I am Barry Butler, Director of Government Retaliations for the Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance. We support the passage of this legislation. This bill raises expectations to ensure all students graduate high school with credits, credentials or work experience that prepares them for college and career success and ensures students learn of graduation requirements earlier so our young people have more time and opportunity to be exposed to opportunities to gain skills, knowledge and experiences that prepare them success after graduation. This bill defines multiple pathways students can take and brings clarity to the definitions of dual and concurrent enrollment, so more student can choose options to earn college credit and credentials while in high school that meet their needs and interests. These modifications provide more quality options to students and will help students and families make more informed decisions about their educational paths. Concurrent enrollment means enrollment in a post-secondary coursework while in high school but does not have to also earn high school credit. They are in high school, but can take any course regardless of whether they earn high school credit. Dual enrollment which is narrower and limited to enrollment in courses that simultaneously earn high school and post-secondary credits. Student in dual enrollment must also be earning high school credit. Over the last several years, we have worked with our regional employers, localities, school administrators, an higher education partners in the development and execution of our Regional Workforce Roadmap (https://growthzonesitesprod.azureedge.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/668/2023/12/Regional-Workforce-Roadmap.pdf). This legislation will continue to enable our region in the implementation of this work by setting up our children for professional and financial success after high school. We fully support this legislation and ask for your support as well by passing this bill. Thank you.

As a parent of a child with disabilities, the decision to put a child on the alternative assessment path, then resulting in an applied studies diploma, happens way too early in their education and unnecessarily limits their access to inclusive opportunities and grade-level curriculum. The applied studies diploma is well known to be essentially no more than a certificate of attendance. It's nearly worthless in terms of supporting a student's post-secondary life. So in that respect, I absolutely support efforts to remove the applied studies diploma and move more students to the standard diploma. HOWEVER, it cannot just be on local school divisions to figure out how to manage the transition for these students to the standard diploma track. Given that the standard diploma track requires taking the SOLs, the state must do some serious work to make the SOL tests more accessible to students with significant disabilities. That is the work of the state, not local divisions. Additionally, transitioning these students to a standard diploma will require that they receive increased services and supports, which must be supported by the state budget, staffing ratios, and state-approved curricula and materials. Teachers must receive support from the state in differentiating the SOLs for this population. The VESOLs, even after their recent overhaul, still result in students receiving significantly different instruction than their same-age non-disabled peers and are not appropriate for transitioning this population to the standard diploma. The state cannot levy all of the responsibility for such a significant transition on local school divisions and teachers.

Chris Davidson, on behalf of the Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce. We strongly support HB1051 and urge the committee to report the bill. Of behalf of our members, and the business community of Hampton, Newport News, York County, and Poquoson, we feel that this bill will help to solve many of the workforce problems we're experiencing, while also enriching the education and lives of many students. Please pass HB1051. Thank you.

The Blue Ridge Partnership for Health Science Careers is a collaboration of stakeholders from K12, community colleges, four-year and post-graduate institutions, health provider employers, economic development and workforce organizations in GO Virginia Region 2. The Partnership has been working since 2019 to align health sciences education with employer needs and develop pathways that will accelerate student attainment. This bill supports these objectives. Educational stakeholders in the Partnership have expressed caution for unidentified costs but support the bill's objectives. Employer stakeholders enthusiastically support the bill's objectives.