To: local school boards and superintendents, The Virginia State House, The Virginia State Senate, and Governor Ralph Northam

Let Teachers Teach

We call on local school boards, superintendents, and the Virginia General Assembly to reexamine how learning is measured in Virginia, by the Standards of Learning (SOL's) and other means of evaluating student learning. We are asking for balanced assessments, instructional flexibility, local autonomy, and expedited assessment remediation. We know that rigorous standards are essential to success, and so we support assessment which accurately reflects what students know. We support the role of teachers as designers. We support assessment that serves as guidance for instruction, and which nurtures the sense of inquiry and love of learning in all students.

Why is this important?

Many parents, teachers and children have told me about the distress due to the SOLs. It's time that we stood up together so that teachers can focus on teaching our children instead of to the SOL tests.