The mastery component measures all students’ academic performance in reading, math, and science and includes a specific measure of progress for multilingual learner students.

Reading, math, and science performance are calculated based on student scores on the Standards of Learning (SOL) tests, as well as the Virginia Alternate Assessment Program (VAAP) for certain students with disabilities.

Schools receive additional points for students scoring at the Pass Advanced level than those at the Pass Proficient level.

Under the new framework, there is the potential that schools will be penalized when families refuse state testing. FCPS encourages participation in state assessments to get an accurate picture of each student's learning.

Multilingual learners' SOL scores now impact school evaluations after only three semesters. Until this year, this was 11 semesters.

In addition to academic performance, the framework includes a new measure of multilingual learners' progress on the WIDA annual English language proficiency exam.

Mastery is measured for all schools.

The growth component measures improvement in reading and math. For the 2024-25 school year the new system uses the Virginia Visualization and Analytics Solution (VVAAS)  to determine growth starting in 4th grade.

VVAAS compares each student's performance to what the student is expected to score. This expected score reflects how students with similar test histories performed on the assessment . The framework looks at whether students are growing as expected, exceeding expectations, or falling below.

Our school division is using data to monitor and understand student growth. Supporting your child's learning throughout the year helps them make good progress.

For accountability, growth is measured for all schools serving students in fourth through eighth grades: elementary, middle, secondary, and special education centers.

The graduation component reflects the percentage of students who earn a standard or advanced diploma within four years of entering high school. 

The measure comes from the Federal Graduation Indicator (FGI). The FGI does not include students who earn an Applied Studies Diploma or who take longer than four years to graduate, even where permitted under federal and state law.

The new framework will not impact your student’s graduation plan. Students who are currently eligible to extend their time to graduate and/or graduate with an Applied Studies Diploma will continue to have those options available to them. However, understanding how diploma types and timelines impact your school in the accountability system is helpful.

Our school division is working to support all students in earning a diploma and to be ready for transitions beyond high school.

Graduation is measured for all schools with a graduating class: high schools, secondary schools, and special education centers.

The readiness component measures how prepared students are. The Framework defines readiness differently at each level of a student’s academic career. 

Elementary School

In the first year of the framework, chronic absenteeism will be the only indicator of readiness for elementary schools.

Virginia defines chronic absenteeism as missing ten percent or more of the academic year for any reason, including  excused absences. For a standard school year, that means 18 days for the year or just two days a month.

Middle School

In middle schools, the readiness component includes indicators of chronic absenteeism and advanced coursework.

In the first year of the framework, advanced coursework looks only at access and performance in mathematics. Middle schools earn points when students take and pass high school level SOL exams such as Algebra 1 or Geometry.

High School, Secondary School, and Special Education Centers

In schools with a graduating class, the readiness component includes indicators of chronic absenteeism, a six-year expanded graduation rate, and the newly established 3E Readiness Framework.

Since they serve middle school grades, secondary schools and special education centers also include advanced coursework in the readiness component.

The six-year expanded ​​Federal Graduation Indicator (FGI) measures the percent of students who earn any Board-recognized diploma–including applied studies diplomas–within six years of entering ninth grade. This differs from the four-year FGI within the graduation component that only accounts for standard and advanced diplomas. The six-year rate also allows two additional years for students to complete graduation requirements. With this six-year expanded FGI, the readiness component provides a more comprehensive view of schools' graduation outcomes, because it includes students with disabilities and multilingual learners who are permitted additional time to graduate under state and federal law.

The 3E Readiness Framework  is a new indicator that calculates points for students who achieve certain milestones in the three E’s: enrollment, employment and enlistment. The 3E framework encourages students to explore options by recognizing their successes with advanced college coursework, career and technical education pathways, and military readiness assessments.

Many of the college-bound courses (e.g., AP Art and Design) and industry recognized credential pathways (e.g., Culinary Arts) recognize creativity and fine arts coursework.

The 3E indicator allows schools to be recognized for supporting students in pursuing their passions across the academic spectrum.

This change encourages students to have more diverse experiences, incentivizes schools to offer more programs, and widens partnerships with businesses and community entities.

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• Enrollmentevaluates a student’s preparation for postsecondary education based on college credit attainment through coursework and standardized exam scores. The point tiers are based on the number of courses taken and test scores received, and reflect how well students are set up to succeed in college. Examples of college readiness include Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and Dual Enrollment (DE).
• Employmentevaluates students' preparedness for the workforce. Students who complete a Career and Technical Education (CTE) program sequence and earn industry credentials or complete high quality work-based learning experiences gain points. Additional points are given for industry credential fields with strong employment potential.
• Enlistment  evaluates a student's preparedness for military service based on their score on the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT). The AFQT score is derived from Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) subtests. Points reflect levels of readiness aligned to various career pathways within the military.

Virginia has a new School Performance and Support Framework to evaluate schools, replacing parts of the old accreditation system. It focuses on mastery, growth, readiness and graduation.

The old system used school quality indicators with specific performance level targets. The new framework uses a 100-point system based on mastery, growth, readiness, and graduation to determine a school performance category. The indicators measured and their weighting vary by school level (elementary, middle, high).

The previous system reported school accreditation status as Accredited, Accredited with Conditions, or Accreditation Denied based on meeting individual  school quality indicator targets. Under the new framework, schools will receive a school performance category based on a comprehensive score: Distinguished, On Track, Off Track, or Needs Intensive Support.

FCPS is committed to helping our community understand these new performance categories while also recognizing school successes beyond the accountability framework.

No. The new accountability system  separates school accreditation from the performance framework. Now, schools will receive both an accreditation status and a performance category.

Previously, accreditation status was tied to meeting certain academic benchmarks. Now, accreditation will be based on a school's compliance with operational requirements, such as course offerings, staffing, and safety.

Academic performance is now solely measured and reported through the School Performance and Support Framework using the mastery, growth, readiness, and graduation components.

A school can be fully accredited and receive any of the performance categories. 

Although the measurements have changed, FCPS remains committed to both operational excellence and strong academic outcomes.

To align with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the School Performance and Support Framework includes federal identification of schools needing support.

Schools may be identified as needing Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI) if one or more student groups have low academic performance or Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI) if student groups consistently struggle. Schools that are among the lowest-performing or having low graduation rates receive Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI).

A school's federal identification can also affect its state performance category. FCPS is working to understand how federal designations will impact our schools and the supports available.

The previous accreditation system included a Graduation and Completion Index (GCI).

The new School Performance and Support Framework primarily uses the four-year Federal Graduation Indicator (FGI), which measures the percentage of students graduating with a standard or advanced diploma within four years of entering ninth grade.

Notably, the four-year FGI does not include applied studies diplomas or other high school completion outcomes. The framework includes a six-year expanded FGI (which  does  include applied studies diplomas) as part of the readiness component, acknowledging students who may need more time to graduate.

FCPS continues to recognize the importance of all graduation pathways for our students.

The Framework defines readiness differently at each level of a student’s academic career.

In elementary school, chronic absenteeism is currently the only indicator of readiness.

In middle school, chronic absenteeism and advanced coursework (initially just mathematics) are the indicators of readiness.

In high school, the former accreditation system included the College, Career, and Civic Readiness Index (CCCRI) as a measure. This is now represented by the Virginia 3E Readiness framework, which focuses on whether students are prepared for enrollment in post-secondary education, employment with industry-recognized credentials, or enlistment in the military upon graduation.

Points are awarded based on the rigor of experiences within each of these "E's," such as achieving college-ready scores on AP/IB/dual enrollment, or obtaining high-demand industry credentials.

FCPS is committed to providing diverse opportunities that align with the 3E framework.

High school readiness also includes the 6-year expanded Federal Graduation Indicator (FGI), which accounts for students earning standard, advanced, and applied studies diplomas.

Chronic absenteeism rates measure students' availability to access learning across school levels. Together, these readiness indicators aim to provide a more comprehensive view of how well schools are preparing students for future success beyond the traditional four-year graduation window and for rigorous academic pathways.

FCPS is committed to providing a wide range of advanced coursework and supporting all students towards successful graduation.

The previous accreditation system used SOL progress tables, reporting growth as part of academic achievement.

In its first year, the new School Performance and Support Framework reports growth using the Virginia Visualization and Analytics Solution (VVAAS). VVAAS calculates an expected score for each student based on their prior testing data and compares it to their actual score. A student may reach, come close, or exceed the expected growth.

This student-level data is then aggregated to determine growth for the school. This is a different approach than simply measuring how much a student's score improved from the previous year. 

FCPS is working to understand and utilize growth data to support student progress this year. Virginia plans to identify a different growth measure to evaluate schools beginning in the 2026-27 school year.

Previously, academic "achievement" was often viewed through overall SOL and Virginia Alternate Assessment Program (VAAP) pass rates. Growth and multilingual learner progress were woven into this single result for elementary and middle schools.

The new School Performance and Support Framework uses a more complex approach by calculating a Mastery Index. This index awards different point values based on student performance levels on SOL and VAAP tests (Advanced, Proficient, Basic/Does Not Meet, Below Basic). This weighted index measures how well students are mastering grade-level content.

The mastery component also includes a measure of progress in achieving English language proficiency for multilingual learners.

FCPS remains focused on supporting all students to achieve mastery.

FCPS encourages all students to participate in state assessments. 

If families choose not to have their students take SOL tests, it may lower the school’s overall performance score when the school has a low overall participation rate.

FCPS is seeking further clarification from the state to understand the implications for our schools' performance calculations and student reporting.

A key change in the School Performance and Support Framework is how multilingual learners are included in accountability measures.

The new system counts their achievement scores after just 3 semesters of English instruction. Previously, students learning English were often excluded in accountability for up to 11 semesters, which more accurately reflected research on how long it takes students to reach language proficiency.

FCPS recognizes the diverse linguistic backgrounds of our students and is committed to their progress.

Another change is how transfer students are included in accountability measures. Students now count in accountability whenever they are enrolled at the school for 50 percent or more of the school year are now excluded for accountability. This is a change from the previous timeline, which excluded failing scores for any students enrolling after 20 days of instruction had elapsed in the school year.