Statewide Test Scores Improve

The Commonwealth’s Standards of Learning test scores in math and reading improved in the 2024-25 school year, according to the Virginia Department of Education.

“We made the tests harder, and yet the students’ performance improved,” Gov. Glenn Youngkin said, giving credit to the state’s Restoring Excellence to Education plan.

Almost half of school systems equaled or surpassed the state pass rate for reading, with pass rates up noticeably in grades six, seven, and eight.

The state’s ALL In VA initiative is aimed at improving school attendance and student literacy to prioritize learning.

Legal Cases Launched in Virginia

The Virginia Declaration of Rights was drafted by George Mason and adopted by the Virginia Constitutional Convention on June 12, 1776. Since that earliest legal action, the Commonwealth has played the lead role in several key Supreme Court cases.

The Cohens v. Virginia case of 1821 was originally about the selling of lottery tickets in Norfolk, but it ended up reinforcing federal judicial authority by reaffirming the Supreme Court’s role in reviewing state court decisions involving federal law.

In the 1946 Morgan v. Virginia case, the Supreme Court struck down the state’s law that required segregation on interstate buses. In Griffin v. School Board of Prince Edward County, the Court ruled that closing public schools to avoid desegregation violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

Finally, Loving v. Virginia in 1967 struck down state laws that prohibited interracial marriage, holding that “the freedom to marry or not marry, a person of another race resides with the individual and cannot be infringed by the State.”

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➤ Atlanta: Virginia Tech’s offense couldn’t put the ball in the end zone against No. 13 South Carolina as the Hokies football team dropped its season-opener 24-11. (Details)

➤ Statewide: The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services reported that 146 civilians died in the custody of Virginia law enforcement agencies and state adult correctional facilities last year. An additional 48 people died in local or regional jails. (Read the Report)

➤ Henrico and Chesterfield Counties: Two of the three counties with the best credit ratings in the country are in Virginia. Each of the four major bond rating agencies granted them AAA ratings, known as a quad-AAA. Henrico County Manager John Vithoulkas called the area a “quadzilla region.” (Details)

➤ Fauquier County: The developers of the proposed Gigaland data center in Remington withdrew their application last week, canceling the need for a September 11 hearing. The developers will reportedly prepare a new application. (More)

➤ Wallops Island: Gov. Glenn Youngkin cut the ribbon last week for a rocket launch pad that will serve as a landing and test site for the world’s first reusable Neutron rocket. (Details)

➤ Kiptopeke State Park: A juvenile bald eagle that had been rescued near Norfolk in June was released into the wild last week. (More)

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Should Virginia rename the Standards of Learning exams to improve the acronym?

1. Yes
2. No
3. Why?

Friday’s Results:

Will a Virginia-based team make the FBS playoffs? 

1. Probably not: 43%
2. Yes: 30%
3. No way!: 27%

When was the bald eagle removed from the Virginia List of Endangered and Threatened Species?

Show me the answer