by Jackie Nunnery
LANCASTER—When School Quality Profiles were updated last week by the Virginia Department of Education, both Lancaster Elementary School (LES) and Lancaster High School (LHS) were accredited with conditions. This is the second year in a row for the high school, while last year LES was fully accredited.
Schools receive full accreditation when three school quality indicators—academic achievement, achievement gaps, and student engagement & outcomes—reach Level One (meets or exceeds state standards) or Level Two (near state standards or improving). Schools that receive one or more Level Three indicators (below state standards) receive accreditation with conditions.
Despite some challenges outlined in the data, “we continue to celebrate our student achievements and continue to identify gaps that need improvement,” said superintendent Jessica Davis. “We practice this throughout the year and when state accreditation is released, it can help with this identification process. As a division, all students grew in all four content areas and we have many highlights to be celebrated. LCPS was ranked 10th in the state for overall gains and LHS was ranked 13th in the state for overall gains….
