Virginia Beach schools received 15 Exemplar Performance School Awards, the most of any Hampton Roads city. Presented for the first time by the state Board of Education (BOE), these awards recognize schools in the Commonwealth for exceeding state accreditation standards, narrowing achievement gaps and improving outcomes for students.

"Equity and high-quality instruction for all students regardless of ZIP code is what we continue to emphasize across our 86 schools and centers," said Virginia Beach City Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Aaron Spence. "Access to an excellent education is critical to student success and we are honored that our schools are being recognized for helping all students to succeed."

In the higher of two categories, called the Board of Education Highest Achievement Award, Virginia Beach schools received 9 of 52 awards presented across the Commonwealth. Virginia Beach schools recognized in this category were Bayside Elementary School, Christopher Farms Elementary School, Corporate Landing Elementary School, Green Run Collegiate, Kingston Elementary School, Malibu Elementary School, Old Donation School, Rosemont Elementary School and Shelton Park Elementary School. To earn this distinction, a school had to earn a state rating of accredited and meet the following benchmarks:

• 70% pass rate on state assessments in science and mathematics;
• 75% pass rate on state assessment in English reading and writing;
• No more than a 5% gap (for schools with two student demographic groups) or a 10% gap (for schools with three or more student demographic groups) in English reading and writing between the lowest-performing group and all other students in the school; and
• No more than a 5% gap (for schools with two demographic student groups) or a 10% gap (for schools with three or more student demographic groups) in mathematics between the lowest-performing group and all other students in the school.

Of the 183 schools recognized statewide with the Board of Education Continuous Improvement Award, six were from Virginia Beach: Alanton Elementary School, Frank W. Cox High School, Green Run High School, Hermitage Elementary School, Landstown High School and North Landing Elementary School. For this award, a school needed to earn a state accreditation rating of accredited or accredited with conditions and meet at least one of the following benchmarks established by the BOE:

• A cumulative 10-point increase over three years in the combined rates for reading and mathematics and in the pass rate for science, with improvement each year on each indicator;
• A cumulative 10-point increase over three years in the combined rates for reading and mathematics for two or more student groups, with improvement each year for each group on both indicators;
• A cumulative 15% decrease in the chronic absenteeism rate over three years, with a decrease each year; or
• For schools with a graduating class, a cumulative four-point increase in the Graduation and Completion Index over three years, with an increase each year, and a cumulative 15% decrease in the dropout rate, with a decrease each year.

The Exemplar Performance School Awards replace the BOE's Virginia Index of Performance (VIP) recognition program for schools. According to the Virginia Department of Education, this new program reflects the state's revised accreditation standards.

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Department of Communications and Community Engagement, [email protected]

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