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1994 SESSION

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SB 549 High school diplomas.

Introduced by: Benjamin J. Lambert, III | all patrons    ...    notes | add to my profiles

SUMMARY:

High school diplomas. Provides that local school boards shall require all students entering the ninth grade on and after July 1, 1994, to earn the advanced studies diploma. Students who have completed the ninth grade by July 1, 1994, shall be given the opportunity to earn the advanced studies diploma. However, after July 1, 1998, school boards are required to award only the advanced studies diploma. Students with disabilities shall be provided reasonable accommodations to permit them to earn the advanced studies diploma; however, such students who complete the requirements of their individualized education program (I.E.P.) shall be awarded special diplomas by school boards. Other students who complete a course of study prescribed by the school board but do not qualify for the diploma shall be awarded certificates. The Joint Subcommittee Studying the Status of and Need for Academic Preparation, Financial Assistance and Incentive Programs to Encourage Minorities to Pursue Postsecondary Education and Training, HJR 638 (1993), determined that in Virginia, a disproportionate number of African-American, poor, and other minority students are not advised to pursue the college preparatory program which would prepare them for college admission. Moreover, many other minority high school graduates who attend college have not enrolled in courses at the high school level to prepare them for college, and, as a result, frequently require remedial coursework as entering freshmen. Other students who enroll in the standard diploma program leave school with little preparation and skills necessary to pursue employment or other goals. Due to the practice of ability grouping and tracking, African-American and other minority students, with the exception of Asian-Americans, are underrepresented in advanced placement courses, honor courses, accelerated courses, gifted and talented programs, and regional Governor's schools which would provide vital learning experiences and opportunities to prepare them for college. This bill would allow the state to provide a more educated and productive workforce; allow greater consistency in the academic preparation of students among the school divisions; and lessen the need for costly entitlement, correctional, and social programs and expensive remedial programs at senior institutions of higher education. This bill is the recommendation of the Joint Subcommittee Studying the Status of and Need for Academic Preparation, Financial Assistance and Incentive Programs to Encourage Minorities to Pursue Postsecondary Education and Training.


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