Massive Failure Rates on New Tests Daze Va.

By Jessica Portner

Many local Virginia educators are wondering what steps to take next after a staggering 97 percent of their public schools failed the new state tests that will eventually determine whether schools are accredited and students graduate.

In the first round of high-stakes student-achievement tests, given last spring, only 39 of the state's 1,800 schools--or 2.2 percent--met the performance goals on exams linked to the state's Standards of Learning, according to results released by Virginia officials this month.

Widely hailed, as well as copied by a number of states, Virginia's standards also have been faulted for their heavy dependence on the memorization of facts--a charge that has been renewed with the publication...