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1997 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 516
Directing the Virginia Commission for the Future of Public Education to continue the work of the Commission on Accountability for Educational Excellence.

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, January 31, 1997
Agreed to by the Senate, February 19, 1997

WHEREAS, recognizing the "great progress in establishing accountability" resulting from the implementation of the revised Standards of Learning, the 1996 Session of the General Assembly adopted House Joint Resolution No. 168, establishing an 18-member commission on accountability for educational excellence in Virginia's public schools; and

WHEREAS, the Commission on Accountability for Educational Excellence was to "develop and recommend a comprehensive plan for statewide student and teacher assessment, and communicate and coordinate with other legislative study committees charged with studying and recommending revisions in requirements for remediation, summer school, high school graduation, and the causes of chronic absenteeism"; and

WHEREAS, the Commission was also to "develop and recommend a comprehensive plan for the accreditation of public schools which incorporates the revised standards of learning, and statewide student and teacher assessment goals, to determine appropriate alternatives to maximize 'time-on-task' and to facilitate the productive use of daily instructional time to ensure that each student's educational needs are served"; and

WHEREAS, consistent with these study directives, the Commission sought the input and expertise of state agency staff, members of the business community, and representatives of educational organizations; and

WHEREAS, the Commission reviewed the implementation of the new Standards of Learning, including its accompanying student testing and assessments, the ongoing review and potential revision of the Standards of Accreditation, accountability initiatives in other states, and current accountability programs in the Commonwealth's public education system; and

WHEREAS, recognizing that, given the "challenges and demands of the 21st century, maintaining a system of high quality public education requires vision, strategic planning, and specific measurable goals," the 1996 Session of the General Assembly adopted House Joint Resolution No. 196, creating the 21-member Virginia Commission for the Future of Public Education; and

WHEREAS, the comprehensive mission of the Virginia Commission for the Future of Public Education includes the development of "a strategic plan for accomplishing the vision and mission of public education," encompassing a broad range of concerns, such as innovations for implementing the revised Standards of Learning, teaching strategies and methodologies, and public school infrastructure; and

WHEREAS, the Commission's mission also encompassed such concerns as current and future workforce skills and knowledge needed by high school graduates, educational technology needs, partnerships with business and industry, collaborative initiatives with institutions of higher education, parental involvement, and the funding necessary to fulfill the mission of public education; and

WHEREAS, specifically cited for inclusion in the Commission's strategic plan are school accountability and incentives and rewards for high-performing school divisions; and

WHEREAS, the mission of the Commission on Accountability for Educational Excellence might be appropriately continued by the Virginia Commission for the Future of Public Education; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the Virginia Commission for the Future of Public Education continue the work of the Commission on Accountability for Educational Excellence; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, that the study directives of the Commission on Accountability for Educational Excellence be incorporated in the work of the Virginia Commission for the Future of Public Education in 1997.