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2015 SESSION
15101931DBe it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §§ 22.1-77 and 22.1-253.13:5 of the Code of Virginia are amended and reenacted as follows:
§ 22.1-77. Duties of clerk.
The clerk of the school board shall keep in a separate volume
the minutes of the meetings of the school board, including all bids submitted
on any building, material, supplies, work, or project to be let to contract by
such school board, and in another volume a receipt and disbursement record as
prescribed by the Board of Education and. The clerk shall record in
the minutes for the first school board meeting of the calendar year each school
board member's compliance or noncompliance with the professional development
activities required by subsection D of § 22.1-253.13:5 for the previous
calendar year. The clerk shall keep on file vouchers, contracts,
certifications provided annually by school board members in accordance with
subsection D of § 22.1-253:13.5, and other official papers. They
Such files shall be subject to such periodic examinations as
shall be prescribed or approved by the Board of Education. The clerk shall
discharge, under the general direction of the division superintendent, such
other duties in connection with the business of the school division as may be
required of him by the school board or the Board of Education.
§ 22.1-253.13:5. Standard 5. Quality of classroom instruction and educational leadership.
A. Each member of the Board of Education shall participate in high-quality professional development programs on personnel, curriculum and current issues in education as part of his service on the Board.
B. Consistent with the finding that leadership is essential for the advancement of public education in the Commonwealth, teacher, principal, and superintendent evaluations shall be consistent with the performance standards included in the Guidelines for Uniform Performance Standards and Evaluation Criteria for Teachers, Principals, and Superintendents. Evaluations shall include student academic progress as a significant component and an overall summative rating. Teacher evaluations shall include regular observation and evidence that instruction is aligned with the school's curriculum. Evaluations shall include identification of areas of individual strengths and weaknesses and recommendations for appropriate professional activities.
C. The Board of Education shall provide guidance on high-quality professional development for (i) teachers, principals, supervisors, division superintendents, and other school staff; (ii) principals, supervisors, and division superintendents in the evaluation and documentation of teacher and principal performance based on student academic progress and the skills and knowledge of such instructional or administrative personnel; (iii) school board members on personnel, curriculum and current issues in education; and (iv) programs in Braille for teachers of the blind and visually impaired, in cooperation with the Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired.
The Board shall also provide technical assistance on high-quality professional development to local school boards designed to ensure that all instructional personnel are proficient in the use of educational technology consistent with its comprehensive plan for educational technology.
D. Each local school board shall require (i) its
members to participate annually in high-quality professional development
activities at the state, local, or national levels on leadership,
governance, including, but not limited to, strategic planning and
policy development, and effective supervision of schools, in accordance with
criteria established by the Board of Education. Such professional development
activities shall include the powers conferred and duties imposed on local
school boards by statute, regulation, and the Constitution of Virginia;
personnel policies and practices; the program evaluation of
personnel, curriculum, and instruction; use of data in planning and
decision making and measuring academic performance; socioeconomic
risk factors and best practices to address external effects on student
achievement; the Freedom of Information Act (§ 2.2-3700 et seq.); the federal
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (20 U.S.C. § 1232g) and related
regulations; and current issues in education as part of their service on
the local board. Each local school board member shall certify his compliance
with the training requirements of this subsection to the clerk of his school
board no later than December 31 of each year, in a form prescribed by the Board
of Education.
and (ii) E. Each local school board shall require the
division superintendent to participate annually in high-quality professional
development activities at the local, state, or national levels, including the
Standards of Quality, Board of Education regulations, and the Guidelines for
Uniform Performance Standards and Evaluation Criteria for Teachers, Principals,
and Superintendents.
E. F. Each local school board shall provide a
program of high-quality professional development (i) in the use and
documentation of performance standards and evaluation criteria based on student
academic progress and skills for teachers, principals, and superintendents to
clarify roles and performance expectations and to facilitate the successful
implementation of instructional programs that promote student achievement at
the school and classroom levels; (ii) as part of the license renewal process,
to assist teachers and principals in acquiring the skills needed to work with
gifted students, students with disabilities, and students who have been
identified as having limited English proficiency and to increase student
achievement and expand the knowledge and skills students require to meet the
standards for academic performance set by the Board of Education; (iii) in
educational technology for all instructional personnel which is designed to
facilitate integration of computer skills and related technology into the
curricula; and (iv) for principals and supervisors designed to increase
proficiency in instructional leadership and management, including training in
the evaluation and documentation of teacher and principal performance based on
student academic progress and the skills and knowledge of such instructional or
administrative personnel.
In addition, each local school board [ ; in consultation
with the Department of Education as needed, ] shall also provide teachers
and principals with high-quality professional development programs each year in
(a) instructional content; (b) the preparation of tests and other assessment
measures; (c) methods for assessing the progress of individual students,
including Standards of Learning assessment materials or other
criterion-referenced tests that match locally developed objectives; (d)
instruction and remediation techniques in English, mathematics, science, and
history and social science; (e) interpreting test data for instructional
purposes; (f) technology applications to implement the Standards of Learning; [
and ] (g) effective classroom management [ ; and (h) addressing the
issues that are unique to high-needs students ] .
F. G. Schools and school divisions shall include
as an integral component of their comprehensive plans required by §
22.1-253.13:6, high-quality professional development programs that support the
recruitment, employment, and retention of qualified teachers and principals.
Each school board shall require all instructional personnel to participate each
year in these professional development programs.
G. H. Each local school board shall annually
review its professional development program for quality, effectiveness,
participation by instructional personnel, and relevancy to the instructional
needs of teachers and the academic achievement needs of the students in the
school division.
2. That the Board of Education, in conjunction with the Virginia School Boards Association, shall establish criteria for the professional development and training of local school board members. At a minimum, such criteria shall (i) differentiate training requirements for newly elected or appointed members and members who have completed one or more years of service; (ii) set a process for approving providers of such training; (iii) include a model professional development framework that emphasizes the content areas specified in subsection D of § 22.1-253.13:5 and identifies additional content areas critical to the effective supervision of schools; (iv) include a training needs assessment instrument for use by local school boards in assessing their particular training needs; and (v) specify a format for the annual certification required by subsection D of § 22.1-253.13:5.
3. That the provisions of the first enactment clause of this act shall be effective July 1, 2016.