Virginia Regulatory Town Hall
Agency
Department of Education
Board
State Board of Education
chapter
Regulations Establishing Standards for Accrediting Public Schools in Virginia [8 VAC 20 ‑ 131]
Action is Exempt from Article 2 of the Administrative Process Act
Action:
Exempt Action to Align the Regulations Establishing Standards for Accrediting Public Schools in Virginia with Chapter 582 of the 2020 Acts of the Assembly
Action 5945
 
General Information
Action Summary Chapter 582 of the 2020 Acts of the Assembly (“Chapter 552”) amended § 22.1-79.1 to standardize the minimum instructional time requirement across grades K–12. Whereas kindergarten previously required a minimum of 540 hours of instructional time, Chapter 582 requires a minimum of 990 hours of instructional time. Chapter 582 included a delayed enactment clause such that the amendments would become effective on July 1, 2022, and further required that the Board of Education (“Board”) adopt regulations establishing standards for accreditation that include a requirement that the standard school day for students in kindergarten average at least 5.5 instructional hours in order to qualify for full accreditation. In order to comply with Chapter 582, the Board must make minor edits to 8VAC20-131-80 C and 8VAC20-131-150 A and B of the Standards of Accreditation in order to include kindergarten in the minimum requirement of 990 hours of instructional time. The Board has not exercised any discretion in making the required changes.
Chapters Affected Only affects this chapter.
Executive Branch Review This Action is exempt from Article 2 of the Administrative Process Act, but falls within the Executive Branch and will be reviewed by the Governor's Office.
RIS Project Yes  [7118]
Associated Mandates Mandate to standardize instructional time across grades K-12
New Periodic Review This action will not be used to conduct a new periodic review.
 
Stages
Stages associated with this regulatory action.
Stage ID Stage Type Status
9600 Final Stage complete. This regulation became effective on 11/09/2022.
 
Contact Information
Name / Title: Jim Chapman  / Regulatory and Legal Coordinator
Address: James Monroe Bldg., 25th Floor
101 N. 14th St.
Richmond, VA 23219
Email Address: jim.chapman@doe.virginia.gov
Phone: (804)225-2540    FAX: ()-    TDD: ()-

This person is the primary contact for this chapter.