Published on Thu., December 5, 2013

Lynchburg City Schools continues to track data around Achievement, Behavior and Culture

Student behavior continues to improve in Lynchburg City Schools, specifically in the areas of student attendance and suspensions.

Following the placement of truancy and security attendants at each of the division’s 11 elementary schools, data shows an 87.64 percent decline in the number of elementary students with seven or more unexcused absences compared to this time last year. Division-wide, the drop was 46.18 percent (see attached report for details). Superintendent Scott Brabrand attributes the improvement in elementary attendance to the new truancy and security attendants that were put in place at all elementary schools this year. “With this new position, we are able to keep better track of students who are not coming to school and address student needs before it’s too late,” he says. “We are grateful for the support from the school board and the city that enabled us to put these positions in place.”

The number of students with at least one suspension decreased division-wide by 25.33 percent compared to the same time last year. New initiatives including the elementary alternative school, the Positive Behavior Interventions and Support program and the division-wide discipline matrix were introduced this year.

 “We are confident this improvement in attendance and suspensions will have a positive impact on our school division and our community as a whole,” Brabrand says.  

In the area of grade distribution, LCS students saw slight drops in As and Bs, while Ds and Fs are up a bit (see attached report for details). This is the second straight year that LCS students have been graded consistently on a 10-point grading scale.

A possible explanation for lower grades at the secondary level is that more students are taking more rigorous courses. The number of students in advanced, AP and dual enrollment courses increased across the board compared to last year by 7, 34 and 71 percent, respectfully.

“We are going to take a deeper look into the grades in our advanced classes,” says Brabrand. “We need to be sure we have fully implemented the proper supports for our students to be successful in these rigorous classes. We also need to analyze how grade distribution aligns with SOL performance.”

Parent Involvement data, which is an indicator for Culture, is tracked at the school level this year due the new implementation of Raptor. Last year, data was tracked by number of volunteer applications received, and we saw a 24 percent increase. We are hoping for continued growth this year.

Click here for the 2012-2014 LCS Comprehensive Plan

 

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