BY SAMANTHA MORGAN/CAPITAL NEWS SERVICE

morgansm@vcu.edu

 

RICHMOND—Gov. Bob McDonnell praised the House after delegates on Monday passed legislation that would provide a simpler way to understand a school’s performance and the state’s accreditation system.

Delegates voted 54-40 to approve a bill that would require the Virginia Board of Education to grade each school on an A-F scale.

“I was pleased by the bipartisan support in the House of Delegates for our common-sense plan to bring more transparency and accountability to Virginia’s public schools,” McDonnell said. “Parents and families will have another tool to advocate for and achieve better schools for their communities. If we aren’t giving students in every ZIP code the opportunity for a world-class education, we have failed them.

The bill is being sponsored by Del. Thomas “Tag” Greason, R-Landsdowne. It is part of McDonnell’s K-12 legislative agenda. Under the bill, the letter grade would be in addition to the more detailed accreditation standards for individual school performance.