"Buford Middle and Walker Upper Elementary schools in Charlottesville have been placed on academic warning by the state Department of Education, according to accreditation ratings released Wednesday.

Buford fell short in both the English and mathematics Standards of Learning tests last school year, while not enough Walker sixth-graders passed the mathematics test to meet state-mandated guidelines.

Seventy percent of Buford students had to pass SOL content tests in English, mathematics, history and science for the school to achieve full state accreditation. Seventy percent passed the history test and 73 percent passed the science exam, meaning the school met the state benchmarks. But 63 percent passed the English test and 51 percent passed the mathematics exam, earning Buford the “warning” status.

At Walker, 70 percent of students needed to pass the mathematics, history and science tests, and 75 percent are required to pass the English evaluation. Sixty-four percent of sixth-grade students there passed the math SOL exam, causing the state to label the school as “accredited with warning.” The school met all other passing rates required by the state.

William Monroe Middle School in Greene County, a fully accredited division last year with all five of its schools meeting state standards, was put on academic warning because only 52 percent of students passed the SOL test in mathematics. The school met the passing-rate benchmark in English, history and science.

Because Buford, Walker and William Monroe Middle schools have the warning status, the state will perform academic reviews on them, and each is required to adopt and implement school improvement plans that the state will monitor.

Harley Miles, supervisor of assessment for city schools, said school administrators will meet with leadership teams from all nine schools in the division to pinpoint problem areas and offer support to remedy them.

“Our intense focus is to make sure all students, no matter the ability or learning needs, will have their needs met,” Miles said, adding that new Superintendent Rosa Atkins is dedicated to improving student achievement.

All 25 Albemarle County schools were fully accredited for the third straight year.

“Like any high-performing organization, we want to do what we can to continue to improve,” said Bruce Benson, director of instruction for Albemarle schools.

The state first used SOL tests to assess students in 1998. Buford has yet to achieve full accreditation.

Explaining why Buford students have had difficulties meeting the passing grades, Miles said the middle school years are “interesting” and that focusing students on academics can be a challenge.

“We do have some concerns at Buford, and we are working at that,” he said.

Tim Flynn, Buford’s principal, said that the school is assessing students on a more regular basis to identity those who need extra help.

He said the school is working to develop a more cohesive curriculum that can be applied in the classroom.

“In the past, we’ve had pockets of success,” Flynn said. “The key is stretching that across all four content areas. When you know you’re in a situation where you need to improve, you need to spend time looking at what is successful and carry that over and sustain it year after year.”

Charlottesville High School was able to spread success over each content area, receiving full accreditation this year. Last year, CHS was on academic warning.

CHS Principal Kenneth Leatherwood attributed the improvement to the extra work done by staff and students, who underwent a two-week review “blitz” prior to the SOL tests last year. Teachers met with students after school and during lunch in preparation for the tests.

“Our goal is to raise the achievement level for all students so every child can reach their full potential in every subject,” Leatherwood said.

Statewide, 91.7 percent of schools earned full accreditation, while 7.6 percent were accredited with warning. Six schools were denied accreditation, marking the first time since Virginia started its rating system that any school has lost accreditation.

When the state started SOL assessment eight years ago, only 2 percent of schools met the standards for full accreditation. Each year students in more schools passed, reaching a high-water mark this year.

Buckingham County mirrors the statewide trend. When its schools were first evaluated, none was accredited. All six schools in the division earned full accreditation this year. Dillwyn Primary and Buckingham Middle schools were accredited with warning last year.

“It’s been a very cooperative venture,” said Larry Massie, superintendent of Buckingham schools.

“The School Board deserves credit for standing firm when principals and teachers introduced new programs that were met with some resistance at the beginning,” he said.

Massie attributed the improvement to a more uniform curriculum, more emphasis on collaborative planning by teachers and a 5-percent raise in teacher salaries announced last year that he said helped retain highly qualified teachers.

School accreditation standards differ from those outlined in Adequate Yearly Progress, whose results were released earlier this year. AYP is part of the national No Child Left Behind program that focuses on math and reading proficiency, while school accreditation is a statewide assessment." (Matt Deegan, The Daily Progress, September 28, 2006)