91% of Beach Schools Meet State Accreditation Standards Following an analysis of the last school year's Standards of Learning test scores, Virginia Beach City Public Schools leadership reports that 91 percent or 75 of the division's 82 testing schools will likely meet state accreditation standards. Of that number, 41 schools (50 percent of the total) achieved full accreditation. "Our entire staff has worked incredibly hard this year and this dedication is evidenced by the gains we have recorded. It is gratifying to have seen our principals and our teachers take this challenge so aggressively and I am proud to be part of a school system that has risen to this occasion. Our employees sacrifice personal and professional convenience to do what counts, to help the children succeed -- and they have," says Superintendent Timothy R. Jenney. The state currently issues five accreditation ratings. These are fully accredited, which means schools meet or exceed the established 70 percent passing rate in each of the core subject areas -- language arts, math, social science and science; provisionally accredited/meets state standards, which means schools meet all state benchmarks for expected performance; provisionally accredited/needs improvement, which includes schools that have not reached the state's established benchmarks in one or more of the core areas, but are no more than 19 points below a benchmark; accredited with warning, which is reserved for schools that fall 20 or more points below an established benchmark in one or more of the core areas; and conditionally accredited, a rating used for new schools such as Landstown High School. Diane N. Jones, assistant superintendent for accountability, the department that performed the analysis of Standards of Learning test scores, reports that marked improvement has taken place at all levels. Ninety-five percent of elementary schools, 87 percent of middle schools and 83 percent of high schools meet state standards. Of those meeting full accreditation, 31 are elementary schools (up 138 percent over last year); three middle schools (a 50 percent increase) and seven are high schools (a 600 percent increase over the previous year). An additional 34 schools meet current state benchmark standards. Another three schools are deemed "provisionally accredited/needs improvement," and only one school, an alternative school, is accredited with warning. Preliminary test data indicate that a total of 25 schools missed full accreditation because of just one test, history. Four of the schools missed the history-passing rate by less than 2 percentage points. If the school division as a whole were being reviewed for accreditation, the division would meet the Fully Accredited 70 percent standard in all core areas at all levels - 3rd, 5th, and 8th grades, as well as end-of-course high school subjects - except for social studies/history. Of the 28 SOL tests given this spring, scores increased in 27 tests. The one test that showed a small loss of 3.14 points was the fifth-grade computer technology test. However, the good news is that students still achieved a high score of 84.2 percent. Altogether the Virginia Beach school division continues to make significant progress in all areas. Across the board, English writing continues to be the system's strongest area with passing rates at all levels above 80 percent. Math passing rates this year reflected double digit gains in five of six tests, and for the first time, all levels of English and Reading exceed 70 percent. Social studies improved at all grade levels, but remains the lowest core area and blocks many schools from attaining full accreditation, some by only a few points. Administrators are extremely pleased with results overall, but as Jenney points out schools are still working to bring all student scores up to state standards. "It is apparent from our results that the many intervention strategies put in place this school year and before have had an effect. With this year's trends in our test scores, we'll continue to use the data to identify those areas and schools that may require more intensive assistance," he said. "Under the direction of Dr. Sheila Magula, associate superintendent of curriculum and instruction, several remediation recovery plans were put in place and heavy emphasis was placed on staff development. Virginia Beach teachers took to heart the fact that last year we scored below the state average passing rate on two tests. For example, one of these was Algebra II. I'm happy to say that these Algebra II scores have improved by 29 percent." Jones noted that Virginia Beach City Public Schools' accreditation ratings are good news, but the community also needs to know that the school system has not yet received the official results from the state. "We disaggregated and analyzed our scores from the data provided us by the testing company. Obviously, there may be a margin of error," Jones points out, "But waiting until October for state results is too long to hold such positive and exciting news about Virginia Beach Schools and student achievement. Students, teachers and parents need to SOL-a-brate." Jones will present an overview on accreditation ratings and SOL spring scores to the School Board at its Tuesday, August 21 meeting and a workshop is scheduled for September 11. A division wide SOL-a-bration is being planned for October as a way to honor the work of teachers, principals, students and the community. Preliminary accreditation results by school will be posted on the school system's Web site, VBschools.com after noon on Thursday, August 9, 2001. For more information about preliminary spring 2001 SOL test results and school accreditation, please call the Department of Accountability at 427-4381. ###