SMYTH COUNTY SCHOOLS ACCREDITED
By GLENNA CRABTREE BULLINS/Staff/Smyth County News-Messenger
Chilhowie Elementary, Chilhowie High, Chilhowie Middle, Marion Intermediate, Marion Middle, Marion Primary, Northwood High, Northwood Middle, Saltville Elementary and Sugar Grove Combined schools have all been fully accredited.
Atkins Elementary, Rich Valley Elementary and Marion Senior High schools were provisionally accredited/meets state standards.
“We certainly appreciate the dedication, effort and hard work of the students, parents and teachers. Our teachers have responded nobly. We put it all together this past year, and the three schools who are not fully accredited are close, and all of this is two years before the deadline to be fully accredited,” said Dr. Marvin Winters, Smyth County Superintendent of Schools, at a meeting of the Smyth County School Board Monday night.
In relation to the counties surrounding Smyth, Dr. Phillip Hopkins, chairman of the school board, said, “We lead the way in schools that are accredited.”
Dr. Winters said, “I feel good about what everybody’s done. It’s a good way to retire to have this, but it still leaves some challenges.”
Hal Campbell, North Fork District representative on the school board, suggested the board draw up a resolution congratulating the schools on their achievements. Board members agreed, and Dr. Winters said he plans to meet with faculty and staff to say thank you and express the board’s appreciation for all the hard work that has gone into the process.
“We need to acknowledge the hard-working staff we have. It’s important to let them know we appreciate them,” said Paul Grinstead, Royal Oak District representative on the school board.
SOL testing first began during the 1997-1998 school year. The same tests are given at each school in the state in the four core areas of English, math, social studies and science.
Students who will graduate in 2004 must pass six of the SOL tests in order to meet requirements for a high school diploma. Two of those six tests must be in English, with the other four in areas elected by the student.
Students graduating in 2008 must pass two tests in English, one in math, one in science, one in social studies and one in an area elected by the student, requiring this group to show ability in each of the core areas.
Each of the 10 schools receiving full accreditation, scored 70 or higher in each of the four core areas. Of the three schools that did not receive full accreditation, each of those schools scored below 70 in one or more core areas.
Schools who follow block scheduling, are tested near the end of the first semester in December, and again in late spring. Those two scores are averaged together to get the school’s score for the year.
Schools on the seven-period class day are tested once in the spring of the year.
Of the county high schools, Northwood and Chilhowie have block scheduling. Marion Senior High is the only high school on the seven-period class day.
Earlier this year, the school board voted to place Marion Senior High on block scheduling, but rescinded that vote and allowed MSHS to remain on the seven-period class day after parents, teachers and students told the board that switching Marion Senior to block scheduling would be detrimental to the student’s education.
Reach Glenna Crabtree Bullins at 783-5121 or gbullins@naxs.net.