School accreditation ratings for 2009-10 are based on student achievement on Standards of Learning (SOL) tests and other tests in English, mathematics, history/social science and science administered during 2008-09 or on overall achievement during the three most recent years. The results of tests administered in each subject area are combined to produce overall passing percentages in English, mathematics, history/social science and science.

Accreditation ratings also reflect adjustments made for schools that successfully remediate students who initially fail reading or mathematics tests. Adjustments also may be made for students with limited English proficiency and for students who have recently transferred into a Virginia public school. All of these factors are taken into account in calculating pass rates in each subject area.

Schools receive one of the following ratings:

Fully Accredited
High schools and middle schools are fully accredited if students achieve pass rates of 70 percent or above in all four content areas.

A combined pass rate of at least 75 percent on English tests in grades 3 - 5 is required for full accreditation at the elementary school level, and for other schools with students in these grades. Elementary schools also must achieve a pass rate of at least 70 percent in mathematics and in grade 5 science and grade 5 history, and pass rates of at least 50 percent in grade 3 science and grade 3 history.

Accredited with Warning
A school receives this rating if pass rates are below the achievement levels required for full accreditation. 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.

Accreditation Denied
A school is denied accreditation if it fails to meet the requirements to be rated fully accredited for three consecutive years. Schools that have been denied accreditation are subject to corrective actions prescribed by the Board of Education and agreed to by the local school board through a signed memorandum of understanding.

A school board must submit a corrective action plan to the Board of Education within 45 days of receiving notice of a school being denied accreditation describing the steps to be taken to raise achievement to state standards. The Board of Education will consider the plan in developing the memorandum of understanding, which must be in force by November 1 of the year for which the school has been denied accreditation. As an alternative to the memorandum of understanding, a local school board may choose to reconstitute a school rated “Accreditation Denied” and apply to the Board of Education for a rating of “Conditionally Accredited.”

Conditionally Accredited
New schools that are comprised of students from one or more existing schools will be awarded this status for one year pending an evaluation of the performance of students on SOL tests and other statewide assessments. This rating may also be awarded to a school that is being reconstituted. A school rated as “Conditionally Accredited” following reconstitution will revert to a status of “Accreditation Denied” if it fails to meet the requirements for full accreditation by the end of the agreed upon term, or if it fails to have its annual application for such rating renewed.