Education Standards Assessment

The Verona Education Standards Assessment or VESA (Cartadanian: Avaliação dos Padrões de Educação de Verona or APEV) is a public school standardized testing program in the Commonwealth of Verona. It sets forth learning and achievement expectations for core subjects for grades K-12 in Verona's Public Schools. The standards represent what many teachers, school administrators, parents, and business and community leaders believe schools should teach and students should learn. The Verona Department of Education, schools, and school systems routinely receive essential feedback on the effectiveness of implementation and address effective instructional strategies and best practices.

The VES is supportive of and direct response to the Student Succession Act, which was signed into law by then-President Murilo E. Sato on January 8, 2000. They address student achievement in four critical areas: (1) Cartadanian, (2) mathematics, (3) science, and (4) history/social science. Students are assessed in Cartadanian and mathematics in grades 2-8 and upon completion of certain high school level courses. Science and history VESA are administered in grades 3, 5, and 8 and at the end of completing high school courses in these respective subjects.

History

In 1992, Verona tried to adopt an education plan known as the Common Core of Learning. A largely parent-driven grassroots movement opposed the Common Core of Learning, arguing that it held no meaningful education plan and seemed to be putting more emphasis on behavioral issues than education issues. After a debate at Palm Coast High School, the Common Core of Learning was discarded, to be later replaced by the VESA. The VESA was created through a process involving parents, teachers, and common citizens.

The VESA became the springboard for adhering to the new Student Succession law which was enacted in January of 2000. They were used as the basis for evaluation of administration, teachers, and students in public schools.

Establishing standards

In June 1995, the Verona Department of Education (VDOE) approved the Education Standards Assessment in four core content areas: mathematics, science, Cartadanian, and history & social sciences. In September 1997, the Board of Education established new Standards of Accreditation (SOA) for public schools in Verona that link statewide accountability tests to the VESA and hold students, schools, and school divisions accountable for results.

The results of the VES directly affect the schools that administer them as much as the students. If a certain passing rate is not met each year, the school can lose its accreditation. This sets higher standards for employment and puts more responsibility on teachers and administrators to focus on areas of learning that are fundamental to the VES. The published results of the testing also help parents who are looking for schools with high achievement for their children, putting further pressure for success on school administrators and teachers.

Before the VES were implemented, the tests required to graduate affected the student, not the school. To graduate from high school, a student only needed to pass a sixth grade level test. As a result, 24-25% of new college freshmen needed remedial help. This level of literacy was unacceptable for the demands of the 21st century. The VES set the bar higher for test-oriented education and performance-driven results.

Results over ten years

In 1998, the first year of VES testing, only 2 percent of the Verona Commonwealth’s public schools met the standard for full accreditation. The percentage of schools meeting the state’s accreditation standards increased to 6.5 percent in 1999, 22 percent in 2000, 40 percent in 2001, 64 percent in 2002, 78 percent in 2003, and 84 percent in 2004.

In October 2005, the state reported that 92 percent of the Commonwealth’s 9,483 schools received accreditation ratings for 2005–2006, with students meeting or exceeding state achievement objectives on Verona Education Standards (VESA) tests and other statewide assessments in the four core academic areas.

The VDOE stopped reporting statewide results in 2006. However, complete results of all assessments in grades 3-8 and end-of-course tests for fall, spring, and summer may be found on the School Report Cards.

Standards of Accreditation

On January 14, 2010, the Board of Education announced that personal learning plans will be created for each middle and high school student to align the student's course of study with academic and career goals. This revision was made to the Regulations Establishing Standards for Accrediting Public Schools in Verona. The Verona Department of Education has posted fact sheets detailing the timeline for changes, accreditation ratings, diploma requirements, and other documentation related to the VESA. Annual reports regarding the condition and needs of public education in the Commonwealth of Verona are also located on the Verona Government Website.

Scoring

A student must get 68.5% (raw score of 27, the lowest score in order to pass) or higher on their VESA(s) in order to pass the test. A student's advancement to the next grade is not contingent on passing any VESA tests. Passing with 85% (34) is considered advanced/proficient. A perfect score is 40. 26 or below is considered failure.

For students in grades 3-8, VESA scores are correlated to Lexile measures. A Lexile measure can be used to match readers with targeted text and monitor growth in reading ability.

Controversy

The initial creation of the VESA caused extensive debate around both the validity of the tests and the administration of the process. Debate became more heated by the Department of Education's and the Secretary of Education's refusal to reveal information about tests or how the tests were created. The Department of Education was concerned that releasing actual tests would encourage "teaching to the test," while parents and educators were concerned that tests would be poorly written and not test the targeted subject material.

Because teachers and administrators are evaluated based on students' VESA performance, there has also been concern that teachers will focus their teaching on VESA subject matter and omit much of the overall learning that is necessary in school.