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2015 SESSION

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Senate Committee on Education and Health
Subcommittee Public Education

Carrico (Chairman), Howell, Locke, Smith, Cosgrove

Clerk: Patty Lung
Staff: Thomas Stevens, Ryan Brimmer
Date of Meeting: January 26, 2015
Time and Place: 9:30 a.m. - 3rd Floor East Conf. Room
Please Note Change in Mtg. Time

S.B. 900 SOL; school divisions to determine date for assessments.

Patron: Barker

Public schools; Standards of Learning assessments. Requires the Board of Education to promulgate regulations authorizing local school divisions to determine the date for administering Standards of Learning assessments.

S.B. 916 Diploma seals; BOE shall establish criteria for awarding.

Patron: Wexton

Diploma seals; biliteracy. Requires the Board of Education to establish criteria for awarding a diploma seal of biliteracy to any student who demonstrates proficiency in a language other than English. The bill requires the Board to consider including criteria based on the student's (i) score on a College Board Advanced Placement foreign language examination, (ii) score on an SAT II Subject Test in a foreign language, (iii) proficiency level on an ACTFL Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages (AAPPL) measure or another nationally or internationally recognized language proficiency test, or (iv) cumulative grade point average in a sequence of foreign language courses approved by the Board.

S.B. 980 Public schools; teacher grievance procedures.

Patron: Favola

Public schools; teacher grievance procedures. Gives a teacher who has been recommended for dismissal by the superintendent the option of requesting a hearing before a three person fact-finding panel consisting of one person chosen by the teacher, one person chosen by the superintendent, and one impartial third member, thus restoring this option for a fact-finding panel that was eliminated by act of assembly in 2013. The fact-finding panel conducts a hearing and presents findings of fact and recommendations to the full school board for a decision regarding the teacher's dismissal. The bill also requires the full school board to conduct a further hearing when its decision is at variance with the recommendation of the fact-finding panel.

S.B. 982 Public schools; Board of Education's graduation requirements, verified credits.

Patron: Garrett

Public schools; graduation requirements; verified credits. Requires the Board of Education, in its course and credit requirements for earning a high school diploma, to provide that no verified unit of credit shall require a minimum number of clock hours of instruction.

S.B. 998 School divisions; concussion policies and procedures, establishing a management plan.

Patron: Stuart

School divisions; concussion policies and procedures; management plan. Requires each local school division to establish a management plan for implementation of and compliance with its policies and procedures regarding the identification and handling of suspected concussions in student-athletes.

S.B. 1020 Standards of Learning; reduced number and type of assessments.

Patron: Miller

Public schools; Standards of Learning assessments. Reduces, beginning with the 2017-2018 school year, the total number and type of required Standards of Learning assessments to the minimum requirements established by the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. The bill requires the Board of Education to adopt and implement a transition plan over two years.

S.B. 1021 Standards of Accreditation; recess included as instructional time in elementary school.

Patron: Puller

Standards of Accreditation; instructional time. Authorizes local school boards to count up to 15 minutes per day of recess in their calculation of the required instructional hours for the standard school day at the elementary school level.

S.B. 1112 Public schools; kindergarten instructional time.

Patron: Barker

Public schools; kindergarten instructional time. Directs the Board of Education to promulgate regulations, by July 1, 2017, establishing standards for accreditation that include a requirement that the standard school day for students in kindergarten must average at least 5.5 instructional hours in order to qualify for full accreditation. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2017.

S.B. 1116 Standards of Learning; alternative assessment.

Patron: Barker

Standards of Learning; alternative assessment. Directs the Board of Education to adopt procedures under which an English language proficiency assessment may be used as an alternative to the eleventh grade Standards of Learning reading assessment for students with limited English proficiency.

S.B. 1145 Local school board members; professional development.

Patron: Alexander

Local school board members; professional development. Requires each newly elected or appointed member of a local school board in a school division that contains one or more schools denied accreditation or accredited with warning for three consecutive years to participate, within one year of his election or appointment, in at least 15 hours of high-quality professional development training at the state, local, or national level on governance, including ethics, personnel policies and practices, and several other topics. The bill requires school board members who have completed one or more years of continuous service in such school divisions to participate annually in 12 hours of such training. The bill requires school board members in all other school divisions to participate annually in nine hours of high-quality professional development training and adds school financing and budgeting to the list of topics to be covered. Current law requires participation in high-quality professional development programs but with no specified time requirement.

S.B. 1236 Special diplomas; eliminates the term.

Patron: Favola

Special diplomas. Eliminates the term "special diploma" and specifies that students identified as disabled who complete the requirements of their individualized education programs and meet certain requirements prescribed by the Board pursuant to regulations but do not meet the requirements for any named diploma shall be awarded Applied Studies diplomas by local school boards.

S.B. 1320 Public schools; accreditation ratings.

Patron: Locke

Public schools; accreditation ratings. Directs the Board of Education to promulgate regulations establishing additional accreditation ratings that recognize the progress of schools that do not meet accreditation benchmarks but have significantly improved their pass rates, are within specified ranges of benchmarks, or have demonstrated significant growth for the majority of their students.