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2002 SESSION

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HB 48 Standards of Accreditation; multiple criteria.

Introduced by: L. Karen Darner | all patrons    ...    notes | add to my profiles

SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED:

Standards of Accreditation; multiple criteria. Directs the Board of Education, in establishing the Standards of Accreditation for elementary, middle, and high schools, to incorporate the use of multiple criteria in determining the accreditation status of schools. The criteria for the accreditation of all schools shall include results of the Standards of Learning (SOL) assessments, excluding the scores of students pursuing alternative education; improvement in SOL assessment scores; and student attendance rates. The criteria for accrediting all schools shall also provide for the awarding of additional credit to be counted toward attaining a particular accreditation status for (i) a disparity in the aggregated Standards of Learning assessment scores of majority and minority students of 10 points or fewer that results from increased assessment scores of all students and (ii) the percentage of teachers who are assigned to positions for which they have an endorsement.

The Board shall assign a weight to each criterion to obtain a numerical rating for determining accreditation status; however, in no event shall the results of any SOL assessments account for more than three-quarters of a school's rating for accreditation purposes. In addition, the accreditation standards for high schools shall include, but not be limited to, school drop out rates, with data distinguishing verified transfers and students participating in a GED program and the percentage of students who do not receive a diploma but either (a) pass an examination in a career and technical education field that confers certification from a recognized industry, or trade or professional association, or (b) acquire a professional license in a career and technical education field from the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Additional criteria for the accreditation of middle schools shall include, but not be limited to, school drop out rates, with data distinguishing verified transfers. Additional criteria for the accreditation of elementary schools shall include, but not be limited to, the number of students who have been retained for more than one year in grades two through five. The criteria for accrediting elementary schools shall also include, as an additional credit that might be counted toward attaining a particular accreditation status, the percentage of students achieving above the fiftieth percentile on the Stanford 9 assessment. At the request of the relevant school board, alternative education schools and full-day programs designed to increase educational opportunities for at-risk students shall be evaluated pursuant to standards appropriate to such school or program and approved by the Board of Education. Each school's performance on the various criteria and any awards of additional credit shall be included in the School Performance Report Card required by the Standards of Accreditation.


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