County schools accredited, some need improvement

All county schools have earned state accreditation for the 2007-08 school year. Fifty-six are fully accredited and three are accredited with warning. Also, Chesterfield students made significant gains on Standards of Learning tests, outscoring state averages in every area and in some cases achieving pass rates of 100 percent. A few highlights include:

• 90 percent of Chesterfield County students passed their reading SOL test, up from 87 percent last year. Across Virginia, 85 percent of students passed their reading SOL test.

• 83 percent of Chesterfield students passed their math SOL test, up from 77 percent last year. Across Virginia, 80 percent of students passed their math SOL test.

• 91 percent of Chesterfield students passed their science SOL test, up from 86 percent last year. Across Virginia, 88 percent of students passed their science SOL test.

• Four Chesterfield schools achieved 100 percent pass rates. At three elementary schools - Grange Hall, Swift Creek and Watkins - every third-grade student passed the history SOL test. At Bon Air Elementary, every third-grade student and every fifth-grade student passed the science SOL test.

The county's two newest elementary schools, Elizabeth Scott and Winterpock, are conditionally accredited, which is the case with all new schools where students have not yet taken SOL tests.

Accreditation status for schools is established each year by the Virginia Department of Education based on student achievement on Standards of Learning tests in English, mathematics, history and science during the previous school year.

"It is uplifting to see what our students and staff members have achieved: 95 percent of our schools are fully accredited. We have much to celebrate," said Superintendent Marcus J. Newsome. "But we are also mindful that more work remains so that every student graduates from Chesterfield County Public Schools prepared for success in the 21st century."

The three schools accredited with warning are Meadowbrook High School in science, Falling Creek Middle School in mathematics and Salem Church Middle School in mathematics and history. These schools must develop school improvement plans, though all Chesterfield schools already have these plans as standard practice. Salem Church Middle will also undergo an academic review process designed to quickly improve student achievement.

The school system has undertaken several initiatives to close achievement gaps including adding 60 new reading teachers and eight new mathematics coaches at schools throughout the county.

Three high schools have changed the way they use time in order to make each school day more effective: Meadowbrook High is starting 15 minutes earlier and ending 15 minutes later to give students time during the school day for academic support such as tutoring and remediation. While keeping their regular school hours, James River and Matoaca high schools now have a one-hour lunch period in which all students eat and have time for academic support and enrichment.

The school system is also piloting a targeted school readiness initiative for about 100 atrisk 4-year-olds. During the 2007-08 school year, the Virginia Preschool Initiative is helping children at seven elementary schools acquire skills that will enable them to begin kindergarten ready to learn.