INFORMATIONAL

  Seniors who anticipate having the required credits to graduate
  by August 31, 1996 and who transfer from out of state, private
  schools, or home instruction into Virginia public schools
  after the Spring 1996 Literacy Passport Test (LPT)
  administration will most likely not have had an opportunity to
  take the LPT.  Yet, these students are held to the LPT
  requirement for receiving the standard or advanced studies
  diploma in Virginia.  A reminder as to whom the LPT graduation
  requirement applies appears at the close of this memo.
  
  According to Informational Superintendent's Memorandum #153,
  November 17, 1995, these students should be afforded the
  opportunity to receive their diplomas from their sending
  schools.  Should this not be possible, these students will be
  provided one opportunity to take the test prior to the close
  of the school year.  This Special Graduating Senior
  Administration will be only for those seniors entering
  Virginia public schools from out of state, private schools, or
  home instruction, who are anticipated to have the required
  credits to graduate by August 31, 1996, and have not been
  tested on the LPT.
  
  Students will be eligible to take only those tests that they
  did not attempt during the Spring 1996 administration.  For
  example, a senior who transfers into Virginia public schools
  in time to take the writing test in February but too late to
  take the reading and the mathematics tests would be eligible
  to take only the mathematics and the reading tests in the
  Special Graduating Senior Administration. 
  
  Special Graduating Senior Administration
  
  The Special Graduating Senior Administration is scheduled as
  follows:
  
    Materials Requests Due to DOE         April 12, 1996
    Testing Period                        April 22-26, 1996
    Materials Shipped to DRC by           May 1, 1996
    Results Returned to Divisions         May 29, 1996
  
  Division Directors of Testing will be responsible for
  notifying the Department of Education of the needed materials. 
  The materials request form and more detailed instructions for
  conducting this administration will be sent to each Division
  Director of Testing from the Department of Education by March
  15, 1996. 
  
  Seniors Transferring into a Division After the Special
  Graduating Senior Administration
  
  It is likely there will be seniors transferring into school
  divisions even after the above Special Graduating Senior
  Administration.  As previously mentioned, every attempt should
  be made to arrange for the sending school to grant the student
  a diploma.  If this is not possible, Division Directors of
  Testing should contact the Department of Education to arrange
  a testing opportunity.  The Department will handle the testing
  of these students on a case-by-case basis.
  
  If you have questions regarding these special testing
  arrangements or the LPT in general, please call Cam Harris or
  Shelley Loving-Ryder at 804/225-2107.
  
  WCBJr/mwc
  
  Attachment
  
  
  
    A Reminder as to Whom the LPT Graduation Requirement Applies:
  
  The Board of Education, at its February, 1995, meeting,
  reaffirmed that passing the LPT is required of all students
  who were sixth graders or lower in 1989-90 (regardless of
  whether they were enrolled in Virginia schools in 1989-90) and
  will graduate from high school in 1996.  No standard or
  advanced studies diploma shall be granted to any student who
  was a sixth grader or lower in 1989-90 without having passed
  the LPT in addition to the prescribed credits.  This
  requirement extends to all regular education, special
  education, and Limited English Proficient students  without
  exception.
  
  The LPT requirement extends to adult education students.  Any
  adult student receiving a standard or advanced studies diploma
  after the first semester of the 1995-96 school year is
  required to meet the LPT requirement for the diploma.  Adult
  students participating in an external diploma program are
  granted a standard diploma and thus are also required to meet
  the LPT requirement before the diploma can be awarded.
  
  The "rule" that students in grade seven or higher in 1989-90
  do not have to meet the LPT requirement to graduate does not
  apply to students in adult education programs.  As stated
  above, any adult student receiving a standard or advanced
  studies diploma after the first semester of the 1995-96 school
  year is required to meet the LPT requirement for the diploma. 
  Please remember that adult education students completing their
  course requirements during the first semester of 1995-96 but
  not actually receiving their diploma until June 1996 are not
  held to the LPT requirement for graduation.  See Supts. Memo.
  #133, Informational, dated September 29, 1995, for specific
  information regarding this exception.