Virginia Law

A. Using the indicators and weights described in 8VAC20-132-270 and consistent with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (Pub. L. No. 89-10, as amended), the department shall identify schools as follows:

1. Comprehensive support. For school identification in the 2025-2026 school year, this category shall include at least the lowest-scoring 5.0% of schools based on the calculation described in 8VAC20-132-270 D. In subsequent identification years, the board shall set a minimum score on such calculation for identification for comprehensive support informed by the baseline established in the 2025-2026 school year. In addition, any high school where the four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate, as prescribed in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (Pub. L. No. 89-10, as amended), is below 67% shall be identified for comprehensive support, starting with identification in the 2025-2026 year. Comprehensive support schools shall be identified once every three years, and no school in comprehensive support shall be placed in the highest performance category described in 8VAC20-132-270 E.

2. Targeted support. For school identification in the 2025-2026 school year and all subsequent identification years, this category shall include any school that is not identified for comprehensive support where the performance of any reporting group within a school using the calculation described in 8VAC20-132-270 D is below the score by which schools are identified for comprehensive support. Targeted support schools shall be identified annually and the performance of the reporting group shall be reflected in the school's performance category consistent with 8VAC20-132-270 F.

3. Additional targeted support. For school identification beginning in the 2028-2029 school year, this category shall include any targeted support school where the performance of any reporting group within a school using the calculation described in 8VAC20-132-270 D meets the criteria in subdivision 2 of this subsection after being identified for targeted support in the previous three years. Additional targeted support schools shall be identified once every three years, and the performance of the reporting group shall be reflected in the school's performance category consistent with 8VAC20-132-270 F.

Responses and actions to be taken by schools, under the leadership of division superintendents and school principals, school divisions, and the Department as a result of school identification are as prescribed in subsections B, C, and D of this section.

B. Targeted and additional targeted support. If a school is identified for targeted or additional targeted support, the school and its school division shall work cooperatively and in consultation with stakeholders, including principals, teachers, and parents, to develop and implement a multi-year school support plan to improve student outcomes, which shall be incorporated as a component of the school's comprehensive, unified long-range plan in 8VAC20-132-300 B 9.

In developing and revising such plan, the school and its school division shall conduct a needs assessment to determine the issues and conditions that are likely contributing to the school's performance on the school quality indicators for all students and reporting groups; identify the resources the school may require to implement its plan and how any resource needs will be addressed; and develop a plan for implementation with goals, measurable objectives, evidence-based strategies, and actions designed to improve performance on the school quality indicators to exit targeted support or additional targeted support status.

School division and school staff shall:

1. Identify factors related to the school's performance on the school quality indicators described in 8VAC20-132-270 B for all students and reporting groups as part of the school’s comprehensive needs assessment;

2. Use the results of the comprehensive needs assessment to develop and revise the multi-year school support plan to include goals, measurable objectives, at least two evidence-based strategies, and actions that address the factors identified in the needs assessment that are related to the school's performance on the school quality indicators. The department may implement an audit process to ensure compliance with this provision;

3. Review available resources for the school, which may include reviewing division-level and school-level budgeting; identify the resources the school may require to implement its multi-year support plan; and include how any resource needs will be addressed in such plan. The school's multi-year support plan shall be approved by the school division and local school board and published on the website for the school and school division. The department may implement an audit process to ensure compliance with this provision;

4. Implement the evidence-based strategies and actions with fidelity;

5. Regularly evaluate the impact of plan implementation and evidence of the school's progress, monitor changes on the school quality indicators for all students and reporting groups, and make adjustments as warranted; and

6. Evaluate progress on the school quality indicators for all students and each reporting group at the end of each year and assess the results of the school support plan actions at the end of two years. If no progress is made within the two-year period on the school quality indicators, the plan shall be revised.

The board shall establish criteria for sufficient improvement on the school quality indicators for schools to exit additional targeted support. If the school is reidentified for additional targeted support after three years, the school must undergo a review conducted by the department, or under its guidance, to identify further or alternative evidence-based strategies and actions to improve student achievement on the school quality indicators. Review of other data by the department, or under its guidance, may occur based on the school's multi-year school support plan. Revised school support plans developed as a result of the review shall be reviewed through a department-established process, which may include peer review by staff from other school divisions. Further, if such a school receives funding under Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (Pub. L. No. 89-10, as amended), the school shall be identified for comprehensive support and required to implement actions specified in subsection C of this section.

School divisions with schools identified for targeted or additional targeted support may request technical assistance from the department.

C. Comprehensive support.

1. Multi-year support plans. If a school is identified for comprehensive support, the school and school division shall work cooperatively and in consultation with the department and with stakeholders, including principals, teachers, and parents, to develop and implement a multi-year support plan to improve student outcomes, which shall be incorporated as a component of the school's comprehensive, unified, long-range plan in 8VAC20-132-300 B 9.

The department shall develop a standardized template to develop multi-year support plans for schools in comprehensive support that divisions and schools must use. In developing such plan, the school and school division, in consultation with the department, shall conduct a needs assessment to determine the issues and conditions that are likely contributing to the school's performance on the school quality indicators; identify the resources the school may require to implement its plan and how any resource needs will be addressed; and develop a plan for implementation with goals, measurable objectives, evidence-based strategies, and actions to achieve improvement on the school quality indicators and exit comprehensive support status.

In consultation and with support from department staff, school division and school staff shall:

a. Identify factors related to the school's performance on the school quality indicators described in 8VAC20-132-270 B for all students and reporting groups as part of the school’s comprehensive needs assessment;

b. Use the results of the comprehensive needs assessment to develop a multi-year school support plan that includes goals, measurable objectives, at least four evidence-based strategies, and actions that address the factors in the needs assessment that are related to the school's performance on the school quality indicators;

c. Review available resources for the school, which may include reviewing division-level and school-level budgeting; identify the resources the school may require to implement its multi-year support plan; and include how any resource needs will be addressed in such plan;

d. Submit the completed multi-year support plan to the department through the division superintendent for department approval. The school's proposed plan shall also be provided to the local school board for review prior to submission;

e. Amend the plan if the department disapproves any portion thereof, as needed to secure the department's approval and publish the approved plan on the website for the school and school division;

f. Implement the approved multi-year support plan's evidence-based strategies and actions with fidelity; and

g. Meet regularly with department staff to evaluate the impact of plan implementation and monitor evidence of the school's progress, to track improvement on the school quality indicators and whether the school is on track to exit comprehensive support status, and to identify next steps, including whether adjustments to the plan are warranted.

2. Schools failing to meet exit criteria. The board shall establish criteria for sufficient improvement on the school quality indicators for schools to exit comprehensive support. If a school is reidentified for comprehensive support after implementing its plan for three years, the multi-year support plan described in subdivision 1 of this subsection shall be revised with greater direction and intervention from the department, including that the department will identify more rigorous actions, consistent with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (Pub. L. No. 89-10, as amended), to improve student outcomes on the school quality indicators.

The level of direction and intervention from the department may include calling for the local school division superintendent and the Superintendent of Public Instruction to enter into an agreement that shall delineate the responsibilities for the school staff, school division staff, and department staff and shall include required goals, measurable objectives, evidence-based strategies, and actions to improve student achievement and to improve performance on the school quality indicators.

D. Division responsibilities. In addition to facilitating the development of multi-year school support plans, school divisions with schools identified for additional targeted and comprehensive support under subsection A of this section shall create a division support plan to improve student outcomes in such schools, which shall be incorporated into the long-range comprehensive plan for the division in 8VAC20-132-300 B 9. Division support plans shall be published on the website for the division. In developing and revising such plan, the school division shall:

1. Conduct a needs assessment to determine division-level issues and conditions that are likely contributing to the school's performance on the school quality indicators;

2. Review the resources available to identified schools compared to other schools in the division and identify resources identified schools may require to implement their school support plans. Such plans shall be informed by a division needs assessment and each identified school's multi-year improvement plan;

3. Include how the division will support effective implementation of the required actions and evidence-based interventions within the school support plan for each identified school in the division; and

4. Regularly evaluate the impact of plan implementation and evidence of the division's progress in implementing the plan, monitor changes on the school quality indicators for all students and reporting groups in identified schools compared to those that are not identified in the division, and make adjustments as warranted.

E. Once every three years, the board shall review the performance scores used to identify schools for comprehensive, targeted, and additional targeted support status in the school accountability system.