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1999 SESSION

991395666
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 498
AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE
(Proposed by the Senate Committee on Rules
on February 2, 1999)
(Patron Prior to Substitute--Senator Hanger, Senator Marye [SJR 344],
and Senator Ticer [389])
Establishing the Commission on Educational Accountability.

WHEREAS, described as a tripod whose three legs include clearly stated goals, information about progress toward them, and positive and negative consequences, accountability initiatives in public education are as varied and diverse as the states and school systems implementing them, and may include various “indicators” of pupil and teacher performance, revised evaluation and accreditation initiatives, or post-graduation tracking of students; and

WHEREAS, accountability initiatives may also authorize state intervention in school operations and provide for financial incentives or penalties and other consequences; and

WHEREAS, the concept of educational accountability is not new to Virginia’s public school system, as current constitutional and statutory provisions and regulations provide a plethora of mechanisms for the accountability of students, teachers, administrators, schools, and school divisions; and

WHEREAS, Virginia has made great progress in establishing educational accountability with the implementation of revised Standards of Learning for mathematics, English, science, and history and social science in 1995 and new Standards of Accreditation in 1997; and

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth’s renewed commitment to strengthening accountability in public education is also evidenced in the work of a number of recent legislative and executive branch study committees, including the Commission on Accountability for Educational Excellence (HJR 168, 1996) and the Commission on the Future of Public Education (HJR 196, 1996); and

WHEREAS, to increase accountability for public education in Virginia, it is imperative to build on those existing and revised standards, programs, and initiatives that ensure the greatest educational opportunities; and

WHEREAS, school personnel, including teachers, school administrators, counselors, and instructional support staff, and parents should be active participants in the development of educational policies, and it is essential that school personnel and parents also share in the responsibility and accountability for achieving educational excellence; and

WHEREAS, further review of existing accountability initiatives addressing not only pupil performance but also instructional quality, school accreditation, safety and discipline, parental and community involvement, and administrative and fiscal issues is necessary to ensure continued progress in making our schools accountable for improved learning; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the Commission on Educational Accountability be established. The Commission shall be composed of 19 members to be appointed as follows: five members of the Senate, to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections; six members of the House of Delegates, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House; one parent of a child who is enrolled in the public schools of the Commonwealth, to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections; one public school teacher, one school principal, one local school division superintendent, and one citizen member at large, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House; and the Secretary of Education, the President of the Board of Education, and the Superintendent of Public Instruction, who shall serve ex officio with full voting privileges.

The Commission shall (i) review the Standards of Accreditation and the accountability mechanisms included therein; (ii) monitor the implementation of the Standards of Learning and revised assessments; (iii) consider the work and recommendations of other recent study committees, such as the Commission on the Future of Public Education (HJR 196, 1996), the Joint Subcommittee Studying Remedial Summer School Programs (HJR 84, 1996), the Commission on Educational Infrastructure (HJR 135, 1996), the Standing Committee on School Dropout Prevention (HJR 241, 1996), and the Joint Subcommittee Studying the Efficacy and Appropriateness of Establishing a School Incentive Reward Program in the Commonwealth (HJR 165, 1996); (iv) develop recommendations for ways to increase the capacity of schools, teachers, and students to meet increasingly rigorous academic standards; (v) examine issues raised in Senate Joint Resolution No. 344 (1999) regarding the effects on the Commonwealth’s young people of failure to obtain a diploma pursuant to requirements of the Standards of Accreditation for Public Schools in Virginia; (vi) in accordance with Senate Joint Resolution No. 389 (1999), evaluate the efficacy, appropriateness, and application of the Commonwealth’s statues, regulations, and policies governing the academic assessment of students who transfer into Virginia’s public schools study and (vii) consider such other issues as it deems appropriate.

The Division of Legislative Services shall provide staff support for the study. The staffs of the Senate Committee on Finance and the House Committee on Appropriations shall provide technical assistance for the study. All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Commission, upon request.

The direct costs of this study shall not exceed $10,750.

The Commission shall complete its work in time to submit its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the 2000 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.