DEPARTMENT
OF EDUCATION
P.O.
SUPTS. MEMO NO. 212
September 5, 2008
INFORMATIONAL
|
TO: |
Division Superintendents |
|
FROM: |
Billy K. Cannaday, Jr. Superintendent of Public Instruction |
|
SUBJECT: |
Notice of Public Hearings and Transmittal of Statement
of Administrative Impact and Project Costs of Implementation for the Proposed Revisions to the Regulations
Establishing Standards for Accrediting Public Schools in Virginia (8
VAC 20-130-10 et. seq.) |
Section 22.1-19 of the Code of Virginia requires that the Board
of Education prescribe standards and provide for the accreditation of public
elementary, middle, and secondary schools.
Section 22.1-253.13:3 of
the Code of Virginia requires the
Board of Education to promulgate Standards of Accreditation for
The Board of Education shall promulgate
regulations establishing standards for accreditation pursuant to the
Administrative Process Act ( 2.2-4000
et seq.), which shall include, but not be limited to, student outcome measures,
requirements and guidelines for instructional programs and for the integration
of educational technology into such instructional programs, administrative and
instructional staffing levels and positions, including staff positions for
supporting educational technology, student services, auxiliary education
programs such as library and media services, course and credit requirements for
graduation from high school, community relations, and the philosophy, goals,
and objectives of public education in Virginia.
The
Board of Education is in the process of revising its Regulations Establishing Standards for Accrediting Public Schools in
Virginia. The proposed revisions were initially published in the Virginia Register of Regulations, Volume
24, Issue 26, page 3729, September 1, 2008. http://legis.state.va.us/codecomm/Register/vol24/iss26/v24i26.pdf.
This analysis addresses all changes that are part of the proposed revisions.
The
regulations define the requirements for accrediting public schools in
The
current regulations contain provisions governing:
The
current regulations were adopted by the Board of Education on May 24, 2006, and
became effective September 7, 2006. In July 2006, the president of the Board,
Dr. Mark Emblidge, formed a special committee of the Board of Education to
research and recommend policies to reduce the number of students who drop out
of high school and to improve graduation rates, especially among minority
students. The proposed revisions are an outgrowth of the work both of that
committee and of the Board's adoption of a graduation rate formula in November
2006: Graduation rate = [On-time graduates in Year X] / [(First-time entering
ninth graders in Year X-4) + (Transfers in) (Transfers out)]. In the fall of
2008, the records of first-time ninth graders in 2004-2005 will be able to be
linked to their records four years later to determine their graduation status.
The
proposed revisions are also in response to legislation passed by the 2007
General Assembly that requires the Board of Education to establish the
requirements for the Standard Technical and Advanced Technical Diplomas. HB
2039 and SB 1147 require the Board to:
Establish the requirements for a technical
diploma. This diploma shall meet or exceed the requirements of a standard
diploma and will include a concentration in career and technical education, as
established in Board regulations. A student who meets the requirement for the
advanced studies diploma who also fulfills a concentration in career and
technical education shall receive an advanced technical diploma. The Board may
develop or designate assessments in career and technical education for the
purposes of awarding verified credit pursuant to subdivision 6.
Finally, in 2007, the House Education
Committee, while not taking action on HB 3201, related to removing students
from classes, requested the Chairman write a letter to the Board of Education
asking that the Board consider this issue in its review of applicable
regulations, and report back to the patron and the committee. Language in
response to this bill is included in the proposed revisions.
There are a number of substantive changes to
the regulations, most notably in 8 VAC 20-131-50 creating the Standard
Technical and Advanced Technical diplomas as required by General Assembly
action. Other substantive changes are
found in 8 VAC 20-131-140 where an Academic and Career Plan for students
beginning in grade seven is proposed at the Governor's request. Changes have been proposed in 8 VAC
20-131-300 to establish a graduation and completion index that all schools with
a graduating class would be required to meet in order to be fully accredited.
Most
of the requirements set forth in the current Regulations Establishing Standards for Accrediting Public Schools in
Virginia will be retained. The primary purposes of the revisions are to:
The
primary changes are designed to:
Include requirements
that the principal notify parents when a student is removed from classes for
disciplinary reasons for two or more consecutive days in 8 VAC 20-131-210 in
response to HB 3201.
Estimated
Administrative Impact: New administrative impact
resulting from the revised regulations would be the impact on school divisions'
staff to address the requirement to develop an academic and career plan for
students beginning in grade seven in 8 VAC 20-131-140.
Projected Costs of Implementation: There is
minimal cost to the state to implement and enforce the proposed
regulation. Existing budgets should be
sufficient to fund the state's responsibilities. Under the current methodology for calculating
the Standards of Quality (SOQ) costs, the proposed changes would not have an
impact on state SOQ funding.
Additionally,
the proposed changes do not impact other sources of state funding to school
divisions.
In reference to the Standard Technical
Diploma and Advanced Technical Diploma bills (HB 2039 and SB 1147) the Virginia
Department of Planning and Budget has stated that:
It is anticipated that this [legislation]
will not have an immediate fiscal impact to the state, other than some
negligible administrative costs. However, if the number of students who seek
this degree increases significantly in future years, it may eventually create
the need for additional career and technical education teachers and facilities
to accommodate the growing demand. This could result in the need for additional
state funding; however, at this time, there is no way to reliably estimate the
number of students who will seek this degree if created so the potential impact
is unknown.
For local school divisions there is the
potential for an increase in the cost of implementing the proposed revisions
for the requirement to develop an
academic and career plan for students beginning in grade seven in 8 VAC
20-131-140. However, the Virginia
Department of Planning and Budget has stated that [c]reading, maintaining and
reviewing the Academic and Career Plan will take staff time. If done well the
benefits will likely exceed the costs.
A potential
increase in the cost of implementing the proposed revisions may also result
from the requirement that unless otherwise specified, these regulations are
effective for the 2009-2010 school year.
Public Hearings:
The Board of Education
will hold five public hearings to receive public comment regarding the proposed
revisions. The public hearings will be
held at the following locations on October
30, 2008. The hearings will commence
at 7 p.m. Any person interested in
commenting must register to comment no later than 7:30 p.m. Persons making comments will be given three
minutes to address Board member(s) present.
It is recommended that any person making comments bring copies of any
remarks, and provide them to Department of Education staff during registration.
Thomas A. Edison High
School- Fairfax County Public Schools
5801
Highland Springs High
School-Henrico County Public Schools
Jolliff Middle
School-Chesapeake City Public Schools
Waynesboro High
School-Waynesboro City Public Schools
George Wythe High
School-Wythe County Public Schools
As part of the
administrative process for the development of regulations the public will have
the opportunity to submit written comment to the Board of Education. Written comment may be e-mailed to SOACOMMENTS@doe.virginia.gov or
mailed to Office of Policy, Virginia Department of Education,
If you have any
questions, please contact
BKC/MKV/kfg