The state has released final Standards of Learning test results from Spring, 2003, and three additional city public schools are now accredited.
These schools are John Adams Elementary School, Cora Kelly School for Math, Science and Technology and Mount Vernon Community School. Alexandria included the scores of the Minnie Howard Ninth Grade Center, T. C. Williams High School and the Secondary Training and Education Center in the high school’s scores for the first time. Minnie Howard had been fully accredited but the combined group missed accreditation by one point. George Washington Middle School did not retain its full accreditation, missing the mark by three points and Patrick Henry, which was also previously accredited failed to meet the 70 percent pass rate on all tests by two points.
“I am especially pleased to see three new schools make accreditation for the first time,” said Rebecca L. Perry, superintendent of schools. “It’s a huge disappointment to the faculty and students that three of our schools missed accreditation by so few points. But I am confident that they will be among our fully accredited schools next year.”
TWO SCHOOLS WERE designated provisionally accredited/needs improvement. Maury Elementary School improved from accredited with warning last year to this higher status. Jefferson-Houston School for Arts and Academics has also been classified as provisionally accredited/needs improvement.
Division-wide, the greatest gains made from 2002 to 2003 were in grade eight mathematics, from 68 to 78 percent of students passing; end of course reading from 74 to 92 percent of students passing; end of course Virginia and U. S. history, from 61 to 75 percent passing; end of course writing, from 78 to 88 percent passing and end of course chemistry, from 80 to 90 percent passing.
“We are, of course, very pleased at the gains our students have made in SOL scores,” said T. C. Williams Principal, John Porter. “We will work hard to ensure that these gains continue.”
Robert Yeager, the principal at George Washington Middle School was philosophical. “While we are disappointed that we did not retain accreditation, we are pleased with the good work that our students and staff are continuing to do,” he said in an earlier interview, after preliminary results were received. “We have some new initiatives this year that should ensure our full accreditation next year.”
Those schools have remained fully accredited are Charles Barrett Elementary School, Lyles-Crouch Traditional Academy, Douglas MacArthur Elementary School, George Mason Elementary School, James K. Polk Elementary, William Ramsay Elementary School, Samuel W. Tucker Elementary School and Francis C. Hammond Middle School.