Fairfax County Public Schools is giving the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) a demerit for its recent reveal of annual student test scores.
The results released last week omitted assessments outside of the Standards of Learning (SOL) tests that students take statewide, creating a misleading impression of how FCPS is doing, Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid said in an Aug. 23 letter to state officials, including Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
Herndon is planning a historical marker that will delve into the town’s history of segregation, particularly in connection to the Herndon Fortnightly Library (768 Center Street).
Town staff discussed the proposal with the Herndon Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee (HDEIC) at a meeting on Thursday, Aug. 15.
Virginia students’ reading and math assessments for the 2023-24 school year saw some improvement over last year after months of recovery efforts, according to data released by the Department of Education Tuesday. However, pass rates in other subjects are still behind results from the 2022-23 school year.
Pass rates for grades 3 through 8 in reading, math, and science Standards of Learning tests all showed increases statewide by at least 1%. Writing showed the highest increase — 17 percentage points — while history and social science saw little gain, less than a percentage point.
Fairfax County Public Schools Adult and Community Education is launching more than 250 new courses for the trades, construction, IT and health care.
The new courses include in-person, hybrid and asynchronous offerings in line with the program’s focus on “new collar” workforce development, according to a school system news release. New collar defines high-paying professions that combine technical skills with specialized education rather than a four-year degree. Those roles are found in industries with high demand for workers in Northern Virginia — especially the trades, health care and technology — according to Paul Steiner, head administrator of FCPS Adult and Community Education, also known as ACE.
Reinforcements are on the way to bolster Fairfax City and the Town of Vienna’s restaurant industry.
The two localities are seeking applicants for a new Culinary Careers Collaborative program intended to train future chefs, bartenders and other food service workers for potential jobs with local businesses.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s recent executive order to limit phone use in Virginia schools may align with a new pilot program being considered by Fairfax County Public Schools.
Signed Wednesday (July 10), the executive order directs the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) to gather feedback from parents, teachers, and administrators to create guidelines for enforcing “cell-phone-free” classrooms in public schools.
Cub Run Elementary School students could be the first in Fairfax County to attend a “swing space” while their school gets renovated in the future.
The school board’s Facilities Planning Advisory Council (FPAC) recommends that Fairfax County Public Schools consider piloting the concept — where students and staff are temporarily relocated to pre-existing facilities during construction — with the Centreville school.
A wellness clinic in Tysons will soon offer massages, acupuncture and other treatments to competitive video game players.
The Virginia University of Integrative Medicine (VUIM) announced last month that it has been named the official health and wellness partner of the Ultimate Endgamers League (UEL), an esports league based in Stafford. The private university’s clinic at 1980 Gallows Road will provide care to players once the UEL season starts in August.
A Fairfax County seventh-grader reached the semifinals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee before being eliminated, while three other Northern Virginia spellers were knocked out in Wednesday’s quarterfinals.
Nargiza Muzhapaer, 13, who attends Pinnacle Academy in Chantilly, was one of only 45 spellers to reach Wednesday afternoon’s semifinal round. The bee, being held at Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Md., started with 245 spellers.
Ankita Balaji, a seventh-grader at Rachel Carson Middle School in Herndon, will represent Fairfax County Public Schools in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, starting next Tuesday, May 28.
Balaji still remembers the moment she spelled the winning word correctly and won the 2024 Fairfax County spelling bee in March.
