TITLE 8. EDUCATION

STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION

Notice of Intended Regulatory Action

Notice is hereby given in accordance with § 2.2-4007.01 of the Code of Virginia that the State Board of Education intends to consider promulgating 8VAC20-860, Virginia Early Childhood Unified Measurement and Improvement System (VQB5). The purpose of the proposed action is to establish new regulations for the Virginia Early Childhood Unified Measurement and Improvement System, which is known as VQB5. The board fulfilled the requirements of § 22.1-289.05 of the Code of Virginia by establishing Guidelines for VQB5 Practice Year 1 (approved in June 2021), Guidelines for VQB5 Practice Year 2 (approved in June 2022), and VQB5 Guidelines for 2023-2024 (approved in June 2023). As of the 2023-2024 school year, VQB5 is fully implemented and includes 3,288 programs for children from birth to five years of age, including school-based preschools, Head Start and Early Head Start programs, and child care centers and family day homes that participate in the child care subsidy or other forms of public subsidy. This proposed regulatory action is intended to formally establish the requirements for VQB5. Regulatory requirements include specifying which sites are legislatively required to participate, explaining the key activities that participating sites must complete, and outlining the consequences for refusal to participate.

The agency does not intend to hold a public hearing on the proposed action after publication in the Virginia Register.

Statutory Authority: §§ 22.1-16 and 22.1-289.05 of the Code of Virginia.

Public Comment Deadline: December 6, 2024.

Agency Contact: Jim Chapman, Regulatory and Legal Coordinator, Department of Education, James Monroe Building, 25th Floor, 101 North 14th Street, Richmond, VA 23219, telephone (804) 225-2540, or email jim.chapman@doe.virginia.gov.