Conditional Accreditation
Schools that are rated Accredited with Warning for three consecutive years and may be assigned the rating of Accreditation Denied in the fourth year of warning will be eligible to apply for Conditional Accreditation from the Board of Education in lieu of a rating of Accreditation Denied.
- 8 VAC 20-131-300.C. states that a school shall be rated Accreditation Denied based on its academic performance and/or achievement of the minimum threshold for the graduation and completion index if it fails to meet the requirements to be rated Fully Accredited or Provisionally Accredited-Graduation Rate, for the preceding three consecutive years or for three consecutive years anytime thereafter.
- As outlined in 8 VAC 20-131-315, as an alternative to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) required of schools rated Accreditation Denied, a local school board may choose to reconstitute the school and apply to the Board of Education for a rating of Conditionally Accredited. The application shall outline specific responses that address all areas of deficiency that resulted in the Accreditation Denied status.
As defined by the Standards of Accreditation, "reconstitution" is a process that may be used to initiate a range of accountability actions to improve pupil performance, curriculum, and instruction to address deficiencies that caused a school to be rated Accreditation Denied. Actions may include, but not be limited to, restructuring a school’s governance, instructional program, staff or student population. Reconstitution is necessary in order to apply for and receive a Conditional Accreditation rating from the Board of Education.
Process for Obtaining a Rating of Conditionally Accredited
The process for obtaining a rating of Conditionally Accredited is three-fold. First, the local school board applies for an accreditation rating of Conditionally Accredited. The rating may be granted for a period not to exceed three years, and only if the school is making progress toward a rating of Fully Accredited. Next, the superintendent for the division or a designee must appear before the Board of Education to make the request for Conditional Accreditation and present evidence that such reconstitution is designed to improve student achievement. Components of the request include:
- Primary reconstitution request;
- Additional reconstitution request;
- Alternative Governance Committee members and overview;
- Standards of Learning (SOL) Assessment Pass Rates for two years;
- Recommendations for implementation;
- Due dates for Monitoring Reports; and
- Name of assigned Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) contracted auditor.
Finally, the Board of Education either accepts or denies the request. Division superintendents are informed of the decision by letter. If the request is approved, the school will use the School Improvement Plan (SIP) to develop a Corrective Action Plan (CAP) which will serve as the school’s operating plan for improvement. Parents are encouraged to participate in this process. Therefore, the school principal will send a letter to parents regarding the school’s rating of Conditionally Accredited and requesting their input in the development of the CAP. In addition, a parent meeting will be held to provide parents with the opportunity to give direct input regarding the CAP. After the CAP is developed, the school principal will seek approval of the plan from the local school board. Additionally, all stakeholders should be made aware of the CAP.
The Conditionally Accredited rating may be granted for a period not to exceed three years, and only if the school is making progress toward a rating of Fully Accredited. The school reverts to a status of Accreditation Denied if it fails to meet the requirements to be rated Fully Accredited by the end of the three-year term, or if it fails to have its annual application for Conditionally Accredited rating renewed.
Alternative Governance Committee
The majority of schools receiving Conditional Accreditation create an Alternative Governance Committee to serve as a formal mechanism to guide instructional decisions based on data including, but not limited to, formative assessment data, classroom observations, and review of lesson plans. Committee members include an outside expert in the area(s) of warning, district curriculum leader or instructional specialist (content specialist), the school’s principal, teachers, and an outside monitor or facilitator.
As a member of the committee, the principal is not the sole instructional decision-maker. All of the members of the Alternative Governance Committee have a variety of responsibilities such as:
- monitoring and revising the corrective action plan;
- providing outside expertise and knowledge in the content area of warning and/or in research-based instructional practices that foster improved student achievement;
- aligning district resources with the needs of the school, including additional help and support from the central office;
- sharing the governance in the instructional area(s) of warning through a formal decision-making process; and
- submitting monthly meeting minutes to the division superintendent.
Auditors of Conditionally Accredited Schools
Each Conditionally Accredited school is assigned an auditor to oversee the alternative governance process. The auditor will attend the Alternative Governance Committee meetings a minimum of once per month to discuss implementation of the CAP, analysis of assessment data, and status of staff development strategies. The division superintendent will forward an electronic copy of the Alternative Governance Committee meeting minutes to the Division-Level Support Coordinator in the Office of School Improvement by the fifth day of the following month. On a monthly basis, the auditor will review monthly reports with the principal and the central office contact person.
Monitoring Procedures
Each auditor assigned to Conditionally Accredited schools will complete a monthly report regarding the implementation of goals. The report will be shared orally with the school principal, central office contact person, and committee members. All reports will be submitted electronically to the Division-Level Support Coordinator in the Office of School Improvement on or before the last day of the month.
Please contact Dr. Yvonne A. Holloman at 804-225-2064 or Yvonne.holloman@doe.virginia.gov regarding questions about the Conditional Accreditation process.
View VDOE's Expenses