Virginia Law

Article 2. Programs of Instruction.

A. Public institutions of higher education shall promote the development of student life skills by including the principles of economics education and financial literacy within an existing general education course, the freshman orientation process, or another appropriate venue. Such principles may include instruction concerning personal finance such as credit card use, opening and managing an account in a financial institution, completing a loan application, managing student loans, savings and investments, consumer rights and responsibilities, predatory lending practices and interest rates, consumer fraud, identity theft and protection, and debt management.

B. The Council shall encourage private institutions of higher education to include such principles as part of their student orientation programs.

2005, c. 741, § 23-9.2:3.5; 2007, c. 47; 2016, c. 588.

A. Education preparation programs offered by public institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education shall meet the requirements for accreditation and program approval as prescribed by the Board of Education in its regulations.

B. The Board of Education may prescribe in its regulations requirements for admission to approved education preparation programs in the Commonwealth.

C. Any candidate who fails to achieve the minimum score established by the Board of Education may be denied entrance into an education preparation program on the basis of such failure, but any such candidate who gains entrance and enrolls in an education preparation program shall have the opportunity to address all deficiencies.

D. Education preparation programs offered by public institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education shall ensure that, as a condition of degree completion, each student enrolled in the education preparation program receives instruction on positive behavior interventions and supports; crisis prevention and de-escalation; the use of physical restraint and seclusion, consistent with regulations of the Board of Education; and appropriate alternative methods to reduce and prevent the need for the use of physical restraint and seclusion.

2006, cc. 27, 349, § 23-9.2:3.6; 2016, c. 588; 2019, cc. 63, 407; 2020, c. 870.

A. As used in this section:

"Evidence-based literacy instruction" and "science-based reading research" have the same meanings as provided in § 22.1-1.

"Instructional practices to support specially designed instruction in inclusive settings" has the same meaning as provided in § 22.1-213.

B. Each education preparation program offered by a public institution of higher education or private institution of higher education or alternative certification program that provides training for any student seeking initial licensure by the Board of Education or a certificate or microcredential in early literacy or literacy coaching shall:

1. Include a program of coursework and require all such students to demonstrate mastery in science-based reading research and evidence-based literacy instruction. Each such program of coursework and the student mastery required to be demonstrated therein shall be consistent with definitions and expectations established by the Board of Education and the Department of Education after consultation with a commission consisting of independent literacy experts and stakeholders with knowledge of science-based reading research and evidence-based literacy instruction that has reviewed the requirements established in subdivision 6 of 8VAC20-23-130, subdivision 6 of 8VAC20-23-190, subdivision 2 a of 8VAC20-23-350, 8VAC20-23-510 through 8VAC20-23-580, and 8VAC20-23-660; and

2. For any such student seeking initial licensure by the Board of Education as a teacher with an endorsement in early childhood, elementary education, or special education or with an endorsement as a reading specialist, ensure that reading coursework and field practice opportunities are a significant focus of the education preparation program.

C. Each education preparation program offered by a public institution of higher education or private institution of higher education or alternative certification program that provides training for any student seeking initial licensure by the Board of Education with an endorsement in early/primary education preschool through grade three, elementary education preschool through grade six, middle education grades six through eight, and secondary education grades six through 12 shall:

1. Include a program of coursework and require all such students to demonstrate mastery in instructional practices to support specially designed instruction in inclusive settings. Each such program of coursework and the student mastery required to be demonstrated therein shall be consistent with definitions and expectations established by the Board of Education and the Department of Education after consultation with a commission consisting of independent special education experts and stakeholders that has reviewed the requirements established in 8VAC20-23-510 through 8VAC20-23-580; and

2. For any such student seeking initial licensure by the Board of Education as a teacher with an endorsement in early/primary, elementary, or secondary education, ensure that coursework and, as available, field practice opportunities that build knowledge of instructional practices to support specially designed instruction in inclusive settings are a significant focus of the education preparation program.

D. The Department of Education shall audit at least once every seven years each education preparation program, in alignment with each program's accreditation cycle, for compliance with the requirements set forth in subsection B.

E. Each education preparation program offered by a public institution of higher education or private institution of higher education that leads to a degree, concentration, endorsement, or certificate for reading specialists shall include a program of coursework and other training in the identification of and the appropriate interventions, accommodations, and teaching techniques for students with dyslexia or a related disorder. Such program shall (i) include coursework in the constructs and pedagogy underlying remediation of reading, spelling, and writing and (ii) require reading specialists to demonstrate mastery of science-based reading research and evidence-based literacy instruction, including appropriate application of instructional supports and services and reading literacy interventions to ensure reading proficiency.

2018, cc. 282, 588; 2022, cc. 549, 550, 757; 2024, cc. 468, 502.

Each public institution of higher education shall include in its strategic plan information indicating to what extent, if any, it will use distance learning to expand access to, improve the quality of, and minimize the cost of education at such institution. For institutions that use distance learning or plan to use distance learning in the future, such information shall include the degree to which distance learning will be integrated into the curriculum, benchmarks for measuring such integration, and a schedule for the evaluation of distance learning courses.

The Council shall assist the governing board of each public institution of higher education in the development of such information.

2004, c. 146, § 23-9.2:7; 2016, c. 588.

A. As used in this section, "study abroad program" means a program sponsored, offered, or approved for credit by an institution of higher education in which program participants travel outside the United States in connection with an educational experience.

B. The Council shall develop guidelines for study abroad programs.

2016, c. 572.

Any public institution of higher education that awards medical degrees shall create and support at least one clinical rotation in a hospital or clinic located in a medically underserved area of the state as determined by the Virginia Department of Health, in an area of the state that has an unemployment rate of one and one-half times the statewide average unemployment rate, or in a locality with a population of 50,000 or less in the Commonwealth.

2016, c. 691.

Every public institution of higher education that offers a degree in mortuary science shall require students to complete practical experience in the areas of funeral service and embalming prior to graduation from such program.

2018, c. 186.

A. There is hereby created in the state treasury a special nonreverting fund to be known as the Innovative Internship Fund (the Fund). The Fund shall be established on the books of the Comptroller. All funds appropriated for such purpose and any gifts, donations, grants, bequests, and other funds received on its behalf shall be paid into the state treasury and credited to the Fund. Interest earned on moneys in the Fund shall remain in the Fund and be credited to it. Any moneys remaining in the Fund, including interest thereon, at the end of each fiscal year shall not revert to the general fund but shall remain in the Fund. Moneys in the Fund shall be used solely for the purposes of the Innovative Internship Program established pursuant to subsection B. Expenditures and disbursements from the Fund shall be made by the State Treasurer on warrants issued by the Comptroller upon written request signed by the Director of the Council.

B. There is hereby established the Innovative Internship Program (the Program). The purpose of the Program is to expand paid or credit-bearing student internship and other work-based learning opportunities in collaboration with Virginia employers. The Program comprises institutional grants and a statewide initiative to facilitate the readiness of students, employers, and institutions of higher education to participate in internship and other work-based learning opportunities.

1. In administering the statewide initiative, the Council shall (i) engage stakeholders from business and industry, secondary and higher education, economic development, and state agencies and entities that are successfully engaging employers or successfully operating internship programs; (ii) explore strategies in Virginia and elsewhere on successful institutional, regional, statewide or sector-based internship programs; (iii) gather data on current institutional internship practices, scale, and outcomes; (iv) develop internship readiness educational resources, delivery methods, certification procedures, and outreach and awareness activities for employer partners, students, and institutional career development personnel; (v) pursue shared services or other efficiency initiatives, including technological solutions; and (vi) create a process to track key measures of performance.

2. The Council shall establish eligibility criteria, including requirements for matching funds, for institutional grants. Such grants shall be used to accomplish one or more of the following goals: (i) support state or regional workforce needs; (ii) support initiatives to attract and retain talent in the Commonwealth; (iii) support research and research commercialization in sectors and clusters targeted for development; (iv) support regional economic growth and diversification plans; (v) enhance the job readiness of students; (vi) enhance higher education affordability and timely completion for Virginia students; or (vii) further the objectives of increasing the tech talent pipeline.

3. The Council shall partner with the Office of Education and Labor Market Alignment to collect and utilize data that includes the gaps that are most significant in hindering the Commonwealth from achieving the goals listed in subdivision 2. The Council and the Office of Education and Labor Market Alignment shall identify, at minimum: (i) state or regional workforce needs for which the lack of work-based learning opportunities is negatively impacting the success of regional economic growth and diversification plans and (ii) degree programs, the graduates of which describe themselves as underemployed, that would benefit from incorporating work-based learning into the curriculum. The Council and the Office of Education and Labor Market Alignment shall use the needs and degree programs identified in this subdivision to collaboratively determine priorities for: (a) using the portion of student financial aid authorized by the budget to be awarded as grants to students participating in work-based learning; (b) redesigning of curricula at public institutions of higher education; (c) garnering regional support and services to ensure the readiness of students and employers; (d) awarding grants to institutions of higher education to ensure their readiness to support students through detailed planning and implementation of best practices for scaling work-based learning; (e) providing or raising funds to provide matching funds so that students with limited resources, who have traditionally participated in the Program at lower rates, may intern at small Virginia-based employers; and (f) enhancing data collection and analysis.

2019, cc. 794, 795; 2022, c. 420.