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2002 SESSION

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SB 609 Diploma requirements; verified units.

Introduced by: R. Edward Houck | all patrons    ...    notes | add to my profiles | history

SUMMARY AS PASSED:

Diploma requirements; verified units. Directs the Board of Education to develop guidelines for local school boards to award verified units of credit for a standard diploma for "transition" students: students entering the ninth grade in the 2000, 2001, and 2002 school years using criteria different from the current Standards of Accreditation diploma requirements. The guidelines address students in these classes who passed the relevant coursework and who meet such additional criteria as the Board shall establish for the award of such verified units, which may include, but shall not be limited to, performance on Standards of Learning assessments or other tests, including subsequent administrations of such assessments or tests; attendance and conduct requirements, and participation in remediation programs.

The guidelines are applicable only to the award of the four student-selected verified units of credit required for a standard diploma pursuant to the Standards of Accreditation (SOA) (8 VAC 20-131-50 B). Students must still earn the two verified units of credit in English for a standard diploma as provided in the Standards of Accreditation. The guidelines issued by the Board shall not be subject to the Administrative Process Act (§ 2.2-4000 et seq.) and apply, retroactively and prospectively, to students entering the ninth grade for the first time in 2000, 2001, and 2002.

Currently, the SOA do not specifically make the awarding of diplomas contingent upon the passage of SOL tests; however, beginning with the ninth grade class of 2003-4, students must earn six verified units of credit from specific courses for a standard diploma. During a transition period for the ninth grade classes of 2000-01, 2001-02, and 2002-03, students must earn six verified units (two in English and four additional units). Beginning with the ninth grade class of 2000-01, students must earn nine verified credits in specific courses to earn an advanced studies diploma (8 VAC 20-131-50 B, C). Verified units are earned upon passage of the course and the relevant SOL test (8 VAC 20-131-110 B). This measure is identical to HB 493.

SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED:

Certain guidelines for verified units of credit. Requires the Board of Education, notwithstanding any other law or regulation to the contrary, including, but not limited to, the Board of Education's Regulations Establishing Standards for Accrediting Public Schools in Virginia to establish guidelines to authorize local school boards to award verified units of credit to students who entered the ninth grade for the first time in the 2000-2001, 2001-2002, or 2002-2003 school years; such locally- awarded verified units of credit shall count toward the standard diploma. The Board's guidelines must set forth procedures for the award of such verified units of credit by local school divisions to be counted only towards the requirements for the standard diploma and shall only apply to the four student-selected verified units of credit required to earn the standard diploma. Such guidelines will not apply to the two verified units of credit required in English. To be eligible to earn such verified units of credit, students in the appropriate school years must have passed the relevant course and must meet such additional criteria as the Board will establish for the award of verified units of credit, which may include, but need not be limited to, Standards of Learning or other test performance indicators, including retakes of such tests, attendance and conduct requirements, and participation in remedial programs. The Board's guidelines will not be governed by the provisions of the Administrative Process Act; therefore, the Board must adopt these guidelines to be effective by no later than July 1, 2002, and such guidelines must apply retroactively to all eligible students.