SEARCH SITE

VIRGINIA LAW PORTAL

SEARCHABLE DATABASES

ACROSS SESSIONS

Developed and maintained by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems.

1997 SESSION

971668158
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 654
Offered January 20, 1997
Continuing the Joint Subcommittee Studying Remedial Summer School.
----------
Patron-- Connally
----------
Referred to Committee on Education
----------

WHEREAS, House Joint Resolution No. 529 (1995) established a joint subcommittee to study remedial summer school programs, including the number of students served and the types of programs offered; and

WHEREAS, House Joint Resolution No. 84 (1996) continued the joint subcommittee to conduct a comprehensive examination of the system, process, and funding of the remediation of students in the public schools of the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, today, across the Commonwealth, a growing number of students with varied socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds, and limited English proficiency, are students in the state's public schools; and

WHEREAS, many of these students are illiterate in their native tongue and unable to converse in English, and the impact of this limitation is often revealed in student assessments; and

WHEREAS, after review of the results of the Literacy Passport Test, the revised Standards of Learning, current remedial summer school and innovative remediation programs, and the benefits of and barriers to effective remediation of students, the joint subcommittee determined that the revised Standards of Learning will have a significant effect on many students, particularly those who do not meet current academic standards; and

WHEREAS, the number of children requiring remediation is expected to increase substantially due to the rigor of the requirements of the revised Standards of Learning, and to implementation of the new state assessment program to measure student mastery of the revised Standards of Learning; and

WHEREAS, because remedial summer school programs are optional, considerable inconsistency exists among such local programs, affecting the length of remedial summer school programs, the availability of remediation throughout the school year, pupil transportation, and student achievement; and

WHEREAS, the method of prorating state funding for remedial summer school programs creates financial burdens for many school divisions and limits the number of at-risk students who can be served because the number of students actually attending far exceeds the number used to calculate the funding; and

WHEREAS, the joint subcommittee believes that the most judicious course of action and most efficient use of state funds is the prevention of academic failure through the early identification of students requiring remediation, and the provision of effective and appropriate remediation and acceleration of such students; and

WHEREAS, it is the consensus of the joint subcommittee that information which it reviewed and assessed relative to the structure and process of remediation, the lack of consistency among programs, the methodology for funding such programs, the need for early identification of students with academic deficiencies, and the nexus between remediation, academic standards, and student assessment, all reveal the need for further study before appropriate recommendations can be offered; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the Joint Subcommittee Studying Remedial Summer School Programs be continued. The members duly appointed pursuant to House Joint Resolution 84 (1996) shall continue to serve, except that any vacancies shall be filled as provided in House Joint Resolution 529 (1995).

The joint subcommittee shall continue its examination of the issues and objectives enumerated in HJR 84 (1996), recommend appropriate and feasible alternatives to facilitate the early identification of students educationally at-risk and effective remediation of students in grades K-12 throughout the school year, and consider such other issues related to its charge which it may deem necessary.

The Division of Legislative Services shall continue to provide staff support for the joint subcommittee. The Department of Education, and the staffs of the House Committee on Appropriations and of the Senate Committee on Finance, shall provide technical assistance to the joint subcommittee.

All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the joint subcommittee, upon request.

The direct costs of this study shall not exceed $6,750.

The joint subcommittee shall complete its work in time to submit its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the 1998 Session of the General Assembly as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents.

Implementation of this resolution is subject to subsequent approval and certification by the Joint Rules Committee. The Committee may withhold expenditures or delay the period for the conduct of the study.