State Board of Education meetings
March 20-21, 2019

Committee on the Standards of Quality
The Board received a presentation regarding its review of the Standards of Quality focusing on policy considerations related to equity.  The three areas that were presented included: recruiting and retaining high-quality teachers; specialized instructional support personnel; and staffing for English learner students.

Quality teachers are not evenly distributed in the education system.  The average effectiveness of teachers in high poverty schools is less than teachers in other schools and there is significantly greater variation in teacher quality among high poverty schools.  African American students are nearly twice as likely to be assigned to the most ineffective teachers and half as likely to be assigned to the most effective teachers.  Black 7th graders were far more likely to face a novice teacher in math and English than are their white counterparts; difference in exposure to novice teachers reflects patterns within, rather than across, school districts.  

The options presented to address recruiting and retaining high quality teachers included targeted compensation adjustments (which may be focused on increased compensation to teachers in challenging school environments and/or resources driven by student characteristics), development of teacher leaders, and coaching/mentoring new teachers.

Developing teacher leaders could include establishing new teacher leader positions and including those positions in SOQ staffing ratios. 

Establishing standards for a coaching and/or mentoring program in the SOQ could include incentivizing the role of mentoring/coaching and to free up additional time for teachers to serve as mentors/coaches and for new teachers to be mentored/coached

The Board’s discussion of specialized instructional support personnel focused on the impact of the “support cap” which functionally reduces the state’s funding for support positions below local prevailing practices.  The Board revisited its recommended ratios for some support positions (many of which are currently caught under the cap), including a ratio of 1:50 to 1:250 of social workers to students, depending on needs; a ratio of 1:1,000 of psychologists to students; a ratio of one nurse per 750 students; and ratio of 1:250 of counselors to students (with priority staffing for high poverty schools).

One possibility under consideration would be to remove social workers, psychologists and nurses from the support services category (funding for all but nurses is capped under that category) and create a new Specialized Instructional Support Personnel staffing category with recommended ratios (either individually or across multiple positions).

The Board’s discussion of staffing for English Learner students focused on the current ratio of 17 positions per 1000 English Learner students (about 1 position per 59 students) and that the current ratio is not differentiated based upon level of student’s English proficiency or experience with formal education.  One consideration would be to revise SOQ ratios to distribute English Language Learner resources based on proficiency levels and or on other indicators of student needs.
The full SOQ presentation detailing each of these policy areas is available at:
http://www.doe.virginia.gov/boe/committees_standing/quality/2019/soq-policy-options%20.pptx

Committee on School and Division Accountability
The Committee on School and Division Accountability received presentations on both a proposal to include a “Multiple Races” student reporting group for purposes of state and federal accountability as well as an update to the collaborative profile work on profiles of Virginia Educators, Virginia Education Leaders, and Virginia Classrooms under the Profile of a Virginia Graduate.  

Virginia Department of Education guidelines indicate that any student groups comprising five percent or more of the annual student enrollment should be considered in accountability models. In the 2018-2019 school year, students identifying as two or more races (non-Hispanic) comprised 5.7 percent of all students enrolled. Students identifying as two or more races are currently only counted in the “All Students” student group for state accreditation. The Department is recommending adding a “Multiple Races” student group to state accreditation beginning in the 2019-2020 school year to include students who identify as two or more races, affecting indicators of academic achievement gaps in English and academic achievement gaps in mathematics.  The “Multiple Races” student group, defined as students of two or more races that are not also Hispanic, would be added to the seven reporting groups currently examined for the achievement gap indicators, including Asian students, Black students, Hispanic students, White students, economically disadvantaged students, English learner students, and students with disabilities. The rules for applying performance levels to the Multiple Races student group would be the same as the current reporting groups, and the overall decision rules for determining the final performance level of the achievement gap indicators would also remain the same.

The Department is proposing to add students identifying as more than one race to state and federal accountability as the “Multiple Races” student group beginning in the 2019-2020 school year.  For state accreditation, the rules to calculate and apply performance levels to the achievement gap indicators would remain the same.  For federal accountability, new targets for the Multiple Races student group would need to be developed using the same methodology as other student groups.

The update to the collaborative profile work on profiles of Virginia Educators, Virginia Education Leaders and Virginia Classrooms under the Profile of a Virginia Graduate built on details discussed during the Board’s January meeting, including the timeline (through January 2020) for completion of the profiles and their incorporation into evaluation systems and professional development.  The full presentation of this work is available at: http://www.doe.virginia.gov/boe/committees_standing/accountability/2019/update-on-profiles-soa-committee.pptx

Board Business Meeting
Revisions to the Virginia School Bus Specifications
The Board adopted revisions to Virginia School Bus Specifications.  According to Department staff, none of the adopted changes represent significant deviations from standard industry practices.  All of the recommended specifications comply with the safety requirements of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Other changes are made for consistency with requirements in the Regulations Governing Pupil Transportation and the Code of Virginia.  No changes were made to the proposed specifications as initially discussed at the Board’s January meeting.  Details on all of the changes are available at:
 http://www.doe.virginia.gov/boe/meetings/2019/03-mar/item-b.docx

Final Review of Proposed State Approved Textbooks for K-12 English
The Board adopted a list of ninety-five recommended textbooks for K-12 English that are aligned to the 2017 English Standards of Learning.  The full list of approved textbooks is available at: http://www.doe.virginia.gov/boe/meetings/2019/03-mar/item-d.docx

Amendment to Virginia’s Consolidated State Plan under the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA)
The Board approved an amendment to Virginia’s Consolidated State Plan under the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA) to provide a definition for an ineffective teacher as required by the United States Department of Education.  As a result of discussions with stakeholders and within the Department, the following definition was adopted: “An ineffective teacher is defined as a teacher who is both out-of-field and inexperienced.”  An “out-of-field” would be defined as a licensed teacher who is assigned to teach a class outside of the teacher’s endorsement area and an “inexperienced” teacher would be defined as a teacher in his or her first year of teaching.

Upon the Board’s approval, the consolidated state plan will be amended to include this definition and will be submitted to USED for review and approval. It should be noted that this definition is recommended only to meet the federal reporting requirement. Potential revisions to the Guidelines for Uniform Performance Standards and Evaluation Criteria for Teachers and existing state definitions, such as the Code of Virginia Section 22.1-307 definition of incompetency, would not be impacted by the definition of ineffective teacher under ESSA.

Proposal to Include Multiple Races Student Group in State Accreditation
The Board received for first review a proposal to include a “multiple races” student subgroup for use in determinations of state accreditation.  For more information on the proposal, see the discussion under the Committee on School and Division Accountability meeting detailed above.

Cut Scores for the Grades 3-8 Standards of Learning Mathematics Tests Based on the 2016 Mathematics Standards
The Board waived first review and approved cut scores for the Grades 3-8 Standards of Learning Mathematics tests based on the 2016 Mathematics Standards of Learning. The proposed scaled scores are at least 400 for pass/proficient and at least 500 for pass/advanced for the grades 3-8 SOL mathematics tests based on the 2016 Mathematics SOL. These scaled scores would be equivalent to the following number of items correct on the test forms reviewed by the educator committees convened for standard setting:
 
•    Grade 3 mathematics:  21 for pass/proficient and 36 for pass/advanced
•    Grade 4 mathematics:  26 for pass/proficient and 45 for pass/advanced 
•    Grade 5 mathematics:  25 for pass/proficient and 44 for pass/advanced 
•    Grade 6 mathematics:  26 for pass/proficient and 45 for pass/advanced 
•    Grade 7 mathematics:  25 for pass/proficient and 44 for pass/advanced 
•    Grade 8 mathematics:  26 for pass/proficient and 45 for pass/advanced 

Because the minimum scaled score for the fail/basic achievement level will be specific to each test, the Superintendent of Public Instruction recommends that the Board adopt cut scores based on the following number of items correct on the test forms reviewed by the educator committees convened for standard setting.  Scaled scores that represent the same level of achievement will be determined once the Board adopts the cuts scores for each test.  

•    Grade 3 mathematics: 10 items correct 
•    Grade 4 mathematics: 13 items correct 
•    Grade 5 mathematics: 11 items correct 
•    Grade 6 mathematics: 12 items correct 
•    Grade 7 mathematics: 12 items correct 
•    Grade 8 mathematics: 12 items correct

Review of Proposed Regulations Governing the Designation of School Divisions of Innovation (Final Stage) – withdrawn from Board agenda

Proposed Revisions to the Regulations Governing the Collection and Reporting of Truancy (8VAC20-730) (Fast-Track) 
In 2018 the Virginia General Assembly amended § 22.1-258 of the Code of Virginia, relating to the appointment of attendance officers; notification when pupil fails to report to school; truancy plans, conference, and court proceedings. The amendments to § 22.1-258 offered changes to the timeline and process for intervening with students and families for continued and repeated student non-attendance.  The proposed revisions would help to align Chapter 8 VAC20-730 (Regulations Governing the Collection and Reporting of Truancy-Related Data and Student Attendance Policies) with the changes made by the General Assembly.  In addition, additional substantive changes are proposed which are not directly related to the changes necessitated by General Assembly action.  Those proposed changes include expanding the number of days a parent has to provide an excuse for an absence from three days to five days and removing remove the specific data collection requirements and reflect that data will be collected based on § 22.1-258 of the Code of Virginia.  In addition, through provisions in 8 VAC20-730 the Virginia Department of Education will ask that school divisions report two categories of unexcused absences that are indicated in the definition of “unexcused absence” in 8 VAC20-730-10.

Details for all proposed changes can be found at:
http://www.doe.virginia.gov/boe/meetings/2019/03-mar/item-i.docx

Recommendations Concerning Applications for Literary Fund Loans
The Board waived first review and approved six (6) Literary Fund loan applications submitted by Southampton County totaling $5,950,000 for placement on the Approved Application List.

Reports
The Board received the following reports:

•    Statewide Annual Performance Report for Career and Technical Education and the Virginia Community College System as a Sub-recipient of Perkins Funds from the Department of Education for School Years 2016-2017 and 2017-2018
•    Report on the Timeline for the Review and Revision to the 2013 Dance Arts Standards of Learning, Music Standards of Learning, Theatre Arts Standards of Learning, and Visual Arts Standards of Learning
•    Legislative Report: 2019 General Assembly

Each report is available via the Board’s March agenda, available at:
http://www.doe.virginia.gov/boe/meetings/2019/03-mar/agenda.shtml