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2014 SESSION


VIRGINIA ACTS OF ASSEMBLY -- CHAPTER
An Act to amend and reenact § 2 of Chapter 672 and § 2 of Chapter 692 of the Acts of Assembly of 2013, relating to a grading system for individual school performance; delay.
[H 1229]
Approved

 

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 2 of Chapter 672 of the Acts of Assembly of 2013 is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 2. The Board of Education, by October 1, 2016, shall report individual school performance using a grading system that includes the standards of accreditation, state and federal accountability requirements, and student growth indicators in assigning grades. The grading system shall be is based on an A-to-F grading scale. The Board, by October 1, 2014, shall (i) assign a grade from A to F to each public school in the Commonwealth; (ii) make both the system and the grade assigned to each school in the Commonwealth available to the public; and (iii) report to the General Assembly a summary of the system and the assigned grades. No later than January 1, 2015, the Board shall develop and submit to the Chairman of the House Committee on Education and the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Education and Health a preliminary plan for an A-to-F school performance grading system. The Board, in developing the school performance grading system, can consider (i) the standards of accreditation, (ii) state and federal accountability requirements, (iii) state-mandated assessments, (iv) any alternative assessments developed or approved for use by the relevant local school board, (v) student growth indicators, (vi) student mobility, (vii) the experience and qualifications of school staff, (viii) total cost and funding per pupil, (ix) school safety, and (x) any other factors that the Board deems necessary to produce a full and accurate grade for each public elementary and secondary school in the Commonwealth. As part of its preliminary plan, the Board shall also determine, in consultation with the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education and Health, whether to (a) assign a single letter grade to each school or (b) assign a series of letter grades to each school based on some or all of the factors in clauses (i) through (x) or any combination of such factors. No later than July 1, 2015, the Board shall provide notice and solicit public comment on the preliminary school performance grading system plan. No later than December 1, 2015, the Board shall finalize the school performance grading system, make a summary of the system available to the public, and submit a summary of the system to the Chairman of the House Committee on Education and the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Education and Health. No later than October 1, 2016, and each October 1 thereafter, the Board shall assign a grade or a series of grades to each public elementary and secondary school in the Commonwealth and make such grades available to the public.

2. That § 2 of Chapter 692 of the Acts of Assembly of 2013 is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 2. The Board of Education, by October 1, 2016, shall report individual school performance using a grading system that includes the standards of accreditation, state and federal accountability requirements, and student growth indicators in assigning grades. The grading system shall be is based on an A-to-F grading scale. The Board, by October 1, 2014, shall (i) assign a grade from A to F to each public school in the Commonwealth; (ii) make both the system and the grade assigned to each school in the Commonwealth available to the public; and (iii) report to the General Assembly a summary of the system and the assigned grades. No later than January 1, 2015, the Board shall develop and submit to the Chairman of the House Committee on Education and the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Education and Health a preliminary plan for an A-to-F school performance grading system. The Board, in developing the school performance grading system, can consider (i) the standards of accreditation, (ii) state and federal accountability requirements, (iii) state-mandated assessments, (iv) any alternative assessments developed or approved for use by the relevant local school board, (v) student growth indicators, (vi) student mobility, (vii) the experience and qualifications of school staff, (viii) total cost and funding per pupil, (ix) school safety, and (x) any other factors that the Board deems necessary to produce a full and accurate grade for each public elementary and secondary school in the Commonwealth. As part of its preliminary plan, the Board shall also determine, in consultation with the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education and Health, whether to (a) assign a single letter grade to each school or (b) assign a series of letter grades to each school based on some or all of the factors in clauses (i) through (x) or any combination of such factors. No later than July 1, 2015, the Board shall provide notice and solicit public comment on the preliminary school performance grading system plan. No later than December 1, 2015, the Board shall finalize the school performance grading system, make a summary of the system available to the public, and submit a summary of the system to the Chairman of the House Committee on Education and the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Education and Health. No later than October 1, 2016, and each October 1 thereafter, the Board shall assign a grade or a series of grades to each public elementary and secondary school in the Commonwealth and make such grades available to the public.