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I work in Drug Abuse Prevention at our local Community Services Board. I am interested in finding out how Drug Abuse Prevention Education fits in with the SOL's. We provide Life Skills Training, a research based program that is showing great outcomes. I would like to know how this program can be offered and integrated in the SOL's at the middle school level.

Ms. Rowland:

Stephanie Watson at the Department of Health has contracted with a company to integrate the Life Skills Training Program and the SOLs. Their preliminary draft is due April 15. You can reach Stephanie at (804) 692-0002.

If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to call my office at (804) 786-9073.

Thank you for your interest.

Christina Brooks
Special Assistant
Governor’s Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities

Dear Ms. Rowland:

Thank you for your inquiry about how Drug Abuse Prevention Education fits in with the Standards of Learning (SOL). Drug Abuse Prevention Education is directly addressed within the Health SOL; however, the health standards have not been revised since 1990. This important area was not included when the core subjects (Math, Science, English, and History/Social Studies) were updated and revised in 1995. We are hopeful that the Health SOL update and revision will soon been addressed by the Board of Education.

Your local Community Services Board is to be commended for offering the Life Skills Training (LST). This curriculum is research-based and has a proven track record of effectiveness (if replicated with fidelity).

Under the new Principles of Effectiveness that guide the federally funded Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act (SDFSCA) Program, school divisions are required to:

1. Base their programs on a thorough assessment of objective data about the drug and violence problems in the school and community served.

2. With the assistance of local or regional advisory councils where required by the SDFSCA, establish a set of measurable goals and objectives and design their programs to meet those goals and objectives.

3. Design and implement their activities based on research or evaluation that provides evidence that the strategies used prevent or reduce drug use, violence, or disruptive behavior among youth;

4. Evaluate their programs periodically to assess its progress toward achieving their goals and objectives; use the evaluation results to refine, improve, and strengthen their programs and to refine their goals and objectives. These principles became official as of July 1, 1998.

In moving to implement these principles, the Virginia Department of Education has contracted with the Substance Abuse Research Center at James Madison University to provide the Virginia Effective Practices Project (VEPP). This project is designed to promote and support effective practices in youth substance abuse and violence prevention by focusing on two key areas:

1. Providing highly individualized training and technical assistance to school divisions in implementing of the SDFSCA Principles of Effectiveness.

2. Disseminating information on effective practices through "showcasing" events, a project Web site and newsletter, and other dissemination activities.

Two publications have recently been developed and shared with school divisions:

1. Local Advisory Council Primer

2. Program Planning and Evaluation Handbook

Additional copies are available upon request.

The project Web site may be visited at: http://www.jmu.edu/cisat/vepp/

Much of the research on program effectiveness is based upon the premise of comprehensive programs; that is, programs in place during every grade level, K-12. Some curriculum programs are already being designed to develop a framework to integrate them within other SOL areas. An example of this is the D.A.R.E. Program. When the Health Standards of Learning are revised, this should provide the conceptual framework for full program implementation.

If you have additional questions, or wish to request materials, please call me at 804/225-2871, Arlene D. Cundiff, Coordinator, Safe & Drug-Free Schools Program, Office of Compensatory Programs, VA Dept. of Education, P.O. Box 2120, Richmond, VA 23218-2120.