Virginia schools continue to show marked improvement under the state’s accreditation system—especially compared with where schools began five years ago.
State officials announced last week that 84 percent of the state’s more than 1,800 public schools earned full state accreditation, based on last school year’s test scores.
Nearly nine of 10 elementary schools in the state now have met their accreditation goals, despite higher test-score targets in some academic subjects. Middle schools and high school percentages were not available. Last year, 78 percent met the standards.
When the state introduced the system—based on its Standards of Learning tests—in 1999, only 2 percent of public schools met their test-score goals. While 270 schools are not meeting their goals, that is half the total from last year.
