Virginia Board of Education Meeting Summary

October 16/17-2019

Board Work Session

The Board received a presentation of research regarding Teacher and Principal Evaluation and Professional Development as well as on the Board of Education's 2019 draft Annual Report on the Condition and Needs of Public Schools in Virginia.  Full committee meeting information and handouts are available at http://www.doe.virginia.gov/boe/meetings/index.shtml under Board Work Sessions, October 16, 2019.

 

Committee on Standards of Quality

The Committee discussed final changes to their draft Standards of Quality proposal (for adoption at their Thursday business meeting) as well as the process for “prescribing” SOQ revisions.  The following table summarizes the final proposals and their estimated annual cost.  Note that “Local Contribution” is only the formal required local match and does not reflect any additional local implementation costs that may be associated with the proposed changes.

Proposal	State Fiscal Impact	Local Contribution
Equity Fund (Enhanced At-Risk Add-On)	$131.9 million1	$ 79.5 million
K-3 Class Size Reduction	None	No additional contribution (except in nonparticipating divisions)
Teacher Leader and Teacher Mentor Programs	$102.1 million1 2	$84.3 million2
English Learner Teachers	$26.7 million	$32.8 million
Specialized Student Support Personnel	approx. $100 million	approx. $81.8 million
School Counselors	$88.2 million	$72.2 million
Elementary School Principals	$7.9 million	$6.4 million
Assistant Principals	$83.9 million	$68.6 million
Recession-Era Savings and Flexibility Strategies	$371.6 million	$304.0 million
Reading Specialists	$36.6 million1	$29.1 million
Work-Based Learning Coordinators	$1.1 million	None
Principal Mentor Programs	$1.1 million	None
Footnotes: 1 - Fiscal impact shown does not include existing appropriations to existing programs that would be shifted into the Standards of Quality.  2 – Estimated state impact and local contribution is based on providing mentors to first and second year teachers.  The proposal has been amended to include third year teachers, which will increase costs by an indeterminate amount, because data is not yet available to determine the number of third year teachers.

Extensive details on all of the Board’s proposals are available at http://www.doe.virginia.gov/boe/committees_standing/quality/index.shtml

 

Committee on School and Division Accountability

The Committee received an overview of the State’s Accreditation and accreditation appeals process.  Of note the Committee did not discuss the specifics of the then-pending accreditation status appeals brought by Fairfax County and Bristol City, that discussion was left to the Board’s Thursday regular business meeting.

The Committee also discussed testing concerns related to changes made in the 2017 Standards of Accreditation.  The 2017 Standards changed end-of-course testing requirements for students, excusing them from taking the SOL assessment in any subject after they have earned the number of verified credits for that content area for graduation, unless the test is required for federal accountability.  This change has affected the number of students taking certain assessments, with related impacts on pass rates dues to few test takers.  Discussed solutions included the possible phasing out of some lower incidence tests or reopening the Standards of Accreditation to more directly address the issue.

Full meeting materials are available at http://www.doe.virginia.gov/boe/committees_standing/accountability/index.shtml

 

Board Business Meeting

Resolution Adopting Data Collection Policies for Public School and School Divisions, Pursuant to House Bill 196 (2016 General Assembly)

The Board adopted the Data Collection Policies for Public School and School Divisions, Pursuant to House Bill 196 (2016 General Assembly).  The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) has been following the directive outlined in HB196 since the bill passed in 2016. Each year a calendar of VDOE data collections and listing of all other federal/state agency collections that schools must complete are reviewed by VDOE staff.  If a data collection is found to be duplicative or not relevant to student outcomes, the data collection is removed.  The complete listing of data collections and whether they are new or being deleted is then presented to the Board of Education annually in the Report of the Reports.  This completes the action required by the General Assembly and ensures that VDOE policy matches the daily practice that has been in place at the Department of Education since 2016.  

 

Notice of Intended Regulation Action (NOIRA) to Establish Dual Language and Economics and Personal Finance Endorsements in the Regulations Governing the Review and Approval of Education Programs in Virginia

The Board waived first review and approved the Notice of Intended Regulation Action to begin the process to establish dual language endorsements and an economics and personal finance add-on endorsement in the Regulations Governing the Review and Approval of Education Programs in Virginia.  The regulatory action is to establish dual language endorsements and an economics and personal finance add-on endorsement.  Notices of Intended Regulatory Action were approved for the Licensure Regulations for School Personnel; however, the endorsements also need to be included in the Regulations Governing the Review and Approval of Education Programs in Virginia so colleges and universities may offer programs in these endorsement areas.

 

Advisory Board on Teacher Education and Licensure's Recommendation to Approve New Education (Endorsement) Programs

The Board waived first review and approved the Advisory Board on Teacher Education and Licensure’s recommendations to approve the following new education (endorsement) programs. 

 

College/University	Education Endorsement Program	Program Level
Bluefield College	School Counselor PreK-12	Graduate
Eastern Mennonite University	School Counselor PreK-12	Graduate
Ferrum College	Special Education-General Curriculum Elementary Education K-6 (add-on endorsement)	Undergraduate
George Mason University	Elementary Education PreK-6	Undergraduate
	English	Undergraduate
	Science-Biology	Undergraduate
	Science-Chemistry	Undergraduate
	Science-Earth Science	Undergraduate
	Science-Physics	Undergraduate
Hampton University	Chemistry	Undergraduate
Liberty University	Special Education-General Curriculum Elementary Education K-6 (add-on endorsement)	Undergraduate and Graduate
	Special Education-General Curriculum Middle Education Grades 6-8 (add-on endorsement)	Graduate
	Special Education-General Curriculum Secondary Education Grades 6-12 (add-on endorsement)	Graduate
	Special Education Early Childhood (birth through age five)	Graduate
	Special Education Adapted Curriculum K-12	Graduate
	Career and Technical Education-Transition and Special Needs (add-on endorsement)	Graduate
Mary Baldwin College	Special Education-General Curriculum Elementary Education K-6 (add-on endorsement)	Undergraduate and Graduate
	Special Education-General Curriculum Middle Education Grades 6-8 (add-on endorsement)	Undergraduate and Graduate
	Special Education-General Curriculum Secondary Education Grades 6-12 (add-on endorsement)	Undergraduate and Graduate
Old Dominion University	Computer Science	Undergraduate
Radford University	Special Education-General Curriculum Elementary Education K-6 (add-on endorsement)	Graduate
	Special Education-General Curriculum Middle Education Grades 6-8 (add-on endorsement)	Graduate
	Special Education-General Curriculum Secondary Education Grades 6-12 (add-on endorsement)	Graduate
Roanoke College	Middle Education 6-8 (English and Science)	Undergraduate

 

Advisory Board on Teacher Education and Licensure's Recommendation to Approve Education Programs Offered by Virginia Institutions of Higher Education as Required by the Regulations Governing the Review and Approval of Education Programs in Virginia

The Board waived first review and approved the Advisory Board on Teacher Education and Licensure’s recommendations to grant “approved” status to all Virginia college and university education (endorsement) programs listed in the 2017-2019 Biennial Report except for the Reading Specialist program at James Madison University.  For the James Madison University Reading Specialist Program, it was given “Approval with Stipulations” status, due to falling below the 80 percent passing rate requirement for the Reading for Virginia Educators (RVE):  Reading Specialist (5304) assessment.

The 2017-2019 Biennial Report can be found at: http://doe.virginia.gov/boe/meetings/2019/10-oct/item-e-attachment-a.pdf and  http://doe.virginia.gov/boe/meetings/2019/10-oct/item-e-attachment-b.pdf .

 

Revisions to the Standards of Quality

The Board of Education approved the 2019 proposed revisions to the Standards of Quality, as well as supportive resolution, for submission to the Governor and General Assembly.  The Board’s proposals, descriptions and the anticipated fiscal impacts of each of the proposed revisions to the Standards of Quality can be found at:  http://doe.virginia.gov/boe/meetings/2019/10-oct/item-f-attachment-a.docx and http://doe.virginia.gov/boe/meetings/2019/10-oct/item-f-attachment-b.docx . 

 

Guidelines for a Senior Capstone Project, Portfolio, Performance-based Assessment, or Structured Experiment as required by HB 2662 (2019 General Assembly)

The Board approved the Guidelines for a Senior Capstone Project, Portfolio, Performance-based Assessment, or Structured Experiment as required by HB 2662 (2019 General Assembly) for submission to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Education and Senate Committee on Education and Health by November 1, 2019.  The Senior Capstone Guidelines Include:  What a Successful Virginia Graduate Will be able To Do; A Definition of a Senior Capstone; and The Steps Involved in a Capstone Project.  The Guidelines can be found at: http://doe.virginia.gov/boe/meetings/2019/10-oct/item-g.docx .  Notably, Board members noted that they may take a specific position on the potential adoption of a capstone requirement by the General Assembly, would be included in their November 1 submission.

 

Revisions to the Economics and Personal Finance Standards of Learning, as required by Senate Bill 1245 (2018 General Assembly)

The Board received for first review the proposed revisions of Economics and Personal Finance Standards of Learning.  Senate Bill 1245 of the 2017 Virginia General Assembly requires the Board of Education to amend the 2009 Standards of Learning for Economics and Personal Finance to include evaluating the economic value of postsecondary studies, including the net cost of attendance, potential student loan debt, and potential earnings, in the Board's objectives for the Economics and Personal Finance course.

The resulting standards address concepts and principles that are important to economics at the macro level, but also direct attention to understanding and skills that students need to be knowledgeable consumers in many areas of daily life, such as further education, career preparation, major purchases, credit and debt, and savings and investments. The proposed standards provide directions for ensuring that students are exposed to the many aspects of informed decision making they will need for future success, and to serve as a foundation for continued study of economics and finance.

A working group comprised of stakeholders including representatives from financial and relevant professional organizations, educators, and administrators was convened in the summer of 2019 to review and revise the Standards of Learning for Economics and Personal Finance and to address the requirements identified in SB 1245. Revisions also provided inclusion of the purpose of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in determining eligibility; describing the types of grants, scholarships, and loans and potential scams associated with each type of aid; maintaining eligibility after awards received; identifying repayment requirements and options; and describing the benefits, eligibility requirements, and tax implications of state- sponsored tax-advantage-qualified tuition plans as investment options for postsecondary education (e.g., Virginia 529 Plan).

It is anticipated that once the revisions to the Economics and Personal Finance Standards of Learning are approved by the Board, they will become effective July 1, 2020.  The proposed revisions to the Standards can be found at:  http://doe.virginia.gov/boe/meetings/2019/10-oct/item-h.docx .

 

Revision of the Career and Technical Work-Based Learning Guide

The Board received for first review the proposed revisions to the Career and Technical Education Work-Based Learning Guide, as required by HB2018 and SB1434.

The 2019 General Assembly, through House Bill 2018 and Senate Bill 1434, directed the Virginia Board of Education to revise the exiting Career and Technical Education (CTE) Work-Based Learning Guide, published by the Virginia Department of Education, to expand opportunities available for students and allow greater local flexibility to meet the needs of both business and industry and local school divisions. A year-long review and revision process has been concluded, culminating in the proposed revisions to the 2019 CTE Work-Based Learning Guide.

The 2019 revision expands recognized work-based learning (WBL) experiences from eight to eleven. Time requirements have been standardized to allow more students to undertake and complete such experiences within a reasonable time frame without sacrificing rigor. Further, completing 280 hours of cooperative education, internship, or apprenticeship would allow students to earn one credit, while completing 140 hours of mentorship would allow students to earn half a credit, toward graduation in addition to any credit earned through the associated CTE course.

Rules have been simplified to open WBL experiences to students from grades six to twelve, with the exception of paid experiences that must adhere to age requirements associated with youth labor laws, experiences where students are involved with machinery and must adhere to federal and state safety laws (e.g., OSHA), and highly regulated fields, such as those within health and medical sciences and trade and industrial.

Required documentation has been streamlined, eliminating repetitive or outdated forms, and reworking required forms to allow school divisions to adapt each one to the needs of their locality while still supplying all necessary information.

The WBL guide revisions reflect greater inclusiveness of various methods used by schools and employers to offer WBL to students. It also serves to bolster career exploration options for students and recognizes the importance of WBL that occurs in entrepreneurial and school-based settings. The revisions also allow for a more standard measurement of hours and a credit that is based on the WBL hours worked across various experiences. These guidelines are not only straightforward but easier to implement for a greater number of students throughout the commonwealth to have access to WBL opportunities.

The proposed revisions can be found at:  http://doe.virginia.gov/boe/meetings/2019/10-oct/item-i.docx.

 

Proposed Revisions to the Health Education Standards of Learning

The Board received for first review proposed revisions to the Health Education Standards of Learning.  These proposed 2020 Health Education Standards of Learning were informed by public comment, health educators, program leaders, subject matter experts, and trends in current national and international health education instruction. The health content reflects youth health risks and health promoting behaviors data. The structure of the Health Education Standard of Learning has been revised to better support instruction. The proposed revisions include, but are not limited to:

• Scaffolding health skills to be developmentally-appropriate across grade levels and explicit of what students should know, understand, and be able to do;
• Reorganizing health content and skills by topic in each strand to show vertical alignment and to support teacher instruction and student learning;
• Focusing on importance of, obtaining, and maintaining physical, mental, social, and emotional health;
• Increasing understanding of mental illnesses and challenges (i.e., anxiety, depression) and treatments;
• Decreasing stigma related to mental health;
• Enhancing help-seeking efficacy and promoting self-care (know when, where, how, and who to approach for assistance);
• Adding content and skills related to preventing vaping (e-cigarettes/nicotine products) and opioid use including positive norms setting for substance use;
• Supporting the development of essential questions, skills-based health instruction, and deeper learning;
• Explicitly integrating the 5C’s; and providing opportunities to explore health-related careers and job opportunities.

The proposed revisions can be found at:  http://doe.virginia.gov/boe/meetings/2019/10-oct/item-j.docx.

It is anticipated that the Board will have final review of the Health Education Standards of Learning at the January 16, 2020 meeting.

 

2019-2020 Accreditation Appeals from Bristol City and Fairfax County

The Board waived first review and denied an appeal of accreditation status from the Virginia Middle School in Bristol City and three Fairfax County appeals from Fort Belvoir Elementary, Justice High School and Mount Vernon High School.

The Standards of Accreditation (SOA) at 8VAC20-131-380.F.6 provide the opportunity for local school boards to appeal a performance level indicator for a school. The intent of the appeal provision in the SOA is to provide potential relief to schools that have experienced a significant event impacting performance on an indicator. Such circumstances should be unusual and appeals based on this section of the SOA should be rare. A committee comprised of Department staff representing areas of research, accountability, assessment, federal programs, special education, and policy reviewed each appeal application.

Relevant data on each appealed indicator can be found in attachments A-D at: http://doe.virginia.gov/boe/meetings/2019/10-oct/item-k-attachments-a-d.pdf 

 

Advisory Board on Teacher Education and Licensure's Recommendation to Establish Dual Language Endorsements in the Licensure Regulations for School Personnel in Response to House Bill 1156 (2018 General Assembly)

The Board received for first review the Advisory Board on Teacher Education and Licensure’s Recommendation to Establish Dual Language Endorsements in the Licensure Regulations for School Personnel in Response to House Bill 1156 (2018 General Assembly).

The Board of Education approved a Notice of Intended Regulatory Action (NOIRA) in October 2018 to begin the Administrative Process Act (APA) procedures to develop endorsement requirements in dual language instruction.  A Dual Language Endorsement Workgroup was established and made recommendations for new and add-on endorsements in Dual Language (English) prek-6 and Dual Language (Target) prek-6.  In addition, professional studies requirements for the endorsements were proposed.  These proposed regulations can be found at:  http://doe.virginia.gov/boe/meetings/2019/10-oct/item-l.docx .

The proposed Licensure Regulations for School Personnel will be presented for Board of Education approval in November 2019.  The regulations will be subject to the procedures of the Administrative Process Act.  The Regulations Governing the Review and Approval of Education Programs in Virginia will subsequently need to be amended to reflect the dual language endorsements.

 

Advisory Board on Teacher Education and Licensure's Recommendation for Guidelines for Alternate Routes to Licensure in Response to House Bill 2486 (2019 General Assembly)

The Board received for first review the Guidelines for Alternate Routes to Licensure in Response to House Bill 2486 of the 2019 Virginia General Assembly. The Department of Education established a workgroup on August 27, 2019, to recommend to the Board of Education Guidelines for Alternate Routes to Licensure in Response to House Bill 2486 of the 2019 Virginia General Assembly. The ABTEL report recommending Guidelines for Alternate Routes to Licensure in Response to House Bill 2486 of the 2019 Virginia General Assembly can be found at:  http://doe.virginia.gov/boe/meetings/2019/10-oct/item-m-attachment-a.docx . As required by statute, the Board must approve Guidelines for Alternate Routes to Licensure by December 1, 2019.

 

Proposed Revisions to the Guidelines for Uniform Performance Standards and Evaluation Criteria for Teachers, Principals, and Superintendents

The Board received for first review revised Guidelines for Uniform Performance Standards and Evaluation Criteria for Teachers, Principals, and Superintendents.

Pursuant to state law, teacher, principal, and superintendent evaluations must:

• be consistent with the performance standards included in the Guidelines for Uniform Performance Standards and Evaluation Criteria for Teachers, Principals, and Superintendents;
• include student academic progress as a significant component; and
• include an overall summative rating.

 

Performance Standards for Teachers
Performance Standard 1:  Professional Knowledge The teacher demonstrates an understanding of the curriculum, subject content, and the developmental needs of students by providing relevant learning experiences.
Performance Standard 2:  Instructional Planning The teacher plans using the Virginia Standards of Learning, the school’s curriculum, effective strategies, resources, and data to meet the needs of all students.
Performance Standard 3:  Instructional Delivery The teacher effectively engages students in learning by using a variety of instructional strategies in order to meet individual learning needs.
Performance Standard 4:  Assessment of and for Student Learning The teacher systematically gathers, analyzes, and uses all relevant data to measure student academic progress, guide instructional content and delivery methods, and provide timely feedback to both students and parents throughout the school year.
Performance Standard 5:  Learning Environment The teacher uses resources, routines, and procedures to provide a respectful, positive, safe, student-centered environment that is conducive to learning.
Performance Standard 6:  Professionalism The teacher maintains a commitment to professional ethics, communicates effectively, and takes responsibility for and participates in professional growth that results in enhanced student learning.
Performance Standard 7:  Student Academic Progress The work of the teacher results in acceptable, measurable, and appropriate student academic progress.

 

 

Performance Standards for Principals
Performance Standard 1:  Instructional Leadership The principal fosters the success of all students by facilitating the development, communication, implementation, and evaluation of a shared vision of teaching and learning that leads to student academic progress and school improvement.
Performance Standard 2:  School Climate The principal fosters the success of all students by developing, advocating, and sustaining an academically rigorous, positive, and safe school climate for all stakeholders.
Performance Standard 3:  Human Resources Management The principal fosters effective human resources management by assisting with selection and induction, and by supporting, evaluating, and retaining quality instructional and support personnel.
Performance Standard 4:  Organizational Management The principal fosters the success of all students by supporting, managing, and overseeing the school’s organization, operation, and use of resources.
Performance Standard 5:  Communication and Community Relations The principal fosters the success of all students by communicating and collaborating effectively with stakeholders.
Performance Standard 6:  Professionalism The principal fosters the success of all students by demonstrating professional standards and ethics, engaging in continuous professional development, and contributing to the profession.
Performance Standard 7:  Student Academic Progress The principal’s leadership results in acceptable, measurable student academic progress based on established standards.

 

Performance Standards for Superintendents
Performance Standard 1:  Mission, Vision, and Goals The superintendent works with the local school board to formulate and implement the school division’s mission, vision, and goals to promote student academic progress.
Performance Standard 2:  Planning and Assessment The superintendent strategically gathers, analyzes, and uses a variety of data to guide planning and decision making consistent with established guidelines, policies, and procedures that result in student academic progress.
Performance Standard 3:  Instructional Leadership The superintendent fosters the success of all teachers, staff, and students by ensuring the development, communication, implementation, and evaluation of effective teaching and learning that leads to student academic progress and school improvement.
Performance Standard 4:  Organizational Leadership and Safety The superintendent fosters the safety and success of all teachers, staff, and students by supporting, managing, and evaluating the division’s organization, operation, and use of resources.
Performance Standard 5:  Communication and Community Relations The superintendent fosters the success of all students through effective communication with stakeholders.
Performance Standard 6:  Professionalism The superintendent fosters the success of teachers, staff, and students by demonstrating professional standards and ethics, engaging in continuous professional development, and contributing to the profession.
Performance Standard 7:  Divisionwide Student Academic Progress The superintendent’s leadership results in acceptable, measurable divisionwide student academic progress based on established standards.

 

The proposed revisions to the Board of Education’s Guidelines for Uniform Performance Standards and Evaluation Criteria for Teachers reflecting the revision of the guidance for weighting the performance standards can be found at:  http://doe.virginia.gov/boe/meetings/2019/10-oct/item-n-attachment-a.docx

Since the Guidelines for Uniform Performance Standards and Evaluation Criteria for Principals and the Guidelines for Uniform Performance Standards and Evaluation Criteria for Superintendents align with the teacher evaluation guidelines, proposed revisions to these documents were included and can be found at:  http://doe.virginia.gov/boe/meetings/2019/10-oct/item-n-attachment-b.docx and http://doe.virginia.gov/boe/meetings/2019/10-oct/item-n-attachment-c.docx .

The Board will receive the guidelines for approval at their November 14, 2019 meeting.

Advisory Board on Teacher Education and Licensure's Recommendation for Dual Enrollment in Response to Senate Bill 1575 (2019 General Assembly)

The Board received for first review the Advisory Board on Teacher Education and Licensure’s Report on Dual Enrollment (Including Career and Technical Education) in Response to Senate Bill 1575 of the 2019 Virginia General Assembly.  The Advisory Board on Teacher Education and Licensure recommended the following:

• Increase the pipeline of teachers qualified to teach dual enrollment courses by encouraging:
  • additional funding for incentives for K-12 teachers to meet current requirements for higher education dual enrollment eligibility requirements (subject area master’s degree or graduate content area coursework);
  • accredited institutions of higher education to offer graduate content course to assist individuals in meeting qualifications to teach dual enrollment; and 
  • further discussion regarding the criteria used to determine K-12 teacher eligibility to teach dual enrollment courses for college credit.
• Request the Board of Education to establish a one-year, nonrenewable Dual Enrollment License. [This license will allow school divisions to hire dual enrollment instructors employed in institutions of higher education who then may be assigned as the “teacher of record” for the course and eliminate the need to assign a second employee to the classroom.]  This license may be issued to an individual who does not otherwise hold a Virginia teaching license issued by the Board of Education and who:

1. Is employed as an instructor by an institution of higher education that is accredited by a nationally recognized regional accreditation body;
2. Is teaching in a dual enrollment subject area (including career and technical education) at such institution in which the individual seeks to teach in a public school;
3. Complies with the requirements set forth in subdivisions D1 and 3 of Section 22.1-298.1 of the Code of Virginia;
4. Must maintain continuous employment in such position at the institution of higher education as condition of continued licensure (as verified by the school division); and
5. Receive a recommendation for the license from an employing Virginia school division superintendent.

An extension of the license must be requested by the employing Virginia school division superintendent each year of employment.  This license is also subject to Part VII --Governing the Revocation, Cancellation, Suspension, Denial, and Reinstatement of License of the Licensure Regulations for School Personnel.  The Board will be requested to approve ABTEL’s recommendations at the November 14, 2019 meeting.

 

The Board of Education’s 2019 Annual Report on the Condition and Needs of Public Schools in Virginia

The Board received the 2019 Annual Report on the Condition and Needs of Public Schools in Virginia for first review.  This Annual Report is required by Article VIII, Section 5 of the Constitution of Virginia and §22.1-18 of the Code of Virginia. It outlines the condition of public education including:

• Student demographics and enrollment trends;
• Accreditation status;
• Performance on school quality indicators;
• Graduation and dropout rates;
• Suspension rates among demographic groups; and
• Education funding as compared to other states.

The complete report can be found at:  http://doe.virginia.gov/boe/meetings/2019/10-oct/item-p-attachment-a.docx .

Reports

The Board received the following written reports:

• Advisory Board on Teacher Education and Licensure's Recommendations for the Use of Microcredentials for Licensure in Response to Senate Bill 1419 and House Bill 2217 ( 2019 General Assembly.  The report is  available at:: http://doe.virginia.gov/boe/meetings/2019/10-oct/item-q-attachment-a.docx .

 

• Accreditation and Accountability Reform in Virginia: Summary of 2019-2020 Accreditation Results This report can be found at: http://doe.virginia.gov/boe/meetings/2019/10-oct/item-r-attachment-a.pptx .