CHAPTER 485
An Act to amend and reenact §2 of Chapter 672 and §2 of
Chapter 692 of the Acts of Assembly of 2013, relating to a grading system for
individual school performance; delay.
[S 324]
Approved April 1, 2014
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §2 of Chapter 672 of the Acts of Assembly of 2013 is
amended and reenacted as follows:
§2. The Board of Education, by October 1, 2016, shall
report individual school performance using a grading system that includes
the standards of accreditation, state and federal accountability requirements,
and student growth indicators in assigning grades. The grading system shall be
is based on an A-to-F grading scale. The Board, by October 1,
2014, shall (i) assign a grade from A to F to each public school in the
Commonwealth; (ii) make both the system and the grade assigned to each school
in the Commonwealth available to the public; and (iii) report to the General
Assembly a summary of the system and the assigned grades. No later than
January 1, 2015, the Board shall develop and submit to the Chairman of the
House Committee on Education and the Chairman of the Senate Committee on
Education and Health a preliminary plan for an A-to-F school performance
grading system. The Board, in developing the school performance grading system,
can consider (i) the standards of accreditation, (ii) state and federal
accountability requirements, (iii) state-mandated assessments, (iv) any
alternative assessments developed or approved for use by the relevant local
school board, (v) student growth indicators, (vi) student mobility, (vii) the
experience and qualifications of school staff, (viii) total cost and funding
per pupil, (ix) school safety, and (x) any other factors that the Board deems
necessary to produce a full and accurate grade for each public elementary and
secondary school in the Commonwealth. As part of its preliminary plan, the
Board shall also determine, in consultation with the House Committee on
Education and the Senate Committee on Education and Health, whether to (a)
assign a single letter grade to each school or (b) assign a series of letter
grades to each school based on some or all of the factors in clauses (i)
through (x) or any combination of such factors. No later than July 1, 2015, the
Board shall provide notice and solicit public comment on the preliminary school
performance grading system plan. No later than December 1, 2015, the Board
shall finalize the school performance grading system, make a summary of the
system available to the public, and submit a summary of the system to the
Chairman of the House Committee on Education and the Chairman of the Senate
Committee on Education and Health. No later than October 1, 2016, and each
October 1 thereafter, the Board shall assign a grade or a series of grades to
each public elementary and secondary school in the Commonwealth and make such
grades available to the public.
2. That §2 of Chapter 692 of the Acts of Assembly of 2013 is
amended and reenacted as follows:
§2. The Board of Education, by October 1, 2016, shall
report individual school performance using a grading system that includes
the standards of accreditation, state and federal accountability requirements,
and student growth indicators in assigning grades. The grading system shall be
is based on an A-to-F grading scale. The Board, by October 1,
2014, shall (i) assign a grade from A to F to each public school in the
Commonwealth; (ii) make both the system and the grade assigned to each school
in the Commonwealth available to the public; and (iii) report to the General
Assembly a summary of the system and the assigned grades. No later than
January 1, 2015, the Board shall develop and submit to the Chairman of the
House Committee on Education and the Chairman of the Senate Committee on
Education and Health a preliminary plan for an A-to-F school performance
grading system. The Board, in developing the school performance grading system,
can consider (i) the standards of accreditation, (ii) state and federal
accountability requirements, (iii) state-mandated assessments, (iv) any
alternative assessments developed or approved for use by the relevant local
school board, (v) student growth indicators, (vi) student mobility, (vii) the
experience and qualifications of school staff, (viii) total cost and funding
per pupil, (ix) school safety, and (x) any other factors that the Board deems
necessary to produce a full and accurate grade for each public elementary and
secondary school in the Commonwealth. As part of its preliminary plan, the
Board shall also determine, in consultation with the House Committee on
Education and the Senate Committee on Education and Health, whether to (a)
assign a single letter grade to each school or (b) assign a series of letter
grades to each school based on some or all of the factors in clauses (i)
through (x) or any combination of such factors. No later than July 1, 2015, the
Board shall provide notice and solicit public comment on the preliminary school
performance grading system plan. No later than December 1, 2015, the Board
shall finalize the school performance grading system, make a summary of the
system available to the public, and submit a summary of the system to the
Chairman of the House Committee on Education and the Chairman of the Senate
Committee on Education and Health. No later than October 1, 2016, and each
October 1 thereafter, the Board shall assign a grade or a series of grades to
each public elementary and secondary school in the Commonwealth and make such
grades available to the public.
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