by Megan Schiffres
CLARAVILLE—Following the loss of the middle school’s full accreditation status by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), the Northumberland County schools system is implementing several new programs to address the achievement gaps in writing and English assessments that persist throughout the district.
Every year the VDOE evaluates public schools across the state based on academic achievement, taking into account schools’ achievement gaps, student engagement and graduation rates. Performance on each school quality indicator is rated on three levels, with a Level 1 rating indicating the school meets or exceeds standards of accreditation or has shown significant improvement compared to last year. Level 2 ratings mean they are near standards set by the state or have shown sufficient improvement from Level 3, and Level 3 indicates performance is below state standards, or performance on a quality indicator classified as Level 2 has not improved for more than four consecutive years.
This year, Northumberland Middle School was accredited with conditions after…