Virginia is changing the way it rates K-12 schools beginning next year.

Why it matters: Education officials warn that a majority of the state's public schools will be rated as "off track" or in need of improvement as a result of the change.

The big picture: For decades, the Virginia Department of Education used an accreditation system to measure performance across multiple school quality indicators, classifying them as accredited, accredited with conditions or not accredited.

• Under the current system, the vast majority of schools (89%) achieved full accreditation for the past two school years — a slight decline from the 92% accredited in 2019-2020, per the Times-Dispatch.
• Virginia schools achieved widespread full accreditation despite having some of the steepest post-pandemic drops in student test scores in the nation.

Zoom in: Virginia's new school rating system, which the state Board of Education approved two weeks ago, separates accreditation and accountability into two measurements.

• Schools will still be accredited, or not, but every school in the state will also be rated using one of four accountability categories: distinguished, on track, off track or needs intensive support.
• The accountability rating measures student performance using chronic absenteeism, test scores and advanced coursework to determine student readiness, growth and mastery.

Between the lines: Essentially, accreditation will determine if schools meet basic operational requirements; accountability ratings will give parents and the public a clearer idea of how students and schools are performing, VDOE spokesperson Todd Reid tells Axios.

Yes, but: VDOE's own projections show around 60% of the state's schools will be "off track" or "needs intensive support," according to the Washington Post.

• Those metrics illustrate how badly the state's existing school rating model needed to change, board members told the Times-Dispatch.

Go deeper for the criticisms of the changes

While Virginia updates its rating system, the state is failing to provide pre-pandemic school performance data that's accessible, per a new study released last week.

Why it matters: Pre-COVID data being difficult to find makes it challenging to compare it to students today.

The big picture: Virginia got a "C" from Arizona State University's Center on Reinventing Public Education, which developed a grading system to judge state websites.

• These sites are federally mandated state report cards showing where students are making progress and where they're struggling.

Zoom in: Reviewers said it's hard to find trends on Virginia's site before 2020-21 for math growth, social studies and English learner proficiency.

• "Learning needs" dashboards that look at multiple SOL pass rates with demographics data do exist dating back to 2015-16 — but on the entirely separate VDOE site.

What's next: VDOE spokesperson Todd Reid tells Axios that the state isn't currently able to consolidate both websites, but is looking at options that "enhance" the information already available.

Full story

🤸‍♂️ The state Board of Education approved Unified PE as an alternative to traditional PE classes for ninth and 10th graders. (Inside NOVA)

• Unified PE pairs students with and without disabilities for educational and physical activities assignments for gym course credit.

📈 Two polls of likely Virginia voters this week show Kamala Harris with her greatest statewide lead over Trump yet. (The Hill)

• A Morning Consult poll has a Harris-Trump matchup at 52% to 42%.
• A Washington Post-Schar School poll yesterday had Harris leading at 50-42.

👀 The city's Office of the Inspector General published 17 previously unseen investigative reports from 2020-2024 after an 8News reporter asked why they hadn't been published. (WRIC)

Say goodbye to garbage men waking you up before 7am.

The big picture: On Monday night, Richmond City Council voted to change the noise ordinance and limit trash pickup hours to 7am-11pm.

• They used to start at 5am, which some city council members said has led to noise complaints.

Yes, but: The proposal hasn't been popular among the Department of Public Works.

• In a July committee meeting, DPW director Bobby Vincent said he and his staff didn't understand why the hours needed changing.
• Vincent noted that some public trash pickups starts on weekdays at 4am to avoid any potential conflicts due to congestion and tight streets.

Fun fact: There's an RVA Reddit thread from nearly a decade ago complaining about loud trash collection.

• One user commented that it's woken their infant kid up.
• Another said, "Asking the city to be quiet so you can sleep isn't going to work. Buy some ear plugs."

Keep reading for the exceptions to the new hours

The largest snapping turtle ever recorded in the state was caught last month in the James River, according to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources.

Why it matters: The 57-pound "Godzilla" was caught and released in Henrico, just off Curles Neck Farm.

The big picture: Godzilla, as the wildlife folks dubbed him, is roughly twice the size of what would be considered a large snapping turtle, according to DWR, making him a true ... well, Godzilla.

• His age is unknown, but snapping turtles can live up to 70 years, per DWR.

Fun fact: The largest common snapping turtle in the world is Big Snap Daddy, a 98-pounder with an objectively cooler name than Godzilla.

The latest: Godzilla was released back into the James soon after he was caught where he'll live out the rest of his massive, snapping turtle days.

Tell a turtle lover