Grayson County Board of Education: A Comprehensive Overview
The Grayson County Board of Education plays a crucial role in shaping the educational landscape for students in the region. This article delves into various aspects of the educational system, from student assessment and graduation requirements to teacher qualifications and financial considerations. We will explore the data-driven insights into student performance, the pathways to graduation, and the resources allocated to support education within Grayson County.
Student Assessment and Performance
Virginia students undergo annual assessments in various subjects to gauge their academic progress. These assessments are aligned with the state's Standards of Learning (SOL). The Virginia Assessment Program encompasses these SOL tests and other statewide assessments in subjects like English reading and writing, history/social science, mathematics, and science. Data on student achievement, including the percentages of students demonstrating proficiency and advanced proficiency, is collected and analyzed.
Reading: Students are assessed annually in reading in grades 3-8 and once in high school using an end-of-course (EOC) reading test. Charts display the percentage of students passing these state reading tests, allowing for analysis of specific test results and student groups.
Writing: Writing skills are assessed in grade 8 and once in most high schools with a state EOC writing test. It's important to note that if a high school uses a locally developed writing assessment, those results are not included, as they are not reported to the Virginia Department of Education. Charts display the percentage of students passing state writing tests, and users can view results for specific tests and student groups.
Mathematics: Mathematics assessments occur annually in grades 3-8 and at the end of secondary courses like Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II, as needed to meet graduation requirements. Charts display the percentage of students passing state mathematics tests, with options to view results for specific tests and student groups.
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Science: Science is assessed in grades 5 and 8 and at the end of secondary courses such as Earth Science, Biology, and Chemistry, as needed for graduation. Charts display the percentage of students passing state science tests, allowing for filtering by specific tests and student groups.
History/Social Science: Students are assessed in history/social science once in elementary school (Virginia Studies), once in middle school (Civics and Economics), and at the end of secondary courses like Geography, World History I, World History II, and Virginia and United States History, as needed to meet graduation requirements. Charts display the percentage of students passing state tests in history/social science, with options to view results for specific tests and student groups.
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015 mandates annual testing in reading and mathematics in grades 3-8 and at least once during high school. It also requires states to assess students in science at least once during elementary, middle, and high school. Virginia's ESSA implementation plan sets targets for student proficiency. For example, it expects that by the 2023-2024 school year, at least 75 percent of all students will demonstrate grade-level proficiency by passing state reading tests, and at least 70 percent will demonstrate proficiency by passing state mathematics tests. Furthermore, the plan anticipates that at least 84 percent of all students will earn a Standard Diploma or an Advanced Studies Diploma within four years. Annual targets for student groups are based on improvement from the 2015-2016 school year.
Growth in reading and mathematics is considered when identifying elementary and middle schools for improvement and increased state support, as determined by ESSA. The percentage of students showing growth includes those passing state tests and non-passing students making significant progress.
Graduation Requirements and Diplomas
In Virginia, most students pursue either an Advanced Studies Diploma or a Standard Diploma. The Virginia On-Time Graduation Rate is calculated using four years of longitudinal student-level data, accounting for student mobility, enrollment changes, and local decisions regarding promotion and retention.
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Graduates are defined as students earning an Advanced Studies Diploma, Standard Diploma, Modified Standard Diploma, or Applied Studies Diploma. On-time graduates are those who earn one of these diplomas within four years of entering the ninth grade. Special education students and English learners with plans allowing them more time to graduate are counted as on-time graduates or non-graduates when they earn a diploma or exit high school.
To graduate with an Advanced Studies Diploma, a student must earn at least 26 standard units of credit by passing required courses and electives, and at least nine verified units of credit by passing Standards of Learning end-of-course assessments in English, mathematics, science, and history.
To earn a Standard Diploma, a student must earn at least 22 standard units of credit by passing required courses and electives, and at least six verified credits by passing end-of-course SOL tests or other assessments approved by the Board of Education.
Postsecondary Enrollment
Postsecondary enrollment reports track the number and percentage of Virginia high school graduates who enroll in higher education institutions within sixteen months of graduation. These reports include students who earned an Advanced Studies Diploma, International Baccalaureate Diploma, or Standard Diploma. Students who earned other Virginia Board of Education-approved diplomas are not included in the calculation.
It's important to note that these data represent the best available estimates of postsecondary enrollment. While there is no definitive source of all postsecondary enrollment records, the Virginia Department of Education and external researchers estimate that these reports capture at least 88 percent of Virginia public high school graduates’ postsecondary enrollments. The data is gathered through the Student Clearinghouse.
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Career and Technical Education (CTE)
Virginia's 16 career clusters help students explore various career options and develop a plan of study to achieve their career goals. Each career cluster contains multiple pathways that represent a common set of academic, technical, and workplace skills. These pathways lead to credentials that qualify students for a range of career opportunities. A CTE completer is defined as a student who has met the requirements for a career and technical concentration and all requirements for high school graduation or an approved alternative education program. Career and Technical Aptitude is a key focus within these programs.
Financial Aspects
Expenditures included in per-pupil calculations include actual personnel and non-personnel costs directly related to educational services provided to students in pre-kindergarten classes as well as in grades K-12. These calculations exclude expenditures not directly related to these educational services. School divisions report annually on expenditures and appropriations to meet each locality’s required local effort in support of the Standards of Quality and local match requirements for incentive and lottery-funded programs.
Most state support for public education is equalized to reflect each division’s capacity to support the required educational program. The Composite Index of Local Ability-to-Pay determines state and local shares of Standards of Quality costs for each division and local match requirements for incentive and lottery-funded programs. The federal government also provides assistance to state and local education agencies in support of specific federal initiatives and mandates, such as instructional services for economically disadvantaged students and students with disabilities.
School Nutrition Programs
Grayson County schools participate in federal programs to provide nutritious meals to students. These include the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program, both administered by the Department of Agriculture.
National School Lunch Program: This program provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to children each school day. Participating schools receive cash subsidies and donated commodities from the Department of Agriculture for each meal they serve. At the beginning of each school year, letters and meal applications are distributed to households of children attending school. Children from families with incomes at or below 130 percent of the poverty level are eligible for free meals. Those between 130 percent and 185 percent of the poverty level are eligible for reduced-price meals, for which students can be charged no more than 40 cents for lunch and 30 cents for breakfast.
School Breakfast Program: This federally assisted meal program provides nutritious breakfast meals to students. Breakfast menus must provide one-fourth of the daily recommended levels for protein, calcium, iron, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and calories. Schools receive reimbursement from the Department of Agriculture for each meal served.
Teacher Qualifications and Experience
Educator data is collected on the number and percentage of inexperienced teachers, principals, and other school leaders, teachers teaching with emergency or provisional credentials, and teachers who are not teaching in the field for which they are certified or licensed. This data is disaggregated by high-poverty compared to low-poverty schools.
Virginia defines “Inexperienced School Leader” as a principal or assistant principal with less than one school year of experience in the respective role. The Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) surveys all public schools and school districts in the United States. This data reports the percentages of teachers who are teaching out of field (not fully endorsed for the content they are teaching) or who are inexperienced (less than one year of classroom experience). Percentages are reported for Title I schools, non-Title I schools, all schools, and for high-poverty and low-poverty schools. Tables also report the percentages of all teachers and special education teachers who are teaching with a provisional license.
Addressing Student Absences
Virginia encourages schools to provide flexible, in-person instructional make-up time with a licensed teacher outside of normal school hours when a student is absent from school.
English Language Learners
The Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 requires states to set annual targets and long-term goals for increasing the percentage of English learners making progress toward attaining English-language proficiency.
Student Participation in Assessments
The Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 requires states to assess at least 95 percent of students in reading and mathematics in grades 3-8, and to test at least 95 percent of students in reading and mathematics at least once during their high school careers.
Kindergarten Readiness
Data is collected on the percentage of kindergarten students who were previously enrolled in a public preschool within a Virginia school division. Students who were enrolled in a public preschool program administered by a non-governmental agency, such as a Head Start program administered by a local nonprofit organization, are not included.
Multi-Divisional Online Providers (MOPs)
MOPs supply virtual teachers coupled with online content to K-12 students. Providers may offer one course or a full array of courses as an online course or program provider contracted with a local school division. Data shown on the MOP tab is limited to students who participate in approved MOP programs for all their classes. Since the approved courses and programs are online, students in these programs rarely reside within the school division boundaries.
Virginia Alternate Assessment Program
The Virginia Department of Education annually collects statistics on the number and percentage of students participating in the Virginia Alternate Assessment Program.
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