| DATE: | June 30, 2017 |
|---|---|
| TO: | Division Superintendents |
| FROM: | Steven R. Staples, Superintendent of Public Instruction |
| SUBJECT: | 2016-2017 Data Collection: Compliance with the Standards of Quality and Other Requirements |
Each year, in accordance with § 22.1-18
of the Code of Virginia, the Virginia Board of Education’s Annual Report to the General Assembly on the Condition and Needs of Public Education in Virginia includes the level of local school board compliance with the Standards of Quality (SOQ). Additionally, other legal, regulatory, and budgetary provisions specify required annual certifications or responses from each school division, such as certification of compliance with teacher evaluation requirements, pre-Labor Day opening waivers, and conditions for specially funded initiatives. This memo describes this year’s process for collecting the information needed to fulfill these requirements.
Please be advised that, to help ensure the accuracy of the compliance data submitted through this data collection, the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) will seek follow-up documentation from those school divisions that are noncompliant and compare it to information contained in other VDOE databases.
Beginning Monday, July 3, 2017, the 2016-2017 SOQ Compliance and Other Requirements application will be available through the Single Sign-On for Web-based Systems (SSWS) portal. All school divisions must complete data submission via the SSWS portal no later than Friday, August 4, 2017.
Please review the following information for completion of the 2016-2017 SOQ Compliance Data Collection:
- Before entering data in the “SOQ Compliance and Other Requirements” application in the SSWS portal, please review this memo and all attachments.
- Section One – “SOQ Standards” requires a written corrective action plan in the accompanying text box for any element of noncompliance.
- Section Two – “Other Miscellaneous Reporting Requirements,” does not allow empty text boxes. All text boxes must include either the information requested or the term “Not applicable.”
- After entering all data, the system can generate reports of your responses that you may print for your records or save for future reference.
- The application window will lock after you submit all data and click the “Finish” button and/or after the submission deadline of August 4. Once locked, access to the SOQ Compliance application requires contact with the Policy Office at the phone number or email address provided below.
- The division superintendent and school board chair must sign the signature page of the verification report and submit the signed copy to the Policy Office at policydata@doe.virginia.gov by August 18, 2017. Please submit the entire four-page verification report after signatures are obtained.
If you have questions regarding this data collection, please contact the Policy Office at policydata@doe.virginia.gov or (804) 225-2092.
SRS/EMM/bj
Attachments: