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Professional Learning and Accountability--Department Mission

The mission of the Department of Professional Learning and Accountability (PLA) is to create both the structure and focus to provide comprehensive professional learning opportunities for all FCPS employees. PLA values accountability and serves as a catalyst to impact student achievement through collaboration and positive action. In both areas, Professional Learning and Accountability, the department strives for system efficiencies.

Accountability Responsibilities

  • Administers the Virginia State Assessment Program and the FCPS Testing Program.
  • Develops accountability procedures and communicates results.
  • Analyzes, interprets, and reports division, cluster, school, and individual student achievement data annually.
  • Conducts comprehensive program evaluations as required by the Superintendent and School Board.
  • Provides technical assistance in planning, testing, research, and program evaluation to central offices, cluster offices, and schools.
  • Develops and monitors policy for the school division in the areas of testing, research, planning, and evaluation.
  • Coordinates development of the Divisionwide Comprehensive Plan, and the division's three Student Achievement Goals ; reports results to the School Board, Superintendent, state, and community.
  • Coordinates secondary school accreditation through Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).
  • Plans and facilitates community boundary meetings, focus groups and task forces.

Special Projects Administration

Through the assistant superintendent, the special projects administrator provides technical leadership, consultation, and support to the Leadership Team, Superintendent, and School Board for division-wide:

  • Strategic planning, outcome measurement, and performance reporting
  • Continuous improvement systems and activities
  • Process mapping, measurement, and benchmarking
  • Accountability approaches and management
  • Special initiatives as assigned (e.g., Teacher Leadership concept development; client satisfaction survey design, administration, analysis, and reporting; and organizational realignment studies)

Office of Educational Planning

The mission of the Office of Educational Planning is to promote best practices in strategic planning and to provide tools to stakeholders in the pursuit of continuous improvement.  To accomplish its mission, the Office of Educational Planning:

  • Provides technical guidance in the management and reporting of the divisionwide strategic goals to the community, school system, and School Board.
  • Coordinates the development of the Fairfax County Public Schools Six-Year Plan.
  • Defines standards for strategic and school improvement planning.
  • Develops materials to support the use of the standards.
  • Conducts training on the school improvement planning process for schools and cluster offices
  • Mentors and assists schools accredited with warning to meet accreditation and No Child Left Behind standards.
  • Oversees the coordination of secondary school accreditation through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (CASI).
  • Plans and facilitates focus groups for community boundary meetings, parent and staff task forces and the Superintendent’s Advisory Councils.

Office of Program Evaluation

  • Conducts evaluations of instructional programs for reporting to the Leadership Team, School Board, and individual schools.
  • Designs and manages program accountability systems for the division, such as performance bands and division-level program evaluations.
  • Communicates program evaluation designs and results (via presentations and written reports) to various audiences, including school, cluster, and central office staffs; community members; the Superintendent; and School Board.
  • Provides technical assistance:
    • in designing and conducting surveys, assessments, and evaluations.
    • within and external to the Department of Accountability in the design, collection, and analyses of data to judge the effectiveness of schools.
    • on the three Student Achievement Goals committees to help ensure the valid use and presentation of data.
  • Oversees the screening of all requests to conduct research (collect data) in Fairfax County Public Schools involving students and/or staff.

Office of Student Testing

The Office of Student Testing oversees the distribution, administration, analysis, and reporting of all FCPS- and state-mandated testing and other performance indicators. The Office of Student Testing helps meet the mission of educating all students to meet high academic standards by:

  • Determining test materials and scoring services needs essential for the mandated and optional testing programs for schools and the division.
  • Distributing tests divisionwide from the Test Distribution Center. Determining division test administration guidelines to ensure FCPS is compliant with state and federal policies.
  • Instructing school test coordinators in the appropriate administration of all county- and state-mandated assessments to help ensure a timely return of assessment data to cluster offices, schools, and parents.
  • Communicating with school and central office personnel to help make sure all students are appropriately tested according to Individualized Education Program and Limited English Proficiency guidelines.
  • Maintaining secure and consistent testing conditions across all schools to ensure the collection of data that accurately reflects student achievement.
  • Ensuring the accuracy of testing results for students, schools, clusters, and the division.
  • Compiling and communicating accurate, timely, and useful information concerning the performance of students, schools, and the division for the decision making of parents, teachers, administrators and the community.
  • Providing analysis and guidance in the use of data for the division's three Student Achievement Goals.