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Awarding Transfer Credits 5-25.3

School Board of the City of Virginia Beach
Regulation 5-25.3

STUDENTS

Awarding Transfer Credits

The standard unit of credit for graduation will be based on a minimum of 140 clock hours of instruction.

  1. Virginia Beach secondary schools will accept all credits earned in accredited secondary schools, including summer schools, special sessions, schools accredited through the Virginia Council for Private Education, and educational programs operated by the state. Credit shall also be accepted for courses satisfactorily completed in accredited colleges and universities when prior written approval of the principal is obtained.
  2. Records of transferred students shall be sent directly to the school receiving the student upon request of the receiving school in accordance with the provisions of the "Management of the Student's Scholastic Records in Virginia," as well as School Board Policy 5-30 and division regulations promulgated pursuant to that policy.

    The transcript of a student who graduates from or transfers from a Virginia secondary school shall show the minimum units of standard or verified credits earned and required for graduation with a standard or advanced studies diploma.

  3. When credit is awarded in less than whole units, the increment awarded will be no greater than the fractional part of 140 hours of instruction.
  4. Students transferring from out-of-state will be required to earn a minimum of 22 standard credits for graduation. Students will need to earn the required number of verified credits based on the first time they enrolled in a Virginia public school. Each student's prior record shall be evaluated to determine the number of credits previously earned and the number of additional credits required for graduation. Specified courses normally taken at lower grade levels shall not be required, provided the student has completed the courses required at those grade levels by the school division or state from which the student transferred. Students transferring above the tenth grade from schools or other education programs that do not require or give credit for health and physical education shall not be required to take these courses to meet graduation requirements. Students transferring after the beginning of their senior or twelfth grade year shall be given every opportunity to earn a standard or advanced studies diploma. If it is not possible for the student to meet the requirements for a diploma, arrangements should be made for the student's previous school to award the diploma. If this arrangement cannot be made, the School Board may request a waiver on behalf of the student from the Department of Education.
  5. When students below the ninth grade successfully complete courses offered for credit in grades 9 through 12, credit shall be counted toward meeting the standard units required for graduation provided the courses meet the SOL requirements or are equivalent in content and academic rigor as those courses offered at the secondary level, or verified credits provided students achieve a passing score on end of course SOL tests.
  6. The clock hours for phase electives will be evaluated in terms of the 140 clock-hour requirement per credit. Students will receive the fractional parts of units earned in phase electives. If fractional parts of earned units are in required subjects, they will be classified as electives.
  7. Students transferring from nonaccredited schools or from home schooling receive credits based on:
    • The content of the course for which credit is awarded is comparable to 140 clock hours of instruction; and
    • The aims and objectives of the course have been met.

    The evidence used to confirm course content aligns with the Standards of Learning may include at least two of the following:

    1. Course descriptions including time allotment per course;
    2. Results of standardized tests;
    3. Results of objective-referenced tests; or,
    4. If standardized tests or objective-referenced tests do not directly align with course content, appropriate placement tests may be administered to students as determined by the principal.

    These credits will be recorded as pass/fail, and they will not be used in determining class rank.

    Should this placement process require more than one day, the student will be placed in the grade level or in the courses that seem appropriate according to school records; such placement is temporary, and parents or legal guardians should be so informed.

Board of Education Regulations Establishing Standards for Accrediting Public Schools in Virginia, 8VAC20-131-10 et seq., as amended.

Approved by Superintendent: July 16, 1991
Revised by Superintendent: December 10, 1998
Revised by Superintendent: July 20, 2021