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The Virginia Department of Education (“VDOE”) evaluates student credentials on an on-going basis against prescribed criteria for graduation requirements for the Standard Diploma 8VAC20-131-51 B and verified credit(s) (8VAC20-131-110 C). The process for reviewing and validating student credentials for the purpose of awarding verified credit is based on the following criteria: (1) the test must be standardized and graded independently of the school or school division in which the test is given; (2) the test must be knowledge based; (3) the test must be administered on a statewide, multistate, or international basis, or administered as part of another state’s accountability assessment program; and (4) to be counted in a specific academic area, the test must measure content that incorporates or exceeds the Standards of Learning content in the course for which verified credit is given. Important to this process is ensuring that the credential is relevant and recognized in the workplace. The 17 recommended industry certification examinations meet the Board’s graduation requirements as identified for the Standard and Advanced Studies Diplomas in 8VAC20-131-51 (effective with the students who enter the ninth grade in the 2018-2019 school year). Students shall earn the required standard and verified units of credit described in subdivision two of the appropriate subsection. The industry certification examinations starting on page 6 meet the criteria to satisfy requirements for the Career and Technical Education (“CTE”) Seal and the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (“STEM”) Seal. Industry or trade association certification examinations, professional licenses, and occupational competency assessments are continually being revised or discontinued to stay current with technology and innovation. Credentialing providers have discontinued 7 previously approved credentials for the 2024-2025 school year. Based on a review of data for credentials attempted over the past 15 years, we recommend an additional 56 previously approved credentials be discontinued because they no longer align with current courses, were added prior to 2018-2019 and have never been taken, or no student attempts have been made since the 2018-2019 school year. Credentials that are recommended for deletion from the Board-approved list can be found starting on page 7. These changes may be such that individual credentials are no longer available or no longer meet the Board of Education’s criteria for the academic specific verified credit, the Standard Diploma’s Career and Technical Education credential or the additional requirements for graduation in accordance with the Standards of Quality, and the diploma seals awards for exemplary student performance in Career and Technical Education and STEM.

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