literacy Act and assessment changes can increase demands on teachers. "There is tension out there," Dr. Cashwell said, noting school leaders and the district intend to rely on school quality plans, targeted professional learning and coaching to support teachers.

Ann Marie Seeley, director of school quality, described the division's continuous improvement approach: focused needs assessments, individualized school support plans with timelines and success metrics, coaching through one-to-one meetings, quarterly site visits and technical compliance support. The school quality process, Seeley said, is intended to connect data, priorities and actionable interventions at the school level.

Staff emphasized that statewide accountability ratings had not been publicly released as of the briefing and that the division would analyze the full reports when they become available. The board asked for more granular, recurring updates on monitored data (not necessarily SOL point-in-time scores) so members can track progress between annual presentations.

The presentation clarified key changes to how achievement, growth and readiness are measured under the new framework and outlined HCPS' plans to support schools through coaching, targeted interventions and school quality planning while awaiting the formal state ratings. The board did not take action on accountability items at the Oct. 23 work session; staff said they will return with additional data and analysis once state reports are released.