The Joint Subcommittee to Review the Standards of Quality in Education has completed a searching review of the constitutionally mandated Standards of Quality.

The concept of the Standards of Quality began with the adoption in 1970 of the Commonwealth's new Constitution. For the first time in the history of Virginia, a system of quality education was required by the Constitution (Art. VIII, Sec. 1), "The General Assembly ... shall seek to ensure that an educational program of high quality is established and continually maintained."

The Constitution continues (Art. VIII, Sec. 2), "Standards of quality for the several school divisions shall be determined and prescribed from time to time by the Board of Education subject to revision only by the General Assembly." On August 7, 1971, the Board of Education adopted the first set of Standards of Quality. ·On July 20, 1973, the Board of Education recommended an extensive revision of the Standards for the 1974-76 biennium. With some alterations, these nine simplified standards were enacted by the 1974 General Assembly.

The 1974 General Assembly also adopted House Joint Resolution 142 creating this Joint Subcommittee to review the Standards of Quality and to determine the impact they are having on public education in Virginia. Not since the Spong Commission study of 1960 has such a comprehensive legislative review been made of Virginia's system of public education.