Virginia Administrative Code › Title 8 - EDUCATION › Agency 20 - STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION › Chapter 131 - REGULATIONS ESTABLISHING STANDARDS FOR ACCREDITING PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN VIRGINIA › Part I - Definitions and Purpose › Section 8VAC20-131-10 - Purpose

Current through Register Vol. 40, No. 24, July 15, 2024
The foremost purpose of public education in Virginia is to
					 provide children with a high quality education giving them opportunities to
					 meet their fullest potential in life. The standards for the accreditation of
					 public schools in Virginia are designed to ensure that an effective educational
					 program is established and maintained in Virginia's public schools. The mission
					 of the public education system is to educate students in the essential
					 knowledge and skills in order that they may be equipped for citizenship, work,
					 and an informed and successful life.
The Standards of Accreditation provide the foundation for
					 the provision of a high quality public education within a system of
					 accountability and continuous improvement. They are intended to:
1. Provide an essential foundation of
				  educational programs of high quality in all schools for all students.
2. Encourage and promote school quality and
				  acknowledge achievement and continuous improvements by schools and school
				  divisions in multiple areas.
3.
				  Foster public confidence that graduating students have mastered multiple areas
				  of learning to include academic subjects, workplace skills, career exploration
				  and planning, and civic and community responsibility.
4. Assure recognition of Virginia's public
				  schools by other institutions of learning.
5. Establish the means of determining the
				  effectiveness of schools as prescribed in the Standards of Quality at §
										22.1-253.13:3 of the Code of
				  Virginia, including student learning and progress and student outcomes for
				  multiple areas affecting school quality.
Section
					 22.1-253.13:3A
					 of the Code of Virginia requires the board promulgate regulations establishing
					 standards for accreditation, which shall include student outcome measures,
					 requirements and guidelines for instructional programs and for the integration
					 of educational technology into such instructional programs, administrative and
					 instructional staffing levels and positions, including staff positions for
					 supporting educational technology, student services, auxiliary education
					 programs such as library and media services, course and credit requirements for
					 graduation from high school, community relations, and the philosophy, goals,
					 and objectives of public education in Virginia.
The statutory authority for this chapter is delineated in
					 §
											22.1-19 of the Code of Virginia,
					 which includes the requirement that the board shall provide for the
					 accreditation of public elementary, middle, and secondary schools in accordance
					 with regulations prescribed by it.
This chapter governs public schools operated by local
					 school boards providing instruction to students as defined in
					 8VAC20-131-5. Other schools
					 licensed under other state statutes are exempt from these
					 requirements.
Statutory Authority: §§
												22.1-16 and
						22.1-253.13:3 of the Code of
						Virginia.