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2002 SESSION

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HB 1110 Standards of Learning assessments.

Introduced by: Mary T. Christian | all patrons    ...    notes | add to my profiles

SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED:

Standards of Learning assessments. Provides that the results of any Standards of Learning (SOL) assessments cannot be considered in the promotion or retention of students, the awarding of diplomas, or in the accreditation of schools until the validity, reliability, and fairness of such assessments have been certified to the Board of Education by an independent assessment expert following appropriate field testing. In no case can the SOL assessment results constitute the primary basis for student promotion or retention.

The current Standards of Accreditation (SOA) provide that results of SOL assessments in grades K-8 are to be "part of a set of multiple criteria for determining the promotion or retention of students." The regulations are silent as to promotion/retention policies for grades 9-12, grades in which verified units of credit (earned by passing SOL assessments and successfully completing courses) are required for a diploma. The division superintendent must "certify to the Department of Education that the division's promotion/retention policy does not exclude students from membership in a grade or participation in a course in which SOL tests are to be administered." (8 VAC 20-131-30 A, B).

The SOA do not specifically make the awarding of diplomas contingent upon the passage of SOL tests; however, the accumulation of a specific number of standard and verified units of credit, will be required for standard and modified diplomas, beginning with the ninth grade class of 2001 (graduating class of 2003). The standard unit of credit is based on the minimum 140 clock hours of instruction and "successful completion of the requirements of the course." The verified unit of credit is awarded upon passage of the relevant SOL test, or additional tests approved by the Board of Education, as well as the course. (8 VAC 20-131-110 A, B).

During a transition period, beginning with the ninth grade classes of 2001, 2002, and 2003 (graduating classes of 2004-2006), students must earn 22 standard units of credit in specified courses, and two verified units of credit in English and four verified units "of the student's own choosing" to obtain a Standard Diploma. For the ninth grade class of 2004 (graduating class of 2007), receipt of a Standard Diploma will be based on 22 standard units of credit in specific courses, and six verified units--two in English, one each in mathematics, science, history, and one in a course of the student's choosing. (8 VAC 20-131-50 B).

The SOA state that schools shall be accredited based primarily on student achievement, as evidenced by SOL test scores. (8 VAC 20-131-280 C). More specifically, accreditation ratings are based on "the percentage of students passing SOL tests or approved additional tests ... or on a trailing three-year average that includes the current year scores and the scores from the two most recent years in each applicable academic area, or the current year’s scores, whichever is higher." (8 VAC 20-131-280 C 3). Special purpose schools are to be evaluated "on standards appropriate to the programs offered in the school and approved by the Board...." (8 VAC 20-131-280 D). After a transition period ending in 2009, schools will ultimately be awarded one of four accreditation ratings: Fully Accredited, Conditionally Accredited, Accredited with Warning, and Accreditation Denied. (8 VAC 20-131-300 A). Provisional accreditation benchmarks establish passing rates for schools through 2003.


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