VDOE SCHOOL ACCREDITATION

The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) accredits schools based on the achievement of students on Standards of Learning (SOL) assessments in English, history/social science, mathematics, and science. Assessment results in each subject area are combined to produce an overall pass rate, which is adjusted to account for Limited-English Proficient students, transfer students and successful remediation of students in reading and/or math. In addition, schools are required to meet all of the standards outlined in the Regulations Establishing the Standards For Accrediting Public Schools in Virginia.

ACCREDITATION RATINGS

According to the Virginia Department of Education (2016), schools will receive one of the following ratings:

Fully Accredited
Elementary and middle schools are Fully Accredited if students achieve all of the following adjusted SOL pass rates:

English (Reading and Writing combined) — 75 percent or higher
Mathematics — 70 percent or higher
Science — 70 percent or higher
History/Social Science — 70 percent or higher

High schools are Fully Accredited if:
Students achieve the adjusted SOL pass rates described above and attain a point value of 85 or greater on the Graduation and Completion Index (GCI).

Partially Accredited: Approaching Benchmark-Pass Rate
Schools that are not Fully Accredited, but within a two-point narrow margin of the adjusted SOL pass rates required for full accreditation, receive this rating.

Partially Accredited: Approaching Benchmark-Graduation and Completion Index
High schools that have attained the adjusted SOL pass rates required for full accreditation, and are within one point of the GCI required for full accreditation, receive this rating.

Partially Accredited: Improving School-Pass Rate
Schools that are not Fully Accredited and do not qualify for a rating of Partially Accredited: Approaching Benchmark-Pass Rate, but are making acceptable progress toward full accreditation, receive this rating.

Partially Accredited: Improving School-Graduation and Completion Index
High schools that have attained the adjusted SOL pass rates required for full accreditation and improved their GCI by at least one point from the previous year, but are not within a narrow margin of the GCI required for full accreditation, receive this rating.

Partially Accredited: Warned School-Pass Rate
Schools that are not within a narrow margin of, nor making acceptable progress toward achieving the adjusted SOL pass rates required for full accreditation, receive this rating.

Partially Accredited: Warned School-Graduation and Completion Index
High schools that have achieved the adjusted SOL pass rates required for full accreditation, but are not within a narrow margin of, nor making acceptable progress toward achieving the GCI required for full accreditation, receive this rating.

Partially Accredited: Reconstituted School
Schools that fail to meet the requirements for full accreditation for four consecutive years and receive permission from the state Board of Education to reconstitute receive this rating. A reconstituted school reverts to accreditation-denied status if it fails to meet full accreditation requirements within the agreed-upon term, or if it fails to have its annual application for Partially Accredited-Reconstituted School renewed.

Accreditation Denied
A school receives this rating if it fails to meet the requirements for full accreditation for four consecutive years.

Conditionally Accredited
A rating of Conditionally Accredited is awarded for one year to a new school — comprising students who previously attended one or more existing schools — to provide the opportunity to evaluate the performance of students on SOL tests and other statewide assessments.

• Accountability and Virginia Public Schools
• 2017-2018 Accreditation Ratings for PWCS By School (PDF)