State Superintendent Promises Swift Action
on Waivers for Students, Teachers and Schools
Also Rules Out Fall SOL Testing for Diagnostic Purposes
RICHMOND—Superintendent of Public Instruction James Lane today promised swift action on granting waivers for students, teachers and schools, as authorized by budget amendments proposed by Governor Ralph Northam and approved by the General Assembly during its April 22 reconvened session.
The waivers will relieve students, teachers and schools of requirements that are impossible to meet with the closure of the commonwealth’s schools as a public health measure because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Virginia Department of Education staff are preparing the waivers so I can act as soon as the governor signs the budget bills,” Lane said. “I would like to thank Governor Northam and the General Assembly for giving me the authority to grant our students, teachers and schools this much needed flexibility during this public health crisis.”
Two of the waivers will allow students in the class of 2020 to graduate on time despite being unable to meet two diploma requirements found in state law. These waivers are as follows:
- Students graduating with the 2019-2020 cohort, including terms in spring and summer 2020, shall be relieved of the requirement to complete training in emergency first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and the use of automated external defibrillator, including hands-on practice of the skills necessary to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
- Students graduating with the 2019-2020 cohort, including terms in spring and summer 2020, shall be relieved of the requirement to complete a virtual course.
Lane announced that he will issue the following waivers related to state-required assessments and accreditation standards:
- The superintendent of public instruction will identify a new label for accreditation (“accreditation waived”) and thus waive accreditation for each public school for the 2020-2021 school year based on data from 2019-2020.
- Local school boards shall be relieved of the requirements to administer Standards of Learning end-of-course and end-of-grade assessments and the alternative assessments for students with significant cognitive disabilities for the 2019-2020 school year. No local school board shall be required to certify it has administered an alternative assessment in 2019-2020.
- Divisions shall be relieved from the Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program spring testing requirements for the 2019-2020 school year.
- Divisions participating in Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening assessments, as well as divisions with waivers, shall be relieved from the spring assessment requirement for the 2019-2020 school year.
In addition to the above waivers, Lane said that students will not be required to make-up SOL tests in the fall — including for diagnostic purposes — that they were unable to take this spring because of the closure of schools. Students who need to take end-of-course SOL tests to earn diploma credits will be able to do so once school re-opens if they did not earn a locally awarded verified credit through the flexibility previously provided.
“I believe the primary focus of schools whenever we can return to school should be on the wellness of students and reestablishing school communities and cultures, and not on preparing students for state tests immediately upon their return to school,” Lane said.
The following two waivers will allow flexibility for teachers seeking initial licenses or renewal:
- Individuals seeking an initial license or renewal who have completed all other components of training in emergency first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and the use of automated external defibrillator shall be relieved of the requirement to have hands-on practice of the skills necessary to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation for the purpose of their licensure application until January 1, 2021.
- Upon request, the state Board of Education shall issue a one-year license, effective July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021, to individuals who have deficiencies for full licensure, including licensure assessments, but have not completed such licensure requirements due to the COVID-19 pandemic. VDOE will follow up in subsequent communication on the process for obtaining such a license and with details about allowable deficiencies. The one-year license is intended to be nonrenewable and shall not be extended unless the declared state of emergency due to COVID-19 continues well into 2021. An application fee shall not be required for the one-year license; however, the individual must pay applicable fees for any subsequent license.
In addition, Lane said he will use his emergency authority to waive — for 2019-2020 — a statutory requirement that parents of home-schooled students provide evidence of academic progress to their local superintendent.
“I believe that taken together, these waivers will remove uncertainty for our students, teachers and schools and allow them to plan for the future,” Lane said.
Details on the pending waivers were communicated to school divisions this afternoon in a memorandum that is available on the VDOE website.
Lane noted that VDOE is already planning for the reopening of schools once the governor and state health officials determine that in-classroom instruction can resume without endangering public health. Lane appointed task forces this month to make recommendations on resuming normal operations and addressing learning gaps, and on revising accreditation standards to account for the impact of the closure on state assessments and other school quality indicators.
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