Partnership for Achieving Successful Schools

The Partnership for Achieving Successful Schools (PASS) has targeted schools that are having difficulty reaching targeted AYP and accreditation benchmarks. PASS fosters community development and features specific intervention strategies that have been used effectively in high-poverty rural and urban schools in Virginia.

Coaches, trained by VDOE and proven to be effective in working with high-poverty schools, provide support to the principal throughout the year, meeting at least twice per month to discuss the implementation of the school improvement plan, analyze assessment data, and plan staff development strategies. Most importantly, coaches assist principals in focusing their energies on important aspects of instruction throughout the year.

Coaches and principals work as a team to focus on maximizing the use of instructional time. Ensuring that there is as much time as possible in the school day for instruction is critical in order to provide extra time needed for individual students to master required skills.

Using data from the benchmark assessments, coaches assist principals in making modifications to improve instructional delivery and develop individual student remediation programs. They also assist principals in determining the effectiveness of those remediation programs.

A remediation and data specialist is assigned to work with teachers to develop remediation plans based on the nine weeks’ and SOL assessments. The data specialist analyzes data to diagnose specific strengths and weaknesses of the students.

Additional technical assistance from the Office of School Improvement is given at least monthly to PASS principals. This assistance includes the use of time-on-task monitoring tools, strategies for ensuring participation of students with disabilities in the general curriculum and monitoring discipline. Additional technical assistance is based on the needs of the principal and school.

The PASS Initiative is a catalyst for partnerships between schools, families, and the community to help increase SOL performance in Virginia’s academically at-risk schools. The notion of partnerships, of marshalling support from the larger community, is a major tenet of the PASS Initiative. The creation of partners – Virginia business and community organizations that have agreed to support the schools and bring in additional resources from the community - helps to transcend such boundaries.

Partners provide assistance to PASS schools through the commitment of time, material donations, sponsorship, personnel (mentors, tutors, on-site volunteers and trainers for professional development courses), as so on. Partners come from the business world and the local community – including government entities, civic and faith-based organizations. PASS was awarded national recognition in 2003 by the Southern Growth Policies Board for Leadership Development and Civic Engagement.

Three components are critical to every successful PASS partnership:

• Each partnership requires commitment: Only committed partners will see success. A Memorandum of Understanding will be drawn up and a verified ability to deliver on the promise is needed.
• Each partnership is built upon consistency: Each partner must fulfill the promises it makes. Regular assessments will be conducted.
• Each partnership thrives on coordination: Meetings, visits, events, trips, etc must be carefully coordinated to yield their full benefits to our schoolchildren. Priority will be given to academic needs and support services.

The PASS business and community partnership plan is divided into three areas of support.

Academic Support

Business and community partners may help by providing the following resources:

Mentors / Tutors
Mentors and tutors provide children with the attention of a caring adult. A positive relationship can greatly enhance a child’s self-esteem. When children have high self-esteem, they are more successful in school. The Virginia Mentoring Partnership, in collaboration with the PASS Initiative, provides expert training to individuals who wish to mentor or tutor students in any of the Priority Schools.

Junior Achievement
Junior Achievement programs span grades K-12, with age appropriate curricula designed to teach elementary students about their roles as individuals, workers, and consumers and to prepare middle grade and high school students for key economic and workforce issues they will face.

School Volunteers
There are a variety of ways you can help your local school. A number of the schools are in need of additional assistance in the office, media center, lunchroom, or classroom.

Career Day Speakers
Volunteers are welcome to share information about various career opportunities; awakening dreams and sparking the children’s imagination!

Family Support

Designated state and local government bodies and community organizations may be able to provide the following family support:

• Social Services — Child Support enforcement, counseling, FAMIS enrollment, job training, etc.
• Adult Literacy Services — GED instruction, computer training, etc.
• Health — Medical screening, dental care, child care*, etc.

*Through a grant made possible from the Virginia Department of Health, certain local YMCA’s offer discounted child care!

Facility Support

Business and community partners may help the PASS initiative by providing the following kinds of school facility support:

• Landscaping
• Recreational Equipment
• Electrical / Lighting Needs
• HVAC
• Interior Design / Painting
• Furniture
• Technology Infrastructure
• School Supplies
• Other Equipment

Become a PASS Partner

If you are interested in helping out in one or more of the areas mentioned above, please contact the Office of School Improvement at 804-786-9421.