Virginia Department of Education
The Virginia Department of Education is the state education agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is headquartered in the James Monroe Building in Richmond.[1] The department is headed by the Secretary of Education, who is a member of the Virginia Governor's Cabinet, and the Superintendent of Public Instruction, a position that is also appointed by the Governor of Virginia. The Secretary of Education is responsible for heading the department and for overseeing Virginia's 16 public colleges and universities, the Virginia Community College System, the commonwealth's five higher education centers, and Virginia's public museums.[2]
Agency overview | |
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Formed | 1918 |
Preceding agency |
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Jurisdiction | Government of Virginia |
Headquarters | 101 N 14th St, Richmond, Virginia |
Agency executives |
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Website | Official website |
Standardized tests
The state assesses student performance in the elementary school and secondary school grades by the Standards of Learning (SOL) test. Students are required to take them once they reach the third grade. [3]
School Profiles
The Department is responsible for publishing school profile data, a public warehouse of data on school performance.
Brand
Since 2019, the Department, under the leadership of Dr. James F. Lane, introduced the Virginia is For Learners branding in conjunction with the Virginia Department of Tourism. This credo underscores the department's work around innovation with learning, equity and inclusion, and reforms designed to improve the standards of teaching and learning across the Commonwealth.[4]
Response to COVID-19
The Department has supported individual school divisions (districts) with its guidance on the return to school. Recover, Redesign, Restart is a PDF guidebook that provides a comprehensive source book for the return to instruction in Fall 2020[5].
Educational outreach
In 2013, the Virginia Department of Education released a 25-minute video, "The Virginia Indians: Meet the Tribes," covering both historical and contemporary Native American life in Virginia.[6]
References
- Home page. Virginia Department of Education. Retrieved on September 10, 2009.
- "Virginia Secretary of Education - Laura Fornash". Education.virginia.gov. 2012-03-22. Retrieved 2012-04-05.
- http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/
- https://www.virginiaisforlearners.virginia.gov/edequityva/
- Virginia, Department of Education (July 26, 2020). "Recover, Redesign, Restart" (PDF). Virginia Department of Education. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
- "Meet Virginia Tribes for Native American Heritage Month". Indian Country Today Media Network. 2013-11-26. Retrieved 2013-11-29.