Megan Williams

mwilliams@newsleader.com

The state Department of Education released information Wednesday on how schools across the commonwealth performed on Standards of Learning tests this past spring. The state also released accreditation ratings for each school — fully accredited, partially accredited, denied accreditation and, for some, a to-be-determined rating.

Waynesboro High School was accredited with a warning last year, having not met the math benchmark. The school improved its pass rates from 64 percent last year to 79 percent this year and received a rating of fully accredited.

Three out of six schools in Waynesboro received the "to be determined" status. Kate Collins Middle, Wenonah Elementary and William Perry Elementary schools failed to meet standards in at least one subject area for the fifth year in a row. They will apply for a status of "reconstitution," which means that despite missing the mark in a subject area, they have shown some improvement. If the state determines that the schools don't meet the standards for reconstitution, they will be denied accreditation.

That is what happened this past year to Staunton's Bessie Weller Elementary School. The school is in its second year of trying to improve on test scores. Only 8 percent of the schools across the state are awaiting an accreditation rating, and only 2 percent were denied accreditation.

Kate Collins and William Perry failed to make the mark in English, while Wenonah missed the mark in all four subject areas of English, math, history and science. The state Board of Education will determine the status of these schools toward the end of the year, said India Harris, secondary coordinator and K-12 testing.

Harris said that the school division has applied for reconstituted school status, but this being the first year they've had to take that action, the outcome is unknown.

"We're hopeful," she said. "It's the first year... We're just waiting to hear what the board says."

Staunton, Augusta County schools see SOL improvement

In the hopes of improving test scores this year, the school division is looking most closely at its reading program. A new reading program has been adopted at the elementary schools and grades six and seven. The new program focuses more on comprehension and metacognition, which measures not just an understand of a topic, but awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes.

Of the three schools that received the "to be determined" status, Wenonah struggled the most on SOL tests last year. Sixty-two percent of students passed the English SOL, 69 percent passed math, 50 percent passed in history and 48 percent passed the science SOL tests.

Despite this, Wenonah Elementary School is no longer considered a federal focus school, Harris said. She made the announcement to teachers and staff after school on Wednesday. Virginia Department of Education website states that: "Focus schools must employ a state-approved contractor to help the division develop, implement and monitor intervention strategies to improve the performance of students at risk of not meeting achievement standards or dropping out of school."

Staunton's Bessie Weller and Augusta County's Verona Elementary are focus schools.

A call to Wenonah Elementary School Principal Tanya Carter was not immediately returned on Wednesday.

The news of the school division's potential accreditation denials brought out reactions from community members.

"I know people in Waynesboro like to mention that they pay less taxes than Staunton, but I'd rather have higher taxes if it means a higher quality of education in our public schools," said Waynesboro resident Maria Goldberg on Facebook.

Eighty-one percent, or 1,482, of Virginia’s 1,825 public schools are rated Fully Accredited for 2016-17, a 3-point improvement over 2015-16, when 78 percent of schools earned the state’s top accountability rating.

By school

State accreditation status of all area schools

Augusta County:

Beverley Manor Elementary School- fully accredited

Beverley Manor Middle School- warned in English

Buffalo Gap High School- fully accredited

Cassell Elementary School- fully accredited

Churchville Elementary School- fully accredited

Craigsville Elementary School- fully accredited

Clymore Elementary School- fully accredited

Fort Defiance High School- fully accredited

Stump Elementary School- fully accredited

North River Elementary School- fully accredited

Riverheads Elementary School- warned in English

Riverheads High School- fully accredited

Stewart Middle School- fully accredited

Stuarts Draft Elementary School- warned in English

Stuarts Draft Middle School- fully accredited

Stuarts Draft High School- fully accredited

Verona Elementary School- warned in English

Wilson Elementary School- fully accredited

Wilson Middle School- fully accredited

Wilson Memorial High School- fully accredited

Staunton:

Ware Elementary School- fully accredited

Bessie Weller Elementary School- denied accreditation

McSwain Elementary School- fully accredited

Shelburne Middle School- warned in English

Robert E. Lee High School- fully accredited

Waynesboro:

​Berkeley Glenn Elementary School- fully accredited

Kate Collins Middle School- To be determined

Waynesboro High School- fully accredited

Wenonah Elementary School- To be determined

Westwood Hills Elementary School- fully accredited

William Perry Elementary School- To be determined

Bessie Weller fights back