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Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow announced on Tuesday, May 17, that the Virginia Department of Education will host six public engagement sessions to allow parents, families and community members to participate in the review and revision of the 2016 Mathematics Standards of Learning.

“Parents care about what their children learn in school, and have a right to be engaged at the beginning of the standards-review process, as opposed to being presented with draft standards aligned with a predetermined outcome,” Balow said. “We will have an open process for updating Virginia’s math standards and ensure that all of our students are able to pursue the highest level of academic rigor they are capable of achieving.” 

The sessions — five in-person and one virtual — will begin with presentations by VDOE staff about the SOL-revision process, followed by an opportunity for participants to share feedback about the commonwealth’s current math standards and suggest revisions.

The schedule for the public engagement sessions is as follows:

May 18 — John Tyler Community College, 13101 Route 1 (formerly Jefferson Davis Highway), Chester, Nicholas Center, Room 102 A.

May 19 —Tidewater Community College, 1428 Cedar, Chesapeake, Chesapeake Student Center, Chesapeake Bay Room.

May 23 — Northern Virginia Community College, 8333 Little River Turnpike, Annandale, Richard J. Ernst Community Cultural Center.

June 8 — New River Community College, 5251 College Drive, Dublin, Edwards Hall, Room 117.

June 9 — Blue Ridge Community College, One College Lane, Weyers Cave, Robert E. Plecker Workforce Center.

June 13 — Virtual session for those unable to attend an in-person session.

All of the sessions will begin at 7 p.m. Online registration is encouraged but not required for the in-person sessions. Advance registration is required for the virtual session. After registering, participants will receive a confirmation email with directions for joining the virtual meeting.

The General Assembly requires the Board of Education to review and revise standards every seven years. Under a schedule presented to the board in January, VDOE staff will present draft revised math standards to the board in March 2023, with final adoption in the fall.

VDOE launched the initial process for reviewing and revising the 2016 math standards in 2020 as the “Virginia Mathematics Pathways Initiative.” As originally proposed, the initiative would have limited students from taking advanced math courses before the 11th grade. Governor Glenn Youngkin rescinded the initiative on January 15 as part of Executive Order One.