The DC State Board of Education was established on June 12, 2007, as part of the “District of Columbia Public Education Reform Amendment Act of 2007.”  The Board consists of nine members including five elected members and four members appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the Council. Four of the five elected members are elected from four school districts representing different geographic areas of the District of Columbia. One member is elected at-large as the President of the Board.
 
The DC State Board of Education is responsible for advising the State Superintendent of Education on educational matters, including: state standards; state policies, including those governing special, academic, vocational, charter, and other schools; state objectives; and state regulations proposed by the Mayor or the State Superintendent of Education.

The previous, now obsolete, DC Board of Education was charged with oversight of the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). Their responsibilities were to advance educational standards, the Master Education Plan, the Master Facilities Plan and community priorities as they related to DCPS. For information relating to the previous Board of Education, please refer to the archives page.

SBOE Responsibilites:
The DC State Board of Education is responsible for approving the following state-level policies:

• State academic standards and ensure that standards meet the following qualifications: specify what children are expected to know and be able to do; contain coherent and rigorous content, encourage the teaching of advanced skills; and are updated on a regular basis.
• High school graduation requirements
• Standards for high school equivalence credentials
• State definitions for: "adequate yearly progress" that will be applied consistently to all local education agencies, standards for "highly qualified teachers," pursuant to the No Child Left Behind Act, and "proficiency" that ensures an accurate measure of student achievement in the District of Columbia 
• Standards for accreditation and certification of teacher preparation programs of colleges and universities 
• The state accountability plan for the District of Columbia developed by the Chief State School Officer, pursuant to the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 ensuring that: (A) the plan includes a single statewide accountability system that will ensure all local education agencies make adequate yearly progress; and (B) the statewide accountability system included in the plan is based on academic standards, academic assessments, a standardized system of accountability across all local education agencies, and a system of sanctions and rewards that will be used to hold local education agencies accountable for student achievement.
• State policies for parental involvement 
• State policies for supplemental education service providers operating in the District to ensure that providers have a demonstrated record of effectiveness and offer services that promote challenging academic achievement standards and that improve student achievement
• The rules for residency verification 
• The list of charter school accreditation organizations 
• The categories and format of the annual report card, pursuant to the No Child Left Behind of 2001
• Approve list of private placement accreditation organizations, pursuant to Uniform Per Student Funding Formula for Public Schools and Public Charter Schools and Tax Conformity Clarification Amendment Act of 1998
• State rules for enforcing school attendance requirements 
• State standards for home schooling