New Kent schools fully accredited, improve on AMOs

All four New Kent schools have met the requirements to be recognized as fully accredited school for the 2013-14 academic year.

Director of curriculum and instructor Dr. Byron Bishop made the announcement at New Kent school board’s Monday night work session. Bishop commented that each school passed the Standards of Learning test with above average scores and that New Kent was one of 22 school divisions in the state where all schools are fully accredited.

District 5 representative Dr. Gail Hardinge commented about the success of the schools and the achievements to earn the recognition.

“This is a testament to our teachers for all they have done in the classroom,” she said. “It also shows the progress and hard work the students have put in.

“To be the fourth lowest in the state on money spent per student, it shows that we are accomplishing great things,” she concluded.

Bishop also commented on the district’s annual measurable objectives (AMOs). While the school division as a whole met the federal standards, two schools fell below the benchmark.

George Watkins Elementary fell short in one subgroup in reading, while New Kent Middle did not meet the standards for reading when it came to students with disabilities. However, both of those schools did improve significantly in math and reading, something Bishop says will grow to make sure both schools meet full AMOs with New Kent Elementary and New Kent High School.

“Those are the things we are going to focus on,” Bishop said, pointing to reading strategies for students at George Watkins and New Kent Middle. “We have made strides to improve and will continue to implement plans to do so.”

Superintendent of schools Dr. David Myers commented that the intention is to continue to improve scores across the board, not only for SOLs but AMOs, as well.

“I am still nervous with reading and writing at the elementary level,” Myers said. “Right now, we’re hovering about the state average of 75 percent at the reading level but I want to improve on that.

“My goal is to move that percentile into the 80s,” the superintendent continued. “As long as we move in that direction as our trends have been showing, we will be fine.”

In other New Kent school news:

–Announced New Kent Elementary School as a Distinguished Title I school. The designation is presented to a school that meets a 60 percent passing rate in math and English on SOLs, is fully accredited, and met all federal AMOs.

–Announced the enrollment of the school division is 2,983 as of Sept. 15. Currently, 673 students are enrolled at New Kent Elementary, 664 at George Watkins Elementary, 701 at New Kent Middle, and 945 at New Kent High School. That projection is currently 63 above the average daily membership (ADM) projection of 2,920 for the year. Myers commented that the enrollment does not include the number of preschool students and students who attend the governor’s school and other outside education programs.