Standards of Quality (SOQ) - The Standards of Quality prescribe the minimum program that all public school divisions in Virginia must meet. The Standards are established in the Constitution of Virginia (Article VIII, § 2) and defined in the Code of Virginia (§§22.1-253.13:1 through 22.1-253.13:8). The Board of Education prescribes the Standards of Quality, subject to revision only by the General Assembly. A major portion of state funding for direct aid to public education is based on the Standards of Quality.

The Standards of Quality address basic skills, programs, and personnel; support services; accreditation and assessment; graduation requirements; training and professional development; planning and public involvement; policy manual; and compliance and enforcement.

Standards of Accreditation (SOA) - As authorized in the SOQ (§22.1-253.13:3 of the Code of Virginia), the Standards of Accreditation are the Board of Education's regulations that establish criteria for approving public schools in Virginia.

Standards of Learning (SOL) - As specified by the SOQ (§22.1-253.13:1 of the Code of Virginia), the Standards of Learning are the minimum grade level and subject matter educational objectives that students are expected to meet in Virginia public schools. The educational objectives describe the knowledge and skills "necessary for success in school and for preparation for life."

TERMS RELATING TO SCHOOL FINANCE

Direct Aid - Direct aid to public education - funding appropriated for the operation of the Commonwealth’s public schools - is generally divided among categorical payments, funding for school employee benefits, funding of the Standards of Quality, incentive-based programs, allotment of sales tax and lottery revenues, and specific appropriations for programs such as Governor’s Schools and adult literacy initiatives. Both state and federal funds are appropriated in direct aid. All lottery proceeds are earmarked for public education.

State Funding Formula - Through the commonwealth’s direct aid to public education budget, Virginia provides funding for 136 public school divisions that serve approximately 1.1 million students. General fund support for direct aid to public education totals approximately $8.0 billion over the 2000-2002 biennium, which equals approximately 32 percent of the state’s general fund budget.

The three types of education programs funded in Virginia are:

• Standards of Quality (SOQ)
• Incentive-Based Programs
• Categorical Programs

          SOQ funding is prescribed by statute and includes basic aid, special education, vocational education, remedial education, gifted education, and related fringe benefits for each of these programs. It also includes the one-cent state sales tax dedicated to public education.

          Incentive-based programs provide additional education funding that goes beyond the levels required to meet the Standards of Quality. The programs are voluntary but, in order to receive state funds, school divisions must certify that they will offer the program and provide a local match of funds for the program. Incentive-based programs include the following: at-risk, primary class size reduction, at-risk four-year-olds, early reading intervention, maintenance supplements, and distribution of lottery profits.

          Categorical funding also provides for additional education programs that go beyond the Standards of Quality. These programs focus on particular needs of special populations or fulfill particular state obligations. State or federal statutes and regulations mandate much of this funding. Examples of categorical funding include alternative education, funding for limited-English proficient students, school nutrition, adult education, and various regional programs such as Project discovery.

Average Daily Membership (ADM) - The average daily membership for grades K-12 is the enrollment figure used to distribute state per pupil funding. It includes students with disabilities ages 5-21, and students for whom English is a second language who entered school for the first time after reaching their 12th birthday, and who have not reached their 22nd birthday. Preschool and post-graduate students are not included in ADM.

Composite Index - Article VIII, § 2 of the Constitution of Virginia authorizes the General Assembly to determine the cost of education as prescribed by the Standards of Quality and to apportion those costs between the state and local governments. Local governments are required to pay their respective shares of this prescribed cost from local taxes and other sources of local revenue. The composite index of local ability-to-pay is the measure used to determine the state and local shares of education costs, and it is based on local sources of revenue.

The composite index is expressed as a ratio, indicating the local percentage share of the cost of education programs. For example, if a given locality has a composite index of 0.5000, then it would pay 50 percent of the costs and the state would pay 50 percent of the costs for the applicable program. If a locality’s index is 0.3000, then it must pay 30 percent of the cost of education and the state will pay 70 percent.

Linear Weighted Average - The linear weighted average is a calculation that approximates what most school divisions spend to operate their schools. The formula incorporates the costs for every school division, but is not unduly influenced by divisions with unusually high or low expenditures. The formula weights division costs at the median at five and the most extreme costs (high and low) at one. It is used to establish the funded cost of many components of the Standards of Quality, such as instructional salaries.

Literary Fund - The Literary Fund is established in the Constitution of Virginia (Article VIII, § 8) as a permanent and perpetual school fund. The Literary Fund provides low-interest loans to school divisions for capital expenditures, such as construction of new buildings, or remodeling of existing buildings.

TERMS RELATED TO SPECIAL EDUCATION

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) - Federal law has guided the delivery of special education services for students with disabilities since enactment of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (P. L. 94-142) in 1975. The law pledged the availability of federal funding for states to provide a “free and appropriate public education” for every school-age child with a disability. Renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 1990, and reauthorized in 1997, the act emphasizes quality teaching, learning, and the establishment of high expectations for disabled children. The IDEA also strengthened the role of parents in the educational planning process, endorsed meaningful access to the general curriculum, and delineated how school disciplinary rules and the obligation to provide a free appropriate public education for disabled children fit together. The IDEA also reduced the burden of unnecessary paperwork for teachers and school administrators. The final IDEA regulations were adopted on March 12, 1999.

Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) - The requirement to provide a “free and appropriate public education” is the premise of IDEA. It must be provided at public expense, under public supervision, at no charge to the parents, and must be based on the child's unique needs and not on the child's disability. FAPE must align with a state’s educational standards and must be provided for children beginning at age three and continuing until the student has reached the age of 22. FAPE must also be provided pursuant to an individualized education program (IEP) or an individualized family service plan (IFSP).

Individualized Education Program (IEP) - The Individualized Education Program is a written document articulating a pupil’s present educational level, specific services to be provided, behavioral interventions to be employed, language and communication needs of the child, and the child's need for assistive technology. The IEP also sets out goals to be attained and specifies how the goals will be evaluated. The IEP must focus on ensuring, to the greatest extent possible, student access to the general curriculum.

Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) - The Individualized Family Service Plan is a written document articulating the procedure necessary to support the transition of a child to preschool services, or other services that may be available, to the extent that they are appropriate.

Individualized Education Program Team (IEP Team) - The IEP team is charged with developing, reviewing, and revising the student’s IEP. The team consists of the parent(s), the child (if appropriate), a regular education teacher, a special education teacher, an administrator qualified to supervise the provision of services, and an individual who can interpret the instructional implications of evaluation results. Other individuals who have knowledge or special expertise regarding the child may also participate as a member of the team.

TERMS RELATING TO GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

Standard Unit of Credit - A standard unit of credits based on a minimum of 140 clock hours of instruction and successful completion of the requirements of the course.

Verified Unit of Credit - A verified unit of credit is based on a standard unit of credit, plus a passing score on the end-of-course SOL test or substitute test approved by the Board of Education.

OTHER TERMS RELATING TO EDUCATION

Best Practice Centers - The Best Practice Centers work directly with school divisions to help them meet the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) and the Standards of Accreditation (SOA). Eight Regional Centers are currently in operation, and are located in Chesterfield, Newport News, Bowling Green, Winchester, Harrisonburg, Chatham, Marion, and Farmville. Each center serves 15 to 20 school divisions, or approximately 250 schools.

Limited-English Proficient (LEP) - Students whose first language is not English and whose English language skills are not equal to those of their peer group.

English as a Second Language (ESL) - The teaching of English to speakers of other languages through a wide variety of methods.

Curriculum - A plan or document that a school or school system uses to define what a teacher will teach and describes the methods that will be used to teach the students and assess their achievement.

Curriculum Alignment - Curriculum alignment occurs when what is taught includes or exceeds the content defined by the SOL.

SOL Curriculum Frameworks (Teacher Resource Guides) - The resource guides for mathematics, science, English, and history and social sciences delineate essential knowledge, skills, and processes required by the Standards of Learning. Copies can be found at http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Instruction/solscope/

SOL Training Initiative - The 2000 session of the Virginia General Assembly provided $33.9 million for continued funding of the Standards of Learning (SOL) Teacher Training Initiative. The goal of this two-year effort is to ensure student success on SOL tests for mathematics, science, English, and history and the social sciences.

Substitute Tests - The Board of Education has approved many tests to substitute for the SOL end-of-course tests for awarding verified credit for high school. These tests measure knowledge and skills that either meet or exceed the content of the SOL and meet other criteria established by the Board of Education. These tests include Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), SAT II, Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), Advanced Placement International English Language (APIEL), College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), as well as a number of certifications and licensing examinations in career and technical fields. The list of approved tests is expected to be updated regularly, and can be found on the Department of Education's Web site at http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Instruction/subassessment.pdf

Computer/Technology Education - The Computer/Technology Standards for grades 5 and 8 identify technology skills for improving student learning through the integration of technology across the curriculum. Mastery of these skills results in students who are both computer literate and competent in their application of technology in support of learning. In grades 9 through 12, technology is integrated across the curriculum.

Professional/Staff Development - The SOQ requires “training and professional development” for teachers, principals, superintendents, administrative staff, local school board members, and Board of Education members. Training and staff development activities are designed to enhance student achievement.

Block Scheduling - Block scheduling is a method of scheduling that lengthens the duration of a class period. Two types of block scheduling are common in Virginia:

• 4X4 Block - Students take four 90-minute classes each day for one semester. An entire course is completed during one semester instead of a full year. Some courses may require sequential semesters.
  
  
• A/B or Rotating Block - In a typical rotating block schedule, students take six, seven, or eight classes for an entire year. Classes in each subject are 90 minutes and meet on alternate days. Some variations include a 45-minute class that meets every day.

Virginia Preschool Initiative - The General Assembly initiative for at-risk four-year-olds provides state funds for comprehensive preschool programs for 60 percent of Virginia's at-risk four-year-olds not served by federal programs such as Head Start or Title 1. Funding is calculated at $5,400 per eligible child, to be shared by the state and local governments based on the composite index of local ability-to-pay.