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Virginia Regulatory Town Hall
Agency
Department of Education
Board
State Board of Education
chapter
Licensure Regulations for School Personnel [8 VAC 20 ‑ 23]
Action:
Action to Remove References to Regionally Accredited Institutions
Action 6774
 
General Information
Action Summary The United States Education Department (USED) has amended regulations (34 CFR 600) related to post-secondary institution accreditation. Effective July 1, 2020, USED no longer categorizes accrediting agencies as "regional" or "national" but instead, includes them under a combined umbrella identified as "institutional" or "nationally recognized.” The summaries and comments in the Federal Register provide further insight into the reasons behind the initiative, and analysis of the public comments, and the provisions for implementation. State agencies were notified by USED of these changes to the federal regulations via a letter dated February 26, 2020. ? While the amendments to the federal regulations do not explicitly require states to amend their laws/policies/regulations, the Board is no longer permitted to distinguish between regional and national accreditation in its requirements for teacher licensure or approval of education programs at Virginia institutions of higher education based on changes to 34 CFR 600.? ? The proposed amendments to 8VAC20-23 and 8VAC20-650 remove the remaining references to “regionally accredited institutions” in the Board’s regulatory catalogue The Board approved changing “regionally accredited colleges or universities” to “accredited institutions” throughout the regulatory catalogue at its June 15, 2022, meeting. This action removes references to “regionally accredited” in language that was not yet in effect at the time of the Board’s original action or was not within view of the previous regulatory change.
Chapters Affected
  VAC Chapter Name Action Type
Primary 8 VAC 20-23 Licensure Regulations for School Personnel Amend Existing Regulation
Other chapters
  8 VAC 20 - 650 Regulations Governing the Determination of Critical Teacher Shortage Areas for Awarding the Virginia Teaching Scholarship Loan Program Amend Existing Regulation
Executive Branch Review This action will go through the normal Executive Branch Review process.
RIS Project Yes  [8328]
New Periodic Review This action will not be used to conduct a new periodic review.
 
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Contact Information
Name / Title: Jim Chapman  / Director of Board Relations
Address: James Monroe Bldg.
101 N. 14th St., 25th Floor
Richmond, VA 23219
Email Address: jim.chapman@doe.virginia.gov
Phone: (804)750-8750    FAX: ()-    TDD: ()-

This person is the primary contact for this agency.