Ninety-Five Percent Of Fairfax County Public Schools Earn Full State Accreditation

Ninety-five percent of Fairfax County public schools have earned full accreditation from the Virginia Department of Education, based on results from the 2003-04 Standards of Learning (SOL) tests. The percentage of schools earning full accreditation is up from 91 percent in 2002-03 and is well above the statewide figure of fully accredited schools at 84 percent. All FCPS general education middle and high schools are fully accredited, and the Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) figures include alternative schools.

Of the 188 schools included in the state report, a total of 178 schools are now fully accredited; three schools are designated as “to be determined” (TBD or awaiting alternative accreditation determination). One school is listed as having “no determination,” meaning there is insufficient data; this school is currently undergoing review to determine alternative accountability measures. Six schools are accredited with warning.

Although the number of schools accredited with warning has increased from two last year to six this year, this is due to a change in definitions and criteria for warning status rather than to decreased achievement in these schools. To be accredited with warning in previous years, a school had to be below the accreditation pass rates by at least 20 percentage points. This year, to be accredited with warning means that a school may be only one percentage point below the accreditation pass rate. For example, a school could have a 69 percent pass rate, when a 70 percent pass rate is required, so the school is accredited with warning. (Definitions of these classifications can be found at http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/src/vasrc-accred-rate-descr.shtml).

“This year, possibly more than ever before, we have reason to celebrate the achievement of our schools in regard to state accreditation,” said FCPS Superintendent Jack D. Dale. “The 95 percent rate not only continues our upward march toward our goal of 100 percent accreditation, but does so under higher standards than in previous years. Our fully accredited schools have gone from 112 four short years ago to178 this year.”

In previous years, schools were held to accreditation benchmarks in the four content areas of English, math, history, and science. The benchmark in all these areas was a 70 percent pass rate. This year, a combined accreditation pass rate of at least 75 percent on English tests in grades 3 and 5 is now required for full accreditation. History and science, which used to be combined at the elementary level, now have individual benchmarks for grade 3 and grade 5.

“With the increase in the pass rate needed in English at the elementary level and the breakout of the history and science scores, there had been some concern that the number of our schools meeting accreditation benchmarks might actually decrease this year,” continued Dale. “But once again, our students and staff members, through their continued hard work, have risen to the challenge.”

The attached table shows the overall accreditation attained by all schools in FCPS as well as the pass rates in each content area.

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Note: For more information, contact Ray Diroll at 703-208-7780.