VBOE Special Committee to Review the Standards of Accreditation Meeting
August 27, 2020

The Special Committee received an overview of the Regulations Establishing Standards for Accrediting Public Schools in Virginia, state Accreditation data review, and School Quality actions and technical assistance, a comparison of the federal accountability system requirements under the Every Student Succeeds Act and Virginia’s School Accreditation System, and an overview of school accountability systems across the country.

Among the discussion points during the meeting included:

• Interest in learning more about achievement among the individual student groups as it would inform discussion on the accreditation system and connect back to one of the purposed of the SOA being to “foster public confidence.”
• Questions focused on whether dropout rate trends for English Learners is a true reflection of progress as it also captures students with limited or interrupted formal education who make progress during their enrollment but are considered “dropout” when they do not graduate.
• Requests for further information on how to measure school discipline, school climate, and chronic absenteeism, including how other states address each area.

Resources made available at the meeting:

Overview of the Regulations Establishing Standards for Accrediting Public Schools in Virginia, State Accreditation Data Review, and School Quality Actions and Technical Assistance: http://www.doe.virginia.gov/boe/meetings/2020/08-aug/combined-soa-presentation-slide-deck.pptx

A Comparison of the Federal Accountability System Requirements under the Every Student Succeeds Act and Virginia’s School Accreditation System: http://www.doe.virginia.gov/boe/meetings/2020/08-aug/federal-requirements-under-essa-comparison-to-state-accreditation-system.docx

Overview of School Accountability Systems Across the Country: http://www.doe.virginia.gov/boe/meetings/2020/08-aug/ecs-overview-of-school-accountability.pptx