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Thursday, September 25, 2008
Ninety-Eight Percent of Fairfax County Public Schools Earn Full State Accreditation
Ninety-eight percent of Fairfax County public schools have earned full accreditation from the Virginia Department of Education based on the 2007-08 Standards of Learning (SOL) tests. Ratings are based on the achievement of students tested in the four core subjects or may reflect the overall achievement during the three most recent years. Test results in each subject area are combined to produce overall passing percentages in English, mathematics, history or social science, and science. This is a slight decline from the ninety-nine percent of schools that were accredited last year.
One hundred eighty-seven of the 190 Fairfax County public schools earned full accreditation. Three schools are accredited with warning—Mount Vernon Woods Elementary School and Holmes Middle School are accredited with warning in mathematics; the Kilmer Center is accredited with warning in mathematics and science.
A school receives the rating of accreditation with warning if pass rates are below the achievement levels required for full accreditation. Schools that are accredited with warning undergo academic reviews and are required to adopt and implement school improvement plans. Schools that are accredited with warning in English and/or mathematics also are required to adopt instructional programs proven by research to be effective in raising achievement in these subjects. A description of the accreditation classifications can be found at the Virginia School Report Card web site at http://www.doe.virginia.gov/VDOE/src/accreditation.shtml.
An adjusted passing rate of at least 70 percent in all four core subjects is required in middle and high schools for full accreditation. In elementary schools, a combined accreditation passing rate of at least 75 percent on English tests in grades 3, 4, and 5 is required for full accreditation. Elementary schools must also achieve accreditation passing rates of at least 70 percent in mathematics, grade 6 English, grade 5 science, and combined grade 4 and 6 history and passing rates of at least 50 percent in grade 3 science and grade 3 history.
The percentage of schools earning a passing rate of 90 or greater has increased significantly since last year. (See table 1.) Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) Superintendent Jack D. Dale notes, “Many FCPS schools not only achieve the passing rates needed to earn accreditation in the core content areas but exceed the minimum requirement with passing rates over 90 percent, a sign that our students are not just being taught the basics but are also being challenged in their classes.”
### Note: For additional information, contact Kathy Oliver at 703-208-7779.
Table 1- Percent of Eligible Schools With 90 Percent or Higher Passing Rate
Individual school accreditation results can be found at the Virginia Department of Education School Report Card web site at: http://www.doe.virginia.gov/VDOE/src/accreditation.shtml.
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