Alternative Accreditation Plans 1 Standards of Accreditation SOA

Alternative Accreditation Plans 1

Standards of Accreditation SOA 8 VAC 20 -131 -420. Waivers and alternative accreditation plans. D. Alternative accreditation plans. Subject to the provisions of subsection B of this section, the governing school board of special purpose schools such as those provided for in § 22. 1 -26 of the Code of Virginia, Governor's schools, special education schools, alternative schools, or career and technical schools that serve as the student's school of principal enrollment may seek approval of an alternative accreditation plan from the board. Schools offering alternative education programs, schools with a graduation cohort of 50 or fewer defined by the graduation rate formula adopted by the board may request that the board approve an alternative accreditation plan to meet the graduation and completion index benchmark. Special purpose schools with alternative accreditation plans shall be evaluated on standards appropriate to the programs offered in the school and approved by the board prior to August 1 of the school year for which approval is requested. Any student graduating from a special purpose school with a Standard Diploma or an Advanced Studies Diploma must meet the requirements prescribed in 8 VAC 20 -131 -50 or 8 VAC 20 -131 -51. As set forth in the Standards of Quality and according to department procedures, any school board may request the board for release from state regulations or, on behalf of one or more of its schools, for approval of an Individual School Accreditation Plan for the evaluation of the performance of one or more of its schools as authorized for schools enumerated in this subsection, based on special circumstances. 2

High Schools with a Graduation Cohort of Fifty (50) or Fewer Students • Due to the small cohort size, one student can make a significant difference in the index. For this reason, the Graduation and Completion Index (GCI) alone is not an appropriate measure for the school; additional criteria are needed to determine accreditation. • The plan’s criteria will be applied only if: – The school does not meet the GCI of 88, and – The cohort size for the graduating class is 50 or fewer. • The maximum number of GCI points allowable vary by cohort size. 3

Special Purpose Schools • Special purpose schools with alternative accreditation plans shall be evaluated on standards appropriate to the programs offered in the school. • Alternative Accreditation Plans must: Explain the purpose and rationale of the individual accreditation plan; Describe the characteristics of the student population; Describe the instructional programs provided to students; Describe strategies used to evaluate student progress; Describe how students will be taught by licensed personnel; Describe measures that are objective, measurable and related to the mission of the school which support the school quality indicators of the Standards of Accreditation; – Describe how statewide assessments will be used to support instruction; and – Describe how the school meets state and federal testing requirements. – – – 4

School Quality Indicators Category Indicator Academic Achievement Proficiency in English reading/writing achievement, including student growth in reading and English Learner progress towards proficiency, where applicable Proficiency in mathematics, including student growth, where applicable Proficiency in science English achievement gaps among student groups Mathematics achievement gaps among student groups Graduation and School Progress Graduation and Completion Index (high schools) Dropout Rate (high schools) Student Participation and Engagement Chronic Absenteeism College, Career and Civic Readiness Participation and achievement in advance coursework, career and technical education, and work- and service-based learning (high schools) 5

Application Timeline May 2019 - Stakeholder input webinars to update the application to align with the 2017 SOA June 2019 - Webinars with school divisions on the application process September 6, 2019 - Applications due September – October - Review of applications, feedback to divisions, and revisions, as needed November 2019 – First review of applications by the Board of Education January 2020 – Final review of applications by the Board of Education January 2020 – Divisions will submit data according to the approved application and school quality indictor levels of performance and accreditation status will be updated as necessary • • 6