Teachers and other employees of Mathews County Public Schools were encouraged Tuesday morning to make their voices heard in Richmond this year, as the climate is right for opinions to be heard on student assessments.

Assessments were the main topic of conversation during the school system’s annual Opening Day Convocation that took place inside the Mathews High School auditorium.

“Our energies to redirect the conversations away from test data and more toward children will not happen overnight,” said guest speaker Dr. Ben Kiser, the former Gloucester superintendent of schools who now serves as the executive director of the Virginia Association of School Superintendents. “But it will happen.”

“The stars are aligned for reasonable discussion about public education in Virginia,” Kiser said.

Mathews County School Superintendent David Holleran said he has always been vocal about the need for less emphasis placed on assessment testing and more ...