5773748 Education, Office of the State Superintendent of - Notice of Proposed Rulemaking - Amending regulations to add a Chapter 22 (Graduation) Section 2201 (State Diploma) to establish a state diploma that will be provided to nontraditional ...

OFFICE OF THE STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION

 

NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULEMAKING

 

The State Superintendent of Education, pursuant to the authority set forth in Section 3(b)(7) and (11) of the State Education Office Establishment Act of 2000, effective October 21, 2000 (D.C. Law 13-176; D.C. Official Code §§ 38-2602(b)(7) and (11) (2012 Repl. & 2015 Supp.)); Section 403 of the Public Education Reform Amendment Act of 2007 (PERAA), effective June 12, 2007 (D.C. Law 17-9, D.C. Official Code § 38-2652(a)(3) (2012 Repl. & 2015 Supp.)); with the advice and approval to be requested of the State Board of Education (SBOE) pursuant to Section 403(a)(3) of PERAA (D.C. Law 17-9; D.C. Official Code § 38-2652(a)(3) (2012 Repl. & 2015 Supp.)), hereby gives notice of her intent to adopt, in not less than thirty (30) days after the publication of this notice in the D.C. Register, to add a new Chapter 22 (Graduation) to Title 5 (Education), Subtitle A (Office of the State Superintendent of Education), of the District of Columbia Municipal Regulations (DCMR).

 

The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), pursuant to D.C. Official Code § 38-2602(b)(7) (2012 Repl. & 2015 Supp.), is responsible for establishing the minimum credits that must be achieved in order to graduate from any public and public charter school, with the advice and approval of the SBOE, pursuant to D.C. Official Code §§ 38-2652(a)(3) and (4) (2012 Repl. & 2015 Supp.).  In developing the regulations, OSSE and SBOE engaged in an extensive period of public engagement and solicitation of public comments. The proposed rules will establish a state diploma that will be provided to the District’s nontraditional student residents such as adult students and students attending alternative schools who have passed the General Educational Development (GED^®) test or completed the requirements of the National External Diploma Program (NEDP).

 

Add a new Chapter 22, GRADUATION, to Title 5-A DCMR, OFFICE OF THE STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION, as follows:

 

Add a new Section 2201, STATE DIPLOMA, to read as follows:

 

2201                STATE DIPLOMA

 

2201.1             A resident who has successfully passed 2014 Series General Educational Development (GED^®) test in compliance with Title 5-E DCMR §§ 2320 et seq., (General Educational Development (GED^®) Testing), or successfully completed the requirements of the National External Diploma Program (NEDP), shall be eligible for a state diploma from the Office of the State Superintendent of Education. 

 

2201.2             The diploma of a resident eligible under § 2201.1 shall bear the signature of the State Superintendent of Education and the seal of the Office of the State Superintendent of Education.

 

2201.3             A diploma granted pursuant to § 2201.1 shall be recognized as equivalent to a high school diploma granted pursuant to Title 5-E DCMR § 2203 (Graduation: Academic Requirements).

 

2201.4             Pursuant to the regulatory requirements of the United States Department of Education  (34 C.F.R. § 200.19), a state diploma provided for passing the GED^® test or successfully completing the NEDP shall not be included in the District’s calculation of the adjusted cohort graduation rate.

 

 

All persons desiring to comment on the subject matter of this proposed rulemaking should file comments in writing not later than thirty (30) days after the date of publication of this notice in the D.C. Register via email addressed to: [e-mail]; or by mail or hand delivery to the Office of the State Superintendent of Education, Attn: Jamai Deuberry re: State Education Agency Diploma, 810 First Street, NE 9^th Floor, Washington, DC 20002. Additional copies of this rule are available from the above address and on the Office of the State Superintendent of Education website at www.osse.dc.gov.