Some Virginia educators are pushing back against a proposal that could shift how the state measures student performance in history and social science, warning it could sideline critical-thinking assessments in favor of multiple-choice exams.
The Virginia Social Studies Leaders Consortium (VSSLC) says the state’s proposed accountability revisions threaten to undo years of progress toward locally designed, inquiry-based assessments. About half of Virginia’s school divisions already use these alternative methods to award verified credits through portfolios and project-based work.
“What our organization was hoping for was local flexibility,” said Danyael Graham, president of the VSSLC told Virginia Mercury.
The changes come as the Virginia Board of Education prepares to submit updates to the state’s Consolidated Plan under the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The plan must be approved by the U.S. Department of Education but can move faster than the state’s usual administrative process.
Unlike reading, math, and science, social studies is not a federally required subject for testing, meaning states can choose how—or whether—to include it in their accountability systems. (RELATED: Youngkin Awards Over $6 Million to Preserve Virginia’s Civil War Battlefields)
The proposed revisions are part of Virginia’s broader effort to overhaul its accountability model, following pandemic-era learning losses. In June, Sen. Schuyler VanValkenburg (D–Henrico) and several education groups—including the American Historical Association, iCivics, and the National Council for the Social Studies—urged the board to add U.S. History or Civics as a measure of school quality.
Their letter argued that strengthening social studies instruction improves students’ reading comprehension, civic understanding, and overall academic engagement. (RELATED: Republican Attorney General Helped Shut Down Brothel That Democratic Prosecutor Tolerated)
But the VSSLC declined to sign on, citing fears that the proposal would lead to uniform, test-heavy standards and strip away local control. Members also said the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) did not consult them before advancing the plan.
Educators like Graham and Beau Dickenson—recently named 2025 National Social Studies Leader of the Year—say the state has spent years moving away from what they call “quiz-bowl style” testing.
“Document-based questions and inquiry are far more rigorous than discrete facts you can bubble on a scantron sheet,” Dickenson said. “Going backward would mean taking several steps away from what actually prepares students for civic life.”
Lawmakers, however, say stronger oversight is needed. VanValkenburg and Del. Dan Helmer (D–Fairfax) have both introduced legislation to ensure local assessments meet statewide quality standards. Their bills emphasize “guardrails,” not elimination, of local testing options.
Still, consortium members argue the proposed accountability revisions directly conflict with that legislation, which supports permissive local assessments rather than one-size-fits-all Standards of Learning exams.
Educators say they are still unsure whether local assessments will count toward accountability or whether any changes would take effect mid-school year or in 2026–27.
The Board of Education is set to review the proposal again Thursday and hold a final vote on December 11 before submitting the plan to the U.S. Department of Education.