Newly released Virginia Department of Education data show 13 of the 16 Lynchburg City Schools to be fully accredited, and programs are already in place to boost achievement for all students.
Three schools, Paul Laurence Dunbar Middle School for Innovation, Sandusky Middle School, and Heritage Elementary School, received a status of accredited with warning in math after falling short of the 70 percent benchmark. All schools exceeded the mark in all other subject areas, which included English, history and science.
Instructional programs were put in place at the beginning of the school year to support students in math and help them apply their knowledge to solve multi-step problems.
At the elementary level, identified students are enrolled in MIND Research’s ST Math program, an innovative visual approach to teaching math. In addition to regular classroom instruction in mathematics, students will work in ST Math for 90 minutes per week.
At all three middle schools, identified students are now scheduled into two periods of math instruction. Additional resources including hands-on manipulatives are available in all math classes to help students master the concepts.
At the high school level, built in remedial time, peer tutoring, relationship building, and encouragement of extracurricular activities are in place to bolster academic achievement in all subject areas.
All 16 schools this year are working on school improvement plans, regardless of their accreditation status. The school plans are in step with the division-wide Comprehensive Plan that focuses on Achievement, Behavior and Culture.