Virginia Board of Education
Diane Atkinson
Member, Virginia Board of Education
Committee on
School & Division Accountability
 Opportunity to dig deeper into policies the Board is
working on
 A-F School Grading System
 Local Assessment Guidelines
 New Accreditation Ratings and Guidance
 Opportunity to have deeper conversation with a Local
School Division
 Corrective Action Plan-MOU
 Conditional Accreditation
 Alternative Accreditation Plan
Current Major Projects
Significant Revisions to:
Virginia’s School Performance Report Card
Regulations Establishing Standards
for Accrediting Public Schools in Virginia (SOA)
Redesigning Virginia’s School
Performance Report Card
 Highlight 2013 Focus Group & Survey Results
 Launched new/current Survey Tool (available 7/15-8/14)
 Highlight ECS Report on States’ Report Cards
 Rating States, Grading Schools−What Parents and
Experts Say States Should Consider To Make School
Accountability Systems Meaningful
 Showcase Elements of Other States’ Report Cards
 Outline our Proposed Revision Timeline
2013 Focus Group & Survey Results
 Issues Identified
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Length of the Report Card
Confusing Data
Limited Comparison Features
Lack of Context
 Recommendations
 Tabs: Tabs or links to more data.
 Comparisons: Compare schools
like compare vehicles
 Context: Need a fuller context
 User Resources: Accessible data
dictionary.
 Very Important to Parents
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Academic Results: 95%
Class size: 81%
Curriculum & Instruction: 75%
Graduation & Dropouts: 73%
Discipline & Safety: 71%
Post-secondary Preparation:
63%
 Student Demographics: 49%
 Fiscal & Expenditure: 41%
2015 Survey Results
 21, 133 responses with highest
frequency of responses from
parents (66%) & educators (26%)
 Three most important
components of a report card:
student outcomes, information
on curriculum and instruction,
and teacher quality.
 For tools and features: seeing
changes in school data over
time, accessing detailed data,
and comparing schools to a
division or state average.
 75% of existing or proposed
Report Card and “snapshot”
elements are similar to the
content rated as being of the
highest importance.
 Next phase of the redesign
should incorporate additional
curriculum and instruction and
teacher quality elements and
develop elements to capture
parental involvement and
school climate
ECS Report on States’ Report Cards
 Rating States, Grading Schools−What Parents and Experts Say
States Should Consider To Make School Accountability Systems
Meaningful
http://www.ecs.org/html/educationissues/accountability/stacc_intr
o.asp
 Top Three According to Researchers−Based on Criteria of:
Findable, Readable, Understandable, Graphics
 Arizona−Easy to Understand. Did not like printable PDF version
 Illinois−Good use of graphics. Links to data drill down. Inclusion of
survey results.
 Ohio−Good use of graphics. Data points are explained well. Use of tabs.
Noted Data coming.
 Eight Above Average in All Four Categories−Arizona, Delaware,
Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maine, and Ohio
Tools & Features
Arizona
Tools & Features
Illinois
9
College & Career Readiness
Illinois
10
College & Career Readiness
Ohio
School Climate
Illinois
School Finance
Delaware
13
Enrollment & Demographics
Illinois
Educators
Delaware
15
Board’s Proposed Timeline for
Revising the Report Card
July 23, 2015
Accountability Committee: Reach consensus on the
preliminary list of additional data reports and elements
for inclusion in the redesigned Virginia School
Performance Report Card.
September 9, 2015
Presentation of wireframe for redesigned School
Performance Report Card
October 22, 2015
Board of Education-First Review Summary of Redesign of
the School Performance Report Card for submission to
chairmen of the House Education Committee and Senate
Education and Health Committee
November 18, 2015
Board of Education: Approval of Summary of the
Redesign of the School Performance Report Card for
submission to chairmen of the House Education
Committee and Senate Education and Health Committee
December 1, 2015
Deadline for submission of Summary of the Redesign of
the School Performance Report Card to Chairmen of
House Education Committee and Senate Education and
Health Committee
June 2016
Accountability Committee: Presentation and
demonstration of the Redesigned School Performance
Report Card
Board of Education: Approval of redesigned School
Performance Report Card
Revising
Regulations Establishing Standards
for Accrediting Public Schools in
Virginia (SOA)
Two Revisions Being Addressed
Fast Track
 Changes required by legislation
where Board does not have
discretion
 Changes required by legislation
that have a date certain for
implementation
Comprehensive
 In November 2014, the Board
withdrew the Standards of
Accreditation from proposed
stage of the APA process to
start a comprehensive review
to address revising the
accreditation process and
report card.
Revisions on the Fast Track
 Add three points to the GCI for each student who earns a
diploma and a CTE credential [HB 642/SB 514 (2012)]
 Require school boards to adopt and implement policies for the
possession and administration of epinephrine in every school
[HB 1107/SB 656 (2012)]
 Requires school boards to ensure that employees have been
trained in the administration of insulin and glucagon in school
buildings [SB 889 (1999)]
 Require students, beginning with the ninth-grade class of 20162017, to be trained in emergency first aid, cardiopulmonary
resuscitation, and the use of automated external defibrillators to
be awarded a Standard or an Advanced Studies Diploma.[HB
2028 and SB 986 (2013)]
Revisions on the Fast Track
 Requires each school to have a school threat assessment team
{HB 2344 (2013)]
 Requires at least two lockdown drills every year, one in
September and one in January [HB 2346 (2013)]
 Replaces references throughout the Code of Virginia to a General
Educational Development (GED) program or test with “a high
school equivalency examination approved by the Board of
Education” or a “high school equivalency preparation program”
[HB 1007 (2014)]
 Replaces the term “Special Diploma” with the term “Applied
Studies Diploma” [SB 1236 (2015)]
Revisions on the Fast Track
 Directs the Board to establish criteria for awarding a diploma seal of
biliteracy [HB 1351/SB 916 (2015)]
 Requires the Board to promulgate regulations to provide the same
criteria for eligibility for an expedited retake of any Standards of
Learning (SOL) test, with the exception of the writing SOL tests, to
each student regardless of grade level or course [HB 1490/SB 874
(2015)]
 Permits local school divisions to waive the 140 clock hours of
instruction requirement to earn a standard unit of credit upon
providing the Board with satisfactory proof, based on Board
guidelines, that the students for whom such requirements are
waived have learned the content and skills included in the relevant
SOL [HB 1675/SB 982 (2015)]
Revisions on the Fast Track
 Requires the Board to amend the Standards of
Accreditation by the 2016-2017 school year to
establish additional accreditation ratings that
recognize the progress of schools and student
growth [HB 1873/SB 1320 (2015)]
1. Fully Accredited;
2. Conditionally Accredited: New School
3.Partially Accredited according to criteria in one or more
of the following categories:
a. Approaching Benchmark-within specified margin(s)
1. Graduation and Completion Index
2. Pass Rate
b. Improving School-meets criteria for improvement over
previous year and/or for student growth
1. Graduation and Completion Index
2. Pass Rate
c.Warned School
1. Graduation and Completion Index
2. Pass Rate
d.Reconstituted School
4. Accreditation Denied
Comprehensive Revision
 Background Information through Presentations at the
Committee Meetings
 April Retreat−Discussion of Issues to Address
 June and July− Refinement of Medium Concepts to
Address
 September−Identify Broader Concepts to Address
 October−Definition and framework for the life-long,
career-ready individual and return to discussion of medium
concepts
Concepts to Address
(Medium)
 Purpose, Philosophy & Goals
 Definitions: Class Period; Planning Period; World
Language; and Laboratory Science
 Graduation Requirements: Laboratory Science; Excellence
in Science & Environment Diploma Seal; Define College
Readiness by Diploma Type or Readiness by Two or FourYear Institution; Reduce Number of Verified Credits for
Advanced Studies Diploma; Adding Credit
Accommodations for English Language Learners; and
Expand Availability of Credit Accommodations for Student
with Disabilities to the Advanced Studies Diploma
 Student Achievement: Require Written Policy for Dropping
Courses
Concepts to Address
(Medium)
 School Instructional Program: Expand Locally
Awarded Verified Credit to English and Mathematics
and Clarify Students with Disabilities Who Are Eligible
for Credit Accommodations Are Also Eligible for
Expedited Retake
 School & Instructional Leadership: Revise Provisions
Regarding the Role of Principal to Align with Uniform
Performance Standards for Principals
Concepts to Address
(Medium)
 School Accreditation: Using Previous Year’s GCI for Accreditation;
Create Option for Schools Without Tested Grades To Be
Accredited through Alternative Plan Rather Than Pairing; ThreeYear Accreditation Cycle for Fully Accredited School; Provide GCI
Bonus Points If Subgroup Graduation Rates Increase Over
Previous Year; Add a “Small N” to Reflect a Minimum Number of
Students Required for School Accreditation Calculations; Add
Appeals Option for Accreditation Decisions; Differentiate
Interventions Based on Rating and Length of Time; Require Self
Study 1st Year Not Fully Accredited; and Add Reward to Recognize
Achievement in Reducing Drop Out Rate
Concepts to Address
(Broader)
 Align with the definition and framework developed for the
life-long, career-ready individual
 Consider changing diploma types and graduation
requirements
 Add “non-academic” indicators to accreditation process
 Enhance the Board of Education’s authority and capacity
with respect to Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs)
with schools denied accreditation
 Employ the process of accreditation as a means to drive
continuous improvement in all schools regardless of their
accreditation rating
On the Horizon
 Social Emotional Competencies (May 2015) Encouraged the
Department to Begin the Work to Look at this Issue to Present
in the Future to the Board (Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa)
 Competency-Based Education−Looking at What Needs to be
Done to Implement Such a Sea Change (New Hampshire)
 Local Assessments−Performance Based Assessments and Best
Practices
 ESEA Waiver−Testing ELL Students-Amendment to Our Waiver
(Florida)
 ESEA Reauthorization−Look at What Comes Out of Conference
and What Passes