Tuesday, August 04, 2009
14 schools appear to pass federal test
Official results will not be released until later this summer, Roanoke's superintendent said.
Roanoke Superintendent Rita Bishop told a joint meeting of the city council and school board Monday that early indications suggest that 14 of the city's 28 schools met federal benchmarks last year. Another five schools are waiting to hear a final determination, she added.
Official results will not be released until later this summer. Last year, 16 city schools met the federal standards under the No Child Left Behind Act. Depending on the number of schools whose statuses remain to be determined, the city could end up with more schools meeting the standards this year than last year. It's still unclear which schools met the mark this year.
"We're holding our breath on that," she said.
Under No Child Left Behind, schools are judged on their pass rates on state reading and mathematics tests. In order to meet the benchmark, known as Adequate Yearly Progress, schools must also show that all demographic groups in the school have met the required pass rate. The cutoff rate increases every year, making it progressively more difficult for schools to meet AYP.
Roanoke school officials have already said that 26 of 28 schools met state accreditation standards.
Bishop also said she expects the graduation rate to improve, pointing to the new Forest Park Academy, which last year awarded diplomas to more than 100 students.
"I shook an awful lot of hands at graduation," she said.
The Virginia Department of Education is expected to release the graduation rate in October.
Bishop said the school system will put in place new instruction programs in writing and math to boost pass rates on state tests and give high school graduates a better foundation for college work.
School board member Jason Bingham also told the city council that 60 Roanoke high school graduates will be going to Virginia Western Community College for free this fall under a new program organized by the city school system and the college.
Another 42 students who didn't qualify for a full scholarship got some federal financial aid to attend the college thanks to the program, he said.
