Committee on School & Division Accountability

The Committee received overviews of a number of items that will be addressed on the Board’s full Committee agenda on Thursday, including information about multiple accreditation rating change requests and appeals, as well as school and division memoranda of understanding. Fairfax County had two schools among those submitting applications for changes in accreditation ratings including an appeal request from Saratoga Elementary School for an initial accreditation rating of Partially Accredited: Reconstituted School and an appeal request for a continued rating of Partially Accredited: Reconstituted School for Mount Vernon Woods Elementary.

 

The Committee received a high level summary update on the comments they had received to date from the five statewide public hearings the Board has conducted as well as from the open comment period regarding proposed amendments to the Regulations Establishing Standards for Accrediting Public Schools in Virginia (SOA) as well as a progress report on the use of performance assessments in Virginia.

 

All presentations from this meeting are available at:

http://www.doe.virginia.gov/boe/committees_standing/accountability/2017/meeting_materials.shtml#sep27

 

Board Work Session

The Board received reports on Virginia Public School Enrollment Trends as well as discussed a draft of its Comprehensive Plan 2017-2023.

 

Presentations are available at:

http://www.doe.virginia.gov/boe/meetings/2017/work-session/meeting_materials.shtml#sep27

 

Board Business Meeting

Accreditation Rating Change Requests and Appeals (Board Agenda Items A-D, F, G)

The Board received for first review multiple requests for schools seeking either a new or continued accreditation rating of Partially Accredited: Reconstituted School. Fairfax County had two schools among those submitting applications for changes in accreditation ratings including an appeal request from Saratoga Elementary School for an initial accreditation rating of Partially Accredited: Reconstituted School (Item C), and an appeal request for a continued rating of Partially Accredited: Reconstituted School for Mount Vernon Woods Elementary (Item D).

 

Memoranda of Understanding for Schools Rated Accreditation Denied (Item E)

The Board waived first review and approved Memoranda of Understanding with 17 school divisions encompassing 26 schools. These schools are rated Accreditation Denied for the first time in 2017-2018 and are subject to actions prescribed by the Virginia Board of Education (VBOE) as affirmed through a memorandum of understanding between the VBOE and the local school boards.

 

Annual Progress Reports on existing division and school level Memorandum of Understanding (Items H and I)

The Board received annual progress reports from Franklin City Public Schools, Petersburg City Public Schools, and Richmond City Public Schools as required for school divisions under an existing division-level Memorandum of Understanding. In addition, the Board received annual progress reports from 63 schools in 22 school divisions who have existing Memoranda of Understanding in Accreditation Denied status.

 

Division Level Review (Item J)

The Board waived first review and approved the request for a division-level review for Greensville County Public Schools.

 

Withholding Accreditation (Item K)

The Board waived first review and approved a proposal to withhold accreditation for A.P. Hill Elementary School in Petersburg City due to testing irregularities.

 

Addition of Expedited Retake Criteria to the Guidelines for Standard Diploma Credit Accommodations for Students with Disabilities (Item L)

The Board approved an addition to the Guidelines for Standard Diploma Credit Accommodations for Students with Disabilities which would permit students who are using credit accommodation to earn a standard diploma to immediately retake a test if their scaled score is between 350 and 399. Credit accommodations guidelines permit local school boards to award verified credit to students with disabilities who score within the 375-399 scale score range after taking the test at least twice - this change would allow these students an expedited retake over a broader range of scores so that they could attempt to reach the 375 scaled score necessary for the locally awarded verified credit.

 

Notice of Intended Regulatory Action (NOIRA) for Proposed Regulations Governing the Designation of School Divisions of Innovation (Item M)

Pursuant to HB 1981 (Greason) as adopted during the 2017 General Assembly Session, the Board adopted a Notice of Intended Regulatory Action to notify the public that regulations governing the creation and operation of School Divisions of Innovation will be drafted. Language in the legislation defines a school division of innovation as one “in which the local school board has developed and for which the Board has approved pursuant to regulations as set forth in this article a plan of innovation to improve student learning; educational performance; and college, career, and citizenship readiness skills in each school in the local school division,” which may include waivers from selected regulatory provisions.

 

In drafting the regulations, note that existing Board regulations will limit the application of possible waivers to provisions in the Regulations Establishing Standards for Accrediting Public Schools in Virginia (SOA), and would prohibit waivers of SOA provisions related to student achievement requirements, graduation requirements, program of instruction and learning objectives, and the accreditation system.

 

Revisions to the Licensure Regulations for School Personnel (8VAC20-22-10 et seq.) to Conform to General Assembly Legislation (Exempt Action) (Item N)

The Board approved proposed amendments to the Licensure Regulations for School Personnel, to conform to five different pieces of legislation adopted during the 2017 General Assembly Session, as specified below.

 

HB 1770 (Freitas) and SB 1583 (Suetterlein) permit each local school board or division superintendent to waive certain enumerated licensure requirements (listed below) for any individual whom it seeks to employ as a career and technical education teacher and who is also seeking initial licensure or renewal of a license with an endorsement in the area of career and technical education.

• professional assessments as prescribed by the Board of Education;
• study in attention deficit disorder;
• study in gifted education, including the use of multiple criteria to identify gifted students;
• study in methods of improving communication between schools and families and ways of increasing family involvement in student learning at home and at school;
• demonstrated proficiency in the use of educational technology for instruction;
• professional development in instructional methods tailored to promote student academic progress and effective preparation for the Standards of Learning end-of-course and end-of-grade assessments;
• professional development in a manner prescribed by the Board;
• demonstrated proficiency in reading and writing Braille [Note: This is not a current requirement for CTE.]; and
• awareness training, provided by the Department of Education, on the indicators of dyslexia, as that term is defined by the Board pursuant to regulations, and the evidence-based interventions and accommodations for dyslexia.

 

HB 1829 (Dudenhefer) requires hands-on practice of the skills necessary to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation as part of the certification or training in emergency first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and the use of automated external defibrillators that is required of every person seeking initial licensure or renewal of a license as a teacher.

 

HB 2352 (Freitas) exempts from any professional teacher's assessment requirements any individual who has obtained a valid out-of-state license, with full credentials and without deficiencies, that is in force at the time the application for a Virginia license is received by the Department of Education, subject to the approval of the division superintendent or the school board in the school division in which such individual is employed.

 

The bill also requires the Department of Education to analyze the current requirements for teacher licensure by reciprocity in the Commonwealth, including the statutory and regulatory requirements for such licensure, and report its findings, including any recommendations for changes to such requirements, to the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education and Health no later than November 1, 2017.

 

HB 2432 (Bulova) requires the Board of Education to include in its regulations governing the licensure of teachers and other school personnel procedures for the immediate and thorough investigation by the division superintendent or his designee of any complaint alleging that a license holder has engaged in conduct that may form the basis for the revocation of his license, including requirements for (i) the division superintendent to petition for the revocation of the license upon completing such investigation and finding that there is reasonable cause to believe that the license holder has engaged in conduct that forms the basis for revocation of a license; (ii) the school board to proceed to a hearing on such petition for revocation within 90 days of the mailing of a copy of the petition to the license holder, unless the license holder requests the cancellation of his license in accordance with Board regulations; and (iii) the school board to provide a copy of the investigative file and such petition for revocation to the Superintendent of Public Instruction at the time that the hearing is scheduled. The bill also clarifies that in the case of a teacher who is or becomes the subject of a founded complaint of child abuse and neglect, such teacher shall be dismissed after all rights to any administrative appeal have been exhausted.

 

SB 1117 (McPike) requires training in the recognition of mental health disorder and behavioral distress, including depression, trauma, violence, youth suicide, and substance abuse for any person seeking initial licensure or renewal of a license with an endorsement as a school counselor.

 

Revisions to Family Life Education Board of Education Guidelines and Standards of Learning for Virginia Public Schools (Item O)

The Board waived first review and approved changes to the Family Life Education Board of Education Guidelines and Standards of Learning for Virginia Public Schools as required by legislation passed during the 2017 General Assembly Session. The language changes include:

 

• Language specifying that any high school family life education curriculum may incorporate age-appropriate elements of effective and evidenced-based programs on the law and meaning of consent (HB 2257, Filler-Corn)
• Language including instruction in the value of family relationships (SB 1475, McClellan)
• Language permitting age–appropriate elements of effective and evidence-based programs addressing sexual violence that are required to be incorporated into any high school family life education curriculum to include instruction that increases student awareness that consent is required before sexual activity (SB 1475, McClellan)
• A revised definition of abstinence education (SB 1475, McClellan)

 

First Review of Proposed Revised Curriculum Framework for the 2017 English Standards of Learning (Item P)

The Board received for first review proposed revisions to the Curriculum Framework for the 2017 English Standards of Learning. The Standards of Quality require the Board of Education to review the Standards of Learning on a regular schedule, including the Standards’ companion Curriculum Framework. The current English Standards of Learning were adopted in 2010 and were scheduled for review in 2017. The Department of Education took the following steps to produce this draft of the proposed revised Curriculum Framework for the 2017 English Standards of Learning:

 

• Reviewed public comments online comments regarding the 2010 English Standards of Learning from stakeholders, including teachers, administrators, and parents
• Reviewed related resources from other states, National Council of Teachers of English, International Literacy Association, College Board, ACT, and National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP) Reading and Writing Framework
• Met with an educator review committee comprised of curriculum specialists, classroom teachers, administrators, and reading specialists on Jun 26-29, 2017
• Received feedback from the Office of Student Assessment and School Improvement, Office of Special Education Instruction, Office of Career and Technical Education, higher education colleagues, and state professional organizations

The major elements of the proposed revised Curriculum Framework for the 2017

English Standards of Learning include:

 

• Edits to enhance clarity, specificity, rigor, and alignments of skills and content;
• Revisions to align with the 2017 English Standards of Learning;
• Emphasis on the K-12 vertical alignment of the strands of Communication and Multimodal Literacies; Reading; Writing; and Research;
• Reorganization of the early literacy skills formerly under an Oral Language strand to the Reading strand ensuring that students receive the strong foundation of phonological and phonemic awareness to become fluent readers;
• Creation of a Communication strand in K-3 focusing on the necessary skills to express needs, ask questions, work collaboratively, and present information;
• Creation of a Research strand in K-3. At the primary level, students will begin to conduct research and use available resources to answer questions, solve problems, and organize information;
• Deletion of first column, which provided some redundant information and definitions;
• Creation of Teacher Notes prior to the beginning of each strand reflecting current academic research and best instructional practices;
• Introduction of reflective writing in grades 6-12;
• Expansion of skills for collaboration, consensus-building, team-building, and working toward common goals;
• Expansion of requirements for nonfiction/informational/technical reading in grades 4-12;
• Emphasis on ethical use of the Internet when gathering and using information;
• Introduction of a focus on a mode or modes of writing at each grade level, increasing in complexity and rigor as students progress through K-12; and
• Edits to enhance clarity, specificity, rigor, alignment of skills and content, and a reflection of the current academic research and practice.

The Department of Education will receive public comment for at least 30 days before bringing the revised Curriculum Framework for the 2017 English Standards of Learning to the Board of Education for final review in November 2017. Full text of the proposed Curriculum Framework is available at: http://www.doe.virginia.gov/boe/meetings/2017/09-sep/agenda-items/item-p.pdf

 

First Review of Proposed Addition to Board of Education Approved Courses to Satisfy Graduation Requirements for High School Diplomas in Virginia Public Schools (Item Q)

The Board received for first review a proposal to add an Environmental Science course to the list of Board of Education Approved Courses to Satisfy Graduation Requirements for High School Diplomas in Virginia Public Schools. In addition to the creation of the new course, the proposal would also move the Advanced Placement in Environmental Science course out from under the discipline of Earth Sciences and would create a new discipline of Environmental Science.

 

Reports (Items S-X)

The Board received the following reports:

• Report on Rebenchmarking of the Direct Aid to Public Education Budget for 2018-2020 Biennium
• Annual Report from the State Special Education Advisory Committee (SSEAC)
• Annual Report from the Advisory Committee on the Education of the Gifted (VACEG)
• Report on High School Planning Innovation Grants (HSPI)
• Report on Virginia Preschool Initiative Plus (VPI+)
• Report on the Recommendations of the Taskforce to Diversify Virginia’s Educator Pipeline (TDVEP)

Of particular note, the Rebenchmarking report indicates that the initial state cost to update the state’s education funding formulas would be $235.0M in FY19 and $256.8M in FY20, for a biennial cost of almost half a billion dollars ($491.8M). Note that this this is a statewide number, and is only VDOE's initial estimate of final costs. Updated data is not yet available for the following:

• Revised Local Composite Index of Ability to Pay (LCI) for the 2018-2020 biennium (update input data from 2013 to 2015)
• Enrollment projections (Fall Memb. & ADM)
• Sales Tax and Lottery revenue projections
• Revised VRS fringe benefit rates

These aggregate dollar figures are very likely to change between now and Governor's budget release in mid-December once the revised data indicated above becomes available. Individual school division allocations will be highly dependent on final LCI levels.