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Bonsack, Burlington, Green Valley earn state Highest Achievement Award
The state Board of Education June 19 recognized 235 schools for high student achievement or continuous improvement under the board’s new exemplar performance school recognition program. In all, seven schools in Roanoke County were recognized by the Board of Education.
The board approved the criteria for the new awards in April 2018. The exemplar performance school recognition program is aligned with the Board of Education’s revised accreditation standards and replaces the Virginia Index of Performance recognition program.
“The exemplar performance awards criteria are designed to complement the commonwealth’s recently revised accreditation standards and help school divisions focus resources where they are most needed to ensure that all children are receiving a high-quality education,” Board of Education President Daniel A. Gecker said. “The awards recognize schools that are exceeding state accreditation standards and schools that are making continuous improvement in improving outcomes for students and in narrowing achievement gaps.”
The recognized schools include 52 schools that earned the Board of Education Highest Achievement Award and 183 schools that earned the Board of Education Continuous Improvement Award.
To earn the Board of Education Highest Achievement Award, a school must earn a state accreditation rating of Accredited, and meet the following benchmarks:
- 70-percent pass rate on state assessments in science and mathematics;
- 75-percent pass rate on state assessment in English reading and writing;
- No more than a five-percent gap (for schools with two student groups) or a 10-percent gap (for schools with three or more student groups) in English reading and writing between the lowest-performing group and all other students in the school; and
- No more than a five-percent gap (for schools with two student groups) or a 10-percent gap (for schools with three or more student groups) in mathematics between the lowest-performing group and all other students in the school.
Three schools in Roanoke County earned the Highest Achievement Award:
- Bonsack Elementary School
- Burlington Elementary School
- Green Valley Elementary School
To earn the Board of Education Continuous Achievement Award, a school must earn a state accreditation rating of Accredited or Accredited with Conditions and meet at least one of the following benchmarks for improved performance on accreditation-related school quality indicators:
- A cumulative 10-point increase over three years in the combined rates for reading and mathematics and in the pass rate for science, with improvement each year on each indicator:
- A cumulative 10-point increase over three years in the combined rates for reading and mathematics for two or more student groups, with improvement each year for each group on both indicators;
- A cumulative 15-percent decrease in the chronic absenteeism rate over three years, with a decrease each year; or
- For schools with a graduating class, a cumulative four-point increase in the Graduation and Completion Index over three years, with an increase each year, and a cumulative 15-percent decrease in the dropout rate, with a decrease each year.
Four schools in Roanoke County earned the Continuous Improvement Award:
- Glenvar High School
- Hidden Valley High School
- Mountain View Elementary School
- Oak Grove Elementary School
“I’m extremely proud of the hard work of all our schools,” said Roanoke County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Ken Nicely. “Every day, our teachers and staff strive to help our students prepare to take advantage of whatever opportunities come their way. These awards recognize the outstanding work of our schools,” Dr. Nicely said.
“I congratulate the principals, teachers, support staff and students of all of these schools for the academic successes and hard work these awards represent,” Superintendent of Public Instruction James Lane said. “I am especially pleased to see schools that went unrecognized under the previous awards program receive the recognition they deserve for consistent gains in academic achievement and successful efforts to reduce absenteeism and dropout rates.”