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2001 SESSION

015355432
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 385
Offered January 10, 2001
Prefiled January 10, 2001
Continuing the Commission on Educational Accountability.
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Patron-- Hanger
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Referred to Committee on Rules
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WHEREAS, Senate Joint Resolution No. 498 established a Commission in 1999 to study educational accountability; and

WHEREAS, the Commission was directed to examine a plethora of issues, and was to review the Standards of Accreditation and the accountability mechanisms included therein as well as monitor the implementation of the Standards of Learning and assessments; and

WHEREAS, in meeting the directives of SJR 498, the Commission was to consider the work and recommendations of other named education study committees and develop recommendations for ways to increase the capacity of schools, teachers, and students to meet increasingly rigorous academic standards;

WHEREAS, also among the Commission's duties were an examination of the effects on the Commonwealth's young people of failure to obtain a diploma pursuant to requirements of the Standards of Accreditation for Public Schools in Virginia; an evaluation of the Commonwealth's statues, regulations, and policies governing the academic assessment of students who transfer into Virginia's public schools; a determination of the feasibility and appropriateness of establishing a certificate of completion for certain vocational programs in public high schools; and a study of the instructional needs of students and teachers in the public schools of the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, the Commission was also to determine the efficacy and appropriateness of the Commonwealth's system of funding the Standards of Quality for public schools and examine the impact of the Standards of Learning and the Standards of Accreditation on teachers, urban and small rural school divisions, and educationally at-risk students; and

WHEREAS, assisting the Commission in its multifaceted mission were three task forces with which the Commission was to collaborate, addressing issues as diverse as workforce needs of the 21st century (HJR 566--1999), the fiscal impact of the Standards of Accreditation (HJR 723--1999), and assessments for students in special education (HJR 302--2000); and

WHEREAS, also assigned to the Commission by the 2000 Session of the General Assembly were the continuation of the work of the Joint Subcommittee on Remediation pursuant to HJR 302, and a study of the demand for and supply of classroom teachers pursuant to HJR 159 and SJR 248; and

WHEREAS, with the adoption of final revisions to the Standards of Accreditation by the Board of Education in fall 2000, ongoing efforts to improve student performance on as well as the administration of the Standards of Learning assessments, and the phasing in of school accreditation requirements, the issue of educational accountability will continue to be a primary concern for legislators, educators, parents, and students; and

WHEREAS, another year of study will enable the Commission to pursue more fully its mission and to address more effectively the myriad of educational accountability issues assigned to it; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the Commission on Educational Accountability be continued for one year. The Commission shall consist of 23 members, which shall include 12 legislative members, eight nonlegislative members, and three ex officio members to be appointed as follows: five members of the Senate, two of whom shall be appointed to serve on the special task force created pursuant to House Joint Resolution No. 723 (1999), and one of whom shall be appointed to serve on the special task force established pursuant to House Joint Resolution No. 566 (1999), to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections; seven members of the House of Delegates, two of whom shall be appointed to serve on the special task force established pursuant to House Joint Resolution No. 723 (1999), and two of whom shall be appointed to serve on the special task force created pursuant to House Joint Resolution No. 566 (1999), to be appointed by the Speaker of the House in accordance with the principles of proportional representation contained in the Rules of the House of Delegates; one parent of a child who is enrolled in the public schools of the Commonwealth, one public school teacher, and one school principal, to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections; one division superintendent, one representative of the Virginia School Boards Association, and three citizens at-large, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House; and the Secretary of Education, the President of the Board of Education, and the Superintendent of Public Instruction, who shall serve ex officio with full voting privileges.

All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Commission, upon request.

The direct costs of this study shall not exceed $19,000.

The Commission shall complete its work in time to submit its written findings and recommendations by December 20, 2001, to the Governor and the 2002 Session of the General Assembly as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents.

Implementation of this resolution is subject to subsequent approval and certification by the Joint Rules Committee. The Committee may withhold expenditures or delay the period for the conduct of the study.