School Accreditation Ratings
State Summary
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. You may also be interested in School Improvement & Reform which assists low-performing schools and school divisions to implement effective instructional strategies and best practices to increase student achievement.
| Accreditation Rating | Number of Schools | Percent of All Schools |
|---|---|---|
| Fully Accredited | 1,716 | 93% |
| Accredited with Warning | 99 | 5% |
| Accreditation Denied | 4 | <1% |
| Provisionally Accredited | 6 | <1% |
| Conditionally Accredited (New Schools) | 9 | <1% |
| Conditionally Accredited (Reconstituted Schools) | 2 | <1% |
| Total Schools | 1,836 | 100% |
Note: Updated January 10, 2013
School Accreditation Ratings
The documents below show the accreditation ratings of individual schools. Schools are grouped by school division. The information provided for each school includes the current accreditation rating and passing percentages for Standards of Learning assessments and substitute tests in English, mathematics, history/social science, and science.
The files below are in Excel format.
Accreditation Benchmarks
| School Type or Grade Level | English | Mathematics | Science | History | Graduation & Completion Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary | 75% | 70% | 50% – Grade 3 70% – Grades 4-5 |
50% – Grade 3 70% – Grades 4-5 |
Not applicable |
| Middle | 70% | 70% | 70% | 70% | Not applicable |
| High
(includes schools with a graduation class) |
70% | 70% | 70% | 70% | 85 points |
Rating Descriptions
School accreditation ratings for 2012-2013 are based on student achievement on Standards of Learning (SOL) tests and other tests in English, mathematics, history/social science and science administered during 2011-2012 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.
Fully Accredited
High schools and schools with a graduating class are Fully Accredited if students achieve pass rates of 70 percent or more in all four content areas and attain a point value of 85 or greater based on the Graduation and Completion Index (GCI).
Middle schools are Fully Accredited if students achieve adjusted 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.
Graduation & Completion Index – Accreditation Factor for High Schools
Accreditation ratings for high schools include a Graduation and Completion Index. This accountability measure was approved by the Board of Education in 2009. The GCI calculation awards full credit for students who earn a Board of Education-approved diploma and partial credit for other outcomes, as displayed in the table below.
The GCI calculation comprises students in the cohort of expected on-time graduates (students who were first-time ninth graders four years ago, plus transfers in and minus transfers out) and “carryover” students from previous cohorts. A student earning a diploma who entered ninth grade for the first time five years ago is an example of a carryover student. Carryover students are included in annual GCI calculations until they graduate or otherwise leave school. Students with disabilities and limited-English proficient students are included in the GCI calculation when they earn a diploma, GED or certificate of completion; drop out or otherwise exit high school; or are no longer eligible for free public education services.
| OUTCOME | POINT VALUE |
| Board-Recognized Diploma | 100 |
| GED | 75 |
| Still in School | 70 |
| Certificate of Program Completion | 25 |
| Dropout | 0 |
The weighted index points are totaled and then divided by the total number of cohort students and carryover students who earned a credential or stayed in school, plus all cohort and carryover students who dropped out or left school without earning a credential. In the following example, the 80 students in a school earn a total of 7,155 points and achieve a GCI of 89.
| OUTCOME | CALCULATION | RESULTS | |
| # of students | Point value | # of students x Point value | |
| Diplomas | 66 | 100 | 6,600 |
| GEDs | 3 | 75 | 225 |
| Certificates of Completion | 2 | 25 | 50 |
| Students still in school | 4 | 70 | 280 |
| Dropouts | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 80 | 7,155 | |
GCI: 7,155 ÷ 80 = 89 |
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A GCI of 85 is required for full accreditation. High schools with a GCI of 81-84 are eligible for a rating of provisionally accredited-graduation rate until 2015-2016, as shown in the following table.
| PROVISIONAL ACCREDITATION BENCHMARKS | ||
| Academic Year | Accreditation Year | Point Value |
| 2011-2012 | 2012-2013 | 81 |
| 2012-2013 | 2013-2014 | 82 |
| 2013-2014 | 2014-2015 | 83 |
| 2014-2015 | 2015-2016 | 84 |
Schools earning a rating of provisionally accredited-graduation rate must undergo an academic review. The provisionally accredited-graduation rate will not be awarded after 2015-2016.
High schools earning a GCI less than the provisional benchmark for the year are rated as accredited with warning.
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