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2013 SESSION

13103546D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 676
Offered January 9, 2013
Prefiled January 9, 2013
Requesting the Board of Education to study alternatives to the Standards of Learning assessments. Report.
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Patron-- Toscano
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Referred to Committee on Rules
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WHEREAS, Section 22.1-253.13:3 of the Code of Virginia requires the Board of Education to prescribe assessments to determine the level of achievement of the Standards of Learning objectives by all students; and

WHEREAS, such assessments are currently the only method for determining the level of student achievement of the Standards of Learning objectives; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of the Commonwealth that certain high-performing local school divisions should be allowed the authority to administer alternative assessments to measure the level of achievement of the students in the school division and to comply with all applicable state and federal accountability requirements; and

WHEREAS, further research is required to identify existing assessments or potential assessments for use by such high-performing local school divisions; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the Board be requested to study alternatives to the Standards of Learning assessments.

In conducting its study, the Board of Education shall seek to (i) develop alternative student assessments or (ii) identify existing student assessments that comply with all state and federal accountability requirements.

Technical assistance shall be provided to the Board by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission. All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Board for this study, upon request.

The Board of Education shall complete its meetings for the first year by November 30, 2013, and for the second year by November 30, 2014, and the Board shall submit to the Governor and the General Assembly an executive summary and report of its findings and recommendations for publication as a House or Senate document for each year. The executive summaries and reports shall be submitted as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports no later than the first day of the next Regular Session of the General Assembly and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website.