Virginia

College and Career Ready Definitions

Virginia defines college readiness as “the level of achievement students must reach to be academically prepared for success in entry-level credit-bearing college courses.”

Source:

Virginia Department of Education. (2012). Instruction: College & career readiness. Retrieved from http://www.doe.virginia.gov/instruction/college_career_readiness/index.shtml

Accountability Metrics
  • Student achievement status on state tests
  • Four-year graduation rate
  • Additional graduation rates (five or more years)
  • Dropout rate
  • Other, such as the percentage of students earning a GED certificate
  • Participation in advanced course work, including AP or IB classes or dual enrollment
  • Career preparedness performance, including earning credentials or certificates, performance on WorkKeys, and grades in career and technical education courses
  • Percentage of students earning an advanced diploma
  • Participation of middle school students in honors, pre-AP, or high school level courses
  • Participation in nutrition and physical activity program
  • Students earning credits in other courses, such as world languages and physics
  • School has earned certification in science, technology, engineering, and math or has students taking advanced course work in these subjects
  • School offers foreign language in elementary school
 
Source: Center for American Progress. (2016). Explore the Data for ‘Making the Grade’. Retrieved from https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/education/news/2016/05/19/137455...
 
College and Career Ready Reporting Metrics
Report Cards1
High School Graduates & Completers Reports2
High School Graduates & Completers Reports2
Postsecondary Enrollment Reports3
NAEP4
Early Warning Systems5
 
EOC exam scores1
NAEP rate1,4
Course failures (one or more semester courses in any subject)5
Grade point average (2.0 or lower on a 4.0 scale)5
CTE completers1
Dropout rate1
Disciplinary actions (by type of offense)1
Postsecondary intentions
     o Four-year college plans
     o Two-year college plans
     o Other plans
     o No continuing education plans
     o Military
     o Employment
Attendance in the first 20 days of school and overall (more than 10 percent of instructional time)5
Referrals5
Suspensions5
Postsecondary enrollment by type of institution3
     o Four-year public
     o Four-year private
     o Two-year
     o Any
 
 
Source:
1. Virginia Department of Education. (n.d.). Report cards. Retrieved from  https://p1pe.doe.virginia.gov/reportcard/
2. Virginia Department of Education. (n.d.). High school graduates & completers reports. Retrieved from http://www.doe.virginia.gov/statistics_reports/graduation_completion/hs_...
3. Virginia Department of Education. (n.d.). Postsecondary enrollment reports. Retrieved from https://p1pe.doe.virginia.gov/postsec_public/postsec.do?dowhat=LOAD_REPO...
4. Virginia Department of Education. (n.d.). NAEP. Retrieved from http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/naep_natl_assessment_ed_progress/ 
5.  Virginia Department of Education. (2012). Virginia Early Warning System (VEWS). Retrieved from http://www.doe.virginia.gov/support/school_improvement/early_warning_sys...

 

Dual Enrollment and Early College High School

Dual Enrollment and Articulation

Virginia state policy allows students to earn dual credit for academic or CTE postsecondary courses taken at their high school or a postsecondary institution. Public postsecondary institutions in the state are not required to accept dual-enrollment credits (ECS, 2015).

Early College High School

Virginia is not participating in the Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI). More information about schools participating in ECHSI is available at the ECHSI website (Jobs for the Future, n.d.).

Citations:

Education Commission of the States. (2015). Dual enrollment – all state profiles. Retrieved from http://ecs.force.com/mbdata/mbprofallRT?Rep=DE14A

Jobs for the Future. (n.d.). Schools. Retrieved from http://www.jff.org/initiatives/early-college-designs/schools

Career Pathways

Virginia has adopted the National Career Clusters Framework and is implementing all 16 Career Clusters.

Citations:

National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium. (n.d.). Virginia [Interactive map of state CTE profiles]. Retrieved from http://careertech.org/Virginia

Career Exploration and Career Plans

In Virginia, the Academic and Career Plan is designed to be a working document that maximizes student achievement by having the student accomplish goals in middle and high school that lead to postsecondary and career readiness. The plan should be student-driven and maintained by school professionals working cooperatively to assist the student in reaching his or her goals in the most logical academic and career path. Virginia's Academic and Career Plan is mandated by the state. It includes all students in Grades 7–12. Academic and Career Plan implementation began in the 2013–14 school year.

U.S. Department of Labor. (2013). Individualized learning plans across the U.S. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.dol.gov/odep/ilp/map/#MO

Alignment Between High School Graduation and State College Admission Requirements

High School and College Alignment

Subject

High School Graduation Requirements

College Admission Requirements

English Credits:

4.0

4.0

Mathematics Credits:

3.0 (including two selected from among Algebra I; geometry; algebra, functions, and data analysis; Algebra II; and/or other mathematics courses above the level of Algebra II)

3.0 (including Algebra I and II and geometry)

Social Studies Credits:

3.0 (U.S. and Virginia history [1.0], U.S. and Virginia government [1.0], and world history and/or world geography [1.0])

2.0 (including one history credit)

Science Credits:

3.0 (each with laboratory experience; selected from among Earth science, biology, chemistry, or physics)

2.0 (each with laboratory experience; selected from among biology, chemistry, or physics)

Foreign Language Credits:

None specified (N/S)

N/S

Arts Credits:

See Additional Credits

N/S

Additional Credits:

7.0 (selected from among fine or performing arts or career and technical education [1.0], and other electives [6.0])

7.0 (academic units [3.0] and electives [4.0])

Total Credits:

22.0

18.0

Tests:

Six Standards of Learning tests

Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) or ACT®

Source:

Virginia Department of Education

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Notes:

   

 

Early Warning Systems

Virginia’s state-specific Early Warning System is called the Virginia Early Warning System (VEWS). Early Warning System data are reported at the student, school, and division levels. It is not publicly available who can access the Early Warning System data. 

Citations:

Bowles Therriault, S., Heppen, J., O’Cummings, M., Fryer, L., & Johnson, A. (2010). Early warning system implementation guide. National High School Center at American Institutes for Research. Retrieved from http://www.doe.virginia.gov/support/school_improvement/early_warning_system/materials/implementation_guide.pdf

Virginia Department of Education. (2012). Virginia Early Warning System (VEWS). Retrieved from http://www.doe.virginia.gov/support/school_improvement/early_warning_system/