# Virginia HB1171: Standard Diploma; Board of Education shall develop alternative graduation pathways to earn. Virginia HB1171, Standard Diploma; Board of Education shall develop alternative graduation pathways to earn., is a 2027 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Sam Rasoul (Democratic); status passed house, last action 2026-07-21 (Continued from last session) (as of 2026-10-12). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB1171-2027 - As of: 2026-10-12 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Virginia HB1171 - State: Virginia - Session: 2027 Regular Session - Title: Standard Diploma; Board of Education shall develop alternative graduation pathways to earn. - Status: passed house - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2026-01-14 - Last action: 2026-07-21, Continued from last session - Sponsor: Sam Rasoul (Democratic) - Cosponsors: 0 - Subjects: Public Education - Touches household money: no - Economic provisions PRIA read: 0 ## Summary Board of Education; development of alternative graduation pathways to earn a Standard Diploma; report. Directs the Board of Education to develop alternative graduation pathways to earn a Standard Diploma that are designed to expand opportunities for students to complete the verified credit requirements for the Standard Diploma that do not require achieving a passing score on applicable Standards of Learning assessments. In developing such alternative graduation pathways, the bill directs the Board to (i) consult with and integrate the perspectives of a broad range of relevant stakeholders; (ii) consider alignment with the competencies articulated in the Profile of a Virginia Graduate; (iii) consider certain elements for incorporation into such alternative pathways, including nonassessment demonstrations of competence, alternative assessments that could be used in lieu of or alongside Standards of Learning assessments, and pathway structures or elements designed to encourage hands-on learning and civic engagement; (iv) ensure that any such alternative graduation pathways do not impact or replace the current requirements for earning a Standard Diploma or an Advanced Studies Diploma; (v) ensure at least one alternative pathway is developed that includes a nonassessment demonstration of competence; and (vi) consider next steps for approval and implementation of such alternative graduation pathways. Finally, the bill directs the Board to submit to the Governor and Chairs of the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education and Health by January 1, 2027, a report detailing the Board's progress in developing alternative graduation pathways to earn a Standard Diploma, in accordance with the provisions of the bill. ## Bill overview No economic impacts identified for this bill. ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Sam Rasoul (Democratic), House ## Actions (22) - 2026-07-21: Continued from last session (Senate) - 2026-03-05: Senate subcommittee offered (Senate) - 2026-03-05: Continued to 2027 in Education and Health (15-Y 0-N) (Senate) - 2026-02-26: Assigned Education sub: Public Education (Senate) - 2026-02-10: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1171) (House) - 2026-02-05: Referred to Committee on Education and Health (Senate) - 2026-02-05: Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) (Senate) - 2026-02-04: Read third time and passed House (87-Y 11-N 0-A) (House) - 2026-02-03: Engrossed by House - floor substitute (House) - 2026-02-03: Delegate Rasoul Floor substitute agreed to (House) - 2026-02-03: committee amendments rejected (House) - 2026-02-03: Read second time (House) - 2026-02-03: Floor Offered (House) - 2026-02-03: Floor substitute printed 26107051D-H1 (Rasoul) (House) - 2026-02-02: Passed by for the day (House) - 2026-01-30: Read first time (House) - 2026-01-28: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1171) (House) - 2026-01-28: Reported from Education with amendment(s) (18-Y 3-N) (House) - 2026-01-27: Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) (10-Y 0-N) (House) - 2026-01-23: Assigned HED sub: K-12 Subcommittee (House) - 2026-01-14: Referred to Committee on Education (House) - 2026-01-14: Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26101631D (House) ## Bill text - Amendment, 2026-03-05: [HTML](https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20271/HB1171) - Substitute, 2026-02-03: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1230540.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1230539.PDF) - Introduced, 2026-01-14: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1230103.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1230102.PDF) ## Related bills - SB844: Licensed clinical psychologists; prescriptive authority; report. (in committee) - HB1535: Individuals with developmental or intellectual disabilities; admissibility of statements. (introduced) - HB1534: School service providers; deletion of student and family personal information. (introduced) - SB843: Data centers; state permitting, local approval, moratorium, sunset. (in committee) - SB842: High school student athletes; eligibility, enrollment. (in committee) - SB840: Corrections, Director of the Department of; placement of inmates, Red Onion State Prison. (in committee) ## Sources - [Amendment (HTML)](https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20271/HB1171) - [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1230540.HTML) - [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1230539.PDF) - [Introduced (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1230103.HTML) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1230102.PDF) ## Related - [SB844: Licensed clinical psychologists; prescriptive authority; report.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB844-2027) - [HB1535: Individuals with developmental or intellectual disabilities; admissibility of s…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB1535-2027) - [HB1534: School service providers; deletion of student and family personal information.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB1534-2027) - [SB843: Data centers; state permitting, local approval, moratorium, sunset.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB843-2027) - [SB842: High school student athletes; eligibility, enrollment.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB842-2027) - [SB840: Corrections, Director of the Department of; placement of inmates, Red Onion Sta…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB840-2027) - [Virginia bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/virginia/bills) - [Virginia state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/virginia) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB1171-2027 (as of 2026-10-12).