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2005 SESSION

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SB 425 Diplomas; guidelines for awarding.

Introduced by: Frank W. Wagner | all patrons    ...    notes | add to my profiles

SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED:

Diplomas; student-selected verified credits. Directs the Board of Education to establish guidelines for local school boards to award diplomas for which 22 credits and satisfactory completion of coursework are required, but for which (i) any required verified units of credit may be selected by the student and (ii) certain industry certifications may be substituted for Standards of Learning assessments to earn verified units of credit. Such diploma requirements shall be designed to ensure that students have acquired the knowledge and skills required to enter a vocation upon graduation. School boards shall report annually to the Board of Education the number of such diplomas awarded. In no event shall the issuance of such diplomas be considered in determinations of school accreditation.

Currently, the Standards of Accreditation (SOA) require the accumulation of a specific number of standard and verified units of credit for standard diplomas, beginning with the ninth grade class of 2001 (graduating class of 2004). The verified unit of credit is awarded upon passage of the relevant Standards of Learning (SOL) test (additional tests approved by the Board of Education), as well as the course (8 VAC 20-131-110 A, B). The Standard Diploma requires 22 credits, six of which must be verified units of credit, while the Advanced Studies Diploma requires 24 credits, with nine verified units. The SOA currently require verified units of credit in specific subjects, such as English, mathematics, science, and history and social science. The Modified Standard Diploma is awarded to students with disabilities who are "unlikely to meet the credit requirements for a Standard Diploma" (8 VAC 20-131-50).

School accreditation is based on pass rates for the SOL assessments (8 VAC 20-131-300).


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