School Accreditations

The number of Alexandria City Public Schools with full accreditation now stands at 11. The Schools which reached the state benchmark as measured by the Spring 2002 Standards of Learning (SOL) tests are: Charles Barrett Elementary, Patrick Henry Elementary, Lyles-Crouch Traditional Academy, Douglas MacArthur Elementary, George Mason Elementary, James K. Polk Elementary, William Ramsay Elementary, Samuel W. Tucker Elementary, Francis C. Hammond Middle, George Washington Middle, and Minnie Howard Ninth Grade School.

Four more schools were classified as provisionally accredited/meets state standards, which means they made significant progress toward reaching full accreditation. These schools are: John Adams Elementary, Mount Vernon Community, Cora Kelly School for Math, Science, and Technology, and T.C. Williams High.

Jefferson-Houston School for Arts and Academics was classified as provisionally accredited/needs improvement because it did not meet state benchmarks in English, mathematics, and science.

Two schools received an accredited with warning status because their pass rates were 20 or more points below the benchmarks. Maury Elementary missed the benchmarks in English and mathematics, while the Secondary Training and Education Program (STEP) missed the benchmarks in mathematics and science. Intensive local and state plans have been implemented to help these schools boost student achievement during the 2003-04 school year and beyond.

In October 2003, the Virginia Department of Education released its latest list of fully accredited schools, which includes: John Adams Elementary School, Cora Kelly School for Math, Science, and Technology, and T.C. Williams High School. The accreditation status will be based on the results of the spring 2003 SOL tests.

In addition, four schools were classified as “provisionally accredited/meets state standards,” indicating the schools made significant progress toward reaching full accreditation. These schools are John Adams Elementary, Mount Vernon Community, Cora Kelly School for Math, Science, and Technology, and T.C. Williams High. Jefferson-Houston School for Arts and Academics was classified as “provisionally accredited/needs improvement” as it did not meet state benchmarks in English, mathematics, and science. Two City schools, Maury Elementary and the Secondary Training and Education Program (STEP), received an “accredited with warning” status as their pass rates were 20 or more points below the state benchmarks. Intensive local and state plans have been implemented to help these schools boost student achievement during the 2003-04 school year and beyond.

Rebuilding T.C. Williams High School

In December 2002, the Alexandria City School Board voted to approve a plan to rebuild the new T.C. Williams High School on the site where the 38-year-old high school currently sits. By choosing to rebuild the facility instead of making piecemeal renovations, the School Board opted to provide a completely new, state of the art learning environment that will be filled with high tech classrooms, inviting spaces for reading and working, and a cafeteria that will be able to accommodate all students on any given day.

The new school will feature “learning communities,” where students will be organized in small learning groups for their core courses and later take elective and specialty courses with students from across the entire school. The new facility will include environmentally sustainable design concepts for greater energy efficiency and lower operating costs, including more than 30 sustainable design features such as underground water storage tanks that will recycle rainwater for toilet flushing, cooling, and irrigating athletic fields. Other sustainable design elements will include erosion and sediment control, reduced light pollution and increased use of natural daylight, recycled building materials, and water efficient landscaping. Finally, extensive planning by an educational program committee will result in more effective instructional programs for all students and will ensure that every student will graduate with a diploma and/or certificate that signifies solid preparation for postsecondary education or a career.

Expansion and Renovation of George Washington Middle School

The newly renovated and expanded George Washington Middle School opened its doors with the rest of Alexandria’s schools on September 2, 2003. The construction included a new sixth grade wing, media center, and auxiliary gymnasium, as well as extensive renovations to the existing building. The facility features separate “learning houses” for sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students, with administrative offices located in each house.

Increased Instructional Time

The academic calendar for the school year 2003-04 contains three more teaching days. The increase in instructional time is designed to impact student performance and the accreditation status of schools. Teacher contracts were extended by two days in order to accommodate the extra instructional days, with the third day previously a teacher work day. All teachers are receiving an increase in salary between $1,200 and $3,900, based on their placement on the salary schedule.

Rising SAT Scores

Members of the T.C. Williams High School Class of 2002 that took the SAT test scored 7 points higher in verbal and 6 points higher in math compared to scores reported in 2001. A total of 364 test takers, representing 60% of graduating seniors, had a mean verbal score of 485 and a mean math score of 491 for a combined total of 976.

Over the past five years, Alexandria’s verbal scores have increased by 10 points, while Virginia’s have increased by 3 points, and the national average has dropped 1 point. Likewise, Alexandria’s math scores have increased 13 points over five years, while state and national scores have increased 7 and 4 points, respectively.

In addition, the percentage of SAT test takers who were minorities was 59%, compared to Virginia’s 32% and the nation’s 35%. More ACPS students taking the SAT were from families with incomes below $30,000 (33%) than was the case for Virginia (18%) and the nation (22%). The percentage of ACPS test takers with a first language other than English was 15%, which was far higher than Virginia’s 5% or the nation’s 9%. A higher percentage of ACPS test takers had parents with no high school diploma than did Virginia or the nation.

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