Lynchburg City Schools

“We are excited to have made Adequate Yearly Progress as a school division for the second year in a row. Lynchburg City Schools has worked vigorously to meet the requirements of No Child Left Behind. Our administrators, teachers and staff understand the importance of ensuring that all students have equitable learning opportunities and that students individual needs are met in order for them to achieve education success. It has been the goal of the school division to make decisions and use resources in ways that will best promote increased student achievement. We want the community to learn more about No Child Left Behind and the increased standards that we will continue to work toward. Preparing our students for their future takes a community effort and Lynchburg continues to support its schools,” says Dr. Paul McKendrick, superintendent.

“There is good news in these results” said Dr. Stephen Smith, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction. Even with the increased requirements and new reading and math tests in grades 4, 6, and 7, eleven of our schools made 100% AYP, and all of the others made at least 27 of the 29 targets.”

The eleven Lynchburg City Schools who met the federal education law’s requirements for increased student achievement are: William Marvin Bass Elementary, Dearington Elementary School for Innovation, Heritage Elementary, Linkhorne Elementary, Thomas C. Miller Elementary School for Innovation, Paul Munro Elementary, Robert S. Payne Elementary, Sandusky Elementary, Sheffield Elementary, E.C. Glass High School, Heritage High School. Schools not making adequate yearly progress this year include Bedford Hills Elementary, Linkhorne Middle School, Sandusky Middle School and Dunbar Middle School for Innovation. Perrymont Elementary School is to be determined. Only two Title I - schools have had to offer public school choice due to previous year’s adequate yearly progress: Perrymont Elementary School, who is out of public school choice this school year due to making AYP for two straight years and Heritage Elementary School who made Adequate Yearly Progress for this school year, but is required to offer public school choice for a second year. Both schools are also Fully Accredited based on the 2005-2006 Virginia Standards of Learning scores.

“The scores earned by the students at Heritage Elementary School last spring were outstanding. The administration, faculty, parents, and students all worked very hard, and they should be proud of what they have accomplished. In addition, the community support for Heritage remains strong, as fewer than 10% of parents expressed an interest in public school choice for the current school year,” says Dr. Smith.

The shift from cumulative assessments in reading and mathematics in elementary and middle school to annual testing in grades 3-8 increased the rigor of the commonwealth’s assessment program, especially in middle school mathematics, by assessing deeper into the content at each grade level. Virginia’s Standards of Learning (SOL) for middle school mathematics are designed to prepare students for Algebra I by grade 8, and at the latest, grade 9. Lynchburg City Schools middle school students experienced lower scores in this area as a whole; but as in previous years, when new assessments are administered to students, the scores increase after students become more familiar with the assessments and the information.

Lynchburg City Schools has developed an academic assessment program for schools that experience challenges in certain academic areas. A team of administrators and supervisors specifically work with the administration and staffs at the schools to review their academic programs, methods and processes; in doing so, the staff at each school review their programs, make the necessary changes for their students and experience success at their school. The school division administration works with those schools to provide the necessary resources and support needed to continue making progress for our students.

Meeting adequate yearly progress is a year by year process and the measurement of progress increases annually. The AYP goals in reading and math increase by four percent each year until they reach a required pass rate of 100% for the tests administered in the spring of 2014.

For more information about Lynchburg City Schools progress, No Child Left Behind and the Virginia Standards of Learning, please contact Dr. Stephen Smith, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction at 522-3700, ext. 103 or Dr. Paul McKendrick, superintendent at 522-3700, ext. 101.