Accreditations Discussed at Charlotte Co. School Board Meeting

The Charlotte County School Board held their monthly meeting on October 14, 2014 at 7 p.m. at the Charlotte County Administration Building.

The first new order of business discussed included FAMO and the accreditation status of Charlotte County Public Schools.  The Virginia Accreditation status for 2014-2015, based on achievement results from 2013-2014, concluded that Eureka Elementary, Central Middle School and Randolph-Henry High School were fully accredited for the year.  However, Bacon District Elementary (year 1 reading, year 2 math) and Phenix Elementary (year 2 math) were accredited with warning.  According to the Virginia Department of Education, “School accreditation ratings reflect student achievement on Standards of Learning Assessments and other tests in English, history/social science, mathematics and science. Ratings are based on the achievement of students on tests taken during the previous academic year and may also reflect a three-year average of achievement. Adjustments also may be made for students with limited English proficiency and for students who have recently transferred into a Virginia public school. Accreditation ratings also may reflect the success of a school in preparing students for retakes of SOL tests.”

An accreditation with warning is received when a school’s pass rate is below the requirement to receive full accreditation (75% English, 70% Math, Science, History).  As outlined by the Virginia Department of Education, “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 school may hold this rating for no more than three consecutive years. In addition, high schools earning a GCI less than the provisional benchmark for the year are rated as Accredited with Warning.” Based on figures provided by the Virginia Department of Education, 30% (545) of schools in the state of Virginia are accredited with warning and no division in Region 8 had all schools fully accredited.  Central Middle School is the only middle school in Region 8 with full accreditation for the 2014-2015 school year and 60% of Charlotte County schools are fully accredited.

Sharon Hall, Executive Director of Instruction, transitioned the conversation to the topic of FAMO (Federal Annual Measurable Objectives).  The Virginia Department of Education describes AMO’s as a way to reduce the gap between low and high performing schools, replacing the AYP (Annual Yearly Progress).  “The AMOs represent the percentage of students within each subgroup that must pass Standards of Learning (SOL) tests in reading and mathematics in order to make acceptable progress over six years. While the AMOs represent yearly goals for low performing schools, all schools must meet these objectives.” Charlotte County Schools meeting all of the AMOs included Central Middle School, Eureka Elementary and Phenix Elementary. Randolph-Henry High School (related to graduation index) and Bacon-District Elementary (one “no”) did not meet all of the AMO’s and are required to complete a school improvement plan.

The next order of business on the agenda involved appropriation requests and field trip requests.  Edwige Pack asked for appropriation on two grants that Charlotte County received, which included the “Race to GED” ($52,179) and “Individual Student Alternative Education Plan” ($7,859).  The motion to appropriate was made, then seconded by Brette Arbogast.  In addition, the board reviewed field trip requests.  The motion was made by Ned Locke to accept them all and it was then seconded.

During this part of the meeting, board member Jay George raised concerns about changing the meeting time to an earlier hour due to the distance some employees and members had to drive.  George made a motion to move the meetings to 5:30 p.m. for the months of November and December.  The motion was seconded and everyone voted in favor, except for Bill Devin, who opposed.