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Schools Continue Progress on Sols; 92 Percent Statewide Now Fully Accredited, Up From 86 Percent

Posted on: Thursday, 27 October 2005, 06:00 CDT

By Holly Prestidge

The latest Standards of Learning test results show Virginia's schools continuing on the march toward 100 percent full accreditation statewide.

Test scores released yesterday by the Virginia Department of Education revealed that 1,685 schools -- 92 percent of the state's 1,834 public schools -- are fully accredited this year. That's up from 86 percent last year.

The 2005 results are based on tests given this spring and during the summer and fall of 2004.

For a middle school or high school to achieve full accreditation, 70 percent of students must pass the Standards of Learning or other state-approved tests in the four core subject areas -- math, English, social studies and science.

In elementary schools, a combined score of 75 percent from third- and fifth-graders on English tests is required for full accreditation. Elementary schools must also meet a pass rate of 70 percent in math for third- and fifth-graders, and in fifth-grade science and history. Third-graders must meet a 50 percent pass rate in science and history.

For the first time, more than half of the state's school divisions -- 79 of 132 -- have all their schools fully accredited. Among the divisions with all schools fully accredited are Hanover, New Kent, Powhatan and Prince George counties and Colonial Heights.

Richmond-area school divisions either upped the number of schools earning full accreditation or held their ground.

In Richmond, 45 of 51 schools are fully accredited, up from 39 last year.

All of the city's high schools are fully accredited for the first time. All of the city's elementary schools met full accreditation, with the exception of George W. Carver Elementary and Oak Grove Elementary, which had its accreditation status withheld after the school was caught in a SOL scoring discrepancy.

Richmond School Board Chairman Stephen B. Johnson said years of hard work by students, teachers and administrators are paying off for the division, which is "just as good as any other school system around here."

In Henrico County, 60 of 64 schools met the mark, compared with 54 of 62 the previous year.

Henrico Superintendent Fred Morton IV said his division has worked hard to improve. "We've still got some work to do," he said. "Our goal is to work as hard as we can to ensure that all schools are accredited."

In Chesterfield County, all but two schools are fully accredited, the same as last year. The remaining two are the county's alternative schools, one of which falls under a separate state- approved accreditation plan.

In Hanover County, all 21 schools earned full accreditation, the fourth consecutive year for a clean sweep.

Rising numbers

Since the first statewide Standards of Learning tests were administered in 1998, the percentage of fully accredited schools has risen each year. The year and the percentage of schools fully accredited that year:

1998 2 percent

1999 6.5 percent

2000 22 percent

2001 40 percent

2002 64 percent

2003 78 percent

2004 86 percent

2005 92 percent

Source: Richmond Times - Dispatch

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