Virginia Administrative Code › Title 8 - EDUCATION › Agency 20 - STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION › Chapter 131 - REGULATIONS ESTABLISHING STANDARDS FOR ACCREDITING PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN VIRGINIA › Part II - Philosophy, Goals, and Objective › Section 8VAC20-131-20 - Philosophy, goals, and objectives

Current through Register Vol. 40, No. 24, July 15, 2024
A. Achieving school quality and continuous
				  improvement are accomplishments dependent upon multiple factors, including
				  instruction, leadership, learning environment, professional staff development,
				  student supports, parent and community engagement, and continual evaluation of
				  outcomes. Goals and objectives to be achieved through these and other areas
				  include student opportunities for learning, closure of achievement gaps,
				  reduction of the dropout rate, increased graduation rates, and student mastery
				  beyond minimum requirements.
Preparation of all students should result in graduates who
					 have explored and understand what opportunities exist for them after high
					 school and have the knowledge and abilities necessary for the next phase of
					 their lives as adults. Students should attain essential knowledge and skills in
					 order that they may be equipped to be responsible citizens, understand and meet
					 expectations for work, gain and apply knowledge, and plan and achieve personal
					 life goals. In addition to academic and technical knowledge, their education
					 should encompass mastery of creative and critical thinking, analysis and
					 problem solving, and the development of personal attributes such as
					 communication and collaboration skills, dependability, and persistence.
The philosophy, goals, and objectives of individual schools
					 should reflect and encompass the means by which the Standards of Learning and
					 Standards of Accreditation are to be achieved.
The board's objective is to provide an educational
					 foundation that ensures students are ready to be successful in a global
					 economy, which includes changing and growing technology. Families, students,
					 employers, representatives from institutions of higher education, and educators
					 have all expressed concerns about adequate preparation of Virginia's students
					 for the future. In addition to appropriate content knowledge, stakeholders have
					 asked that graduates be prepared with skills and attributes such as critical
					 thinking, creative thinking, communication, collaboration, and citizenship in
					 order to be prepared to be successful in life and competitive in the work
					 world. In response, the board is redesigning the public school experience for
					 Virginia's students so that they are adequately prepared for the future
					 challenges they face.
In Virginia, as a student progresses through elementary,
					 middle, and secondary school, the college-ready, career-ready, and
					 citizenship-ready student is expected to achieve and apply appropriate academic
					 and technical knowledge; attain and demonstrate age-appropriate productive
					 workplace skills, qualities, and behavior; align knowledge, skills, and
					 personal interests with career and civic opportunities; and attain and
					 demonstrate knowledge and skills necessary for productive citizenship and
					 participation in communities and governments.
B. Each school shall have current philosophy,
				  goals, and objectives that shall serve as the basis for all policies and
				  practices and shall be developed using the following criteria:
1. The philosophy, goals, and objectives
				  shall be developed with the advice of professional and lay people who represent
				  the various populations served by the school and in consideration of the needs
				  of the community and shall serve as a basis for the creation and review of the
				  biennial school plan.
2. The
				  school's philosophy, goals, and objectives shall be consistent with the
				  Standards of Quality.
3. The goals
				  and objectives shall (i) be written in plain language so as to be
				  understandable to noneducators, including parents; (ii) to the extent possible,
				  be stated in measurable terms; and (iii) consist primarily of measurable
				  objectives to raise student and school achievement in the core academic areas
				  of the Standards of Learning, to improve student and staff attendance, to
				  reduce student dropout rates, to increase graduation rates, and to increase the
				  quality of instruction through professional staff development and
				  licensure.
4. The school staff and
				  community representatives shall review annually the extent to which the school
				  has met its prior goals and objectives, analyze the school's student
				  performance data, including data by grade level or academic department as
				  necessary, and report these outcomes to the division superintendent and the
				  community in accordance with local school board policy. This report shall be in
				  addition to the school quality profile required by
				  8VAC20-131-270 A.