RICHMOND, Va. — Plenty of smiles around Miles Jones Elementary School in Richmond. Jones Elementary is now fully accredited by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE).
Jones is one of 28 schools statewide it have "earned full accreditation after undergoing reconstitution last year," according to the VDOE.
"Reconstitution involves significant changes in school leadership, governance, faculty or instruction," a VDOE spokesperson added.
Jones joins more than 1,500 other Virginia public schools to be rated as Fully Accredited.
Eighty-six percent of Virginia public schools earned the distinction based on "the performance of students on Standards of Learning and other state-approved assessments in English, mathematics, science and history during 2016-2017," the VDOE said. "This represents a five-point improvement over last year, when 81 percent of schools earned the state’s top accountability rating."
In Central Virginia, all schools in Amelia County, Charles City County, Colonial Heights, Dinwiddie County, Goochland County, Hanover County, Louisa County, New Kent County, and Powhatan County were Fully Accredited.
"Sussex County — which had been subject to a memorandum of understanding with the state Board of Education since 2004 — is among the divisions with all schools Fully Accredited this year," the VDOE added.
The following information was provided by the Virginia Department of Education.
Thirteen schools that were denied state accreditation during 2016-2017 because of persistently low achievement are now Fully Accredited as a result of successful efforts to raise student achievement. These schools, by division, are as follows:
Accomack County — Arcadia Middle
Bedford County — Moneta Elementary
Chesterfield County — Ettrick Elementary
Dinwiddie County — Dinwiddie County Middle
Hopewell — Patrick Copeland Elementary
Lunenburg County — Lunenburg Middle and Victoria Elementary
Lynchburg — T.C. Miller Elementary
Newport News — Willis A. Jenkins Elementary
Norfolk — Tanners Creek Elementary
Portsmouth — Park View Elementary
Richmond — Elizabeth D. Redd Elementary
Westmoreland County — Cople Elementary
Twenty-eight schools earned full accreditation after undergoing reconstitution last year. Reconstitution involves significant changes in school leadership, governance, faculty or instruction. Reconstitution plans must be approved by the state Board of Education. These schools are as follows:
Amelia County — Amelia County Middle
Campbell County — Rustburg Middle
Chesapeake — George W. Carver Intermediate and Portlock Primary
Cumberland County — Cumberland Elementary
Franklin — Joseph P. King Jr. Middle
Hampton — Aberdeen Elementary, Alfred S. Forrest Elementary and Jane H. Bryan Elementary
Harrisonburg — Thomas Harrison Middle
Henrico County — Cashell Donahoe Elementary and Sandston Elementary
Lynchburg — E.C. Glass High
Martinsville — Albert Harris Elementary and Martinsville High
Mecklenburg County — South Hill Elementary
Newport News — Heritage High and T. Ryland Sanford Elementary
Norfolk — Norview Middle and Sherwood Forest Elementary
Northampton County — Occohannock Elementary
Nottoway County — Blackstone Primary and Nottoway Intermediate
Richmond — Miles Jones Elementary
Roanoke — Garden City Elementary and Westside Elementary
Rockbridge County — Natural Bridge Elementary
Virginia Beach — Bayside Middle
Eighty-eight schools in 27 divisions are denied state accreditation for 2017-2018 because of persistently low student achievement. These schools are as follows:
Accomack County — Metompkin Elementary
Alexandria — Jefferson-Houston Elementary (sixth consecutive year)
Amherst County — Madison Heights Elementary
Buckingham County — Buckingham County Elementary, Buckingham County Middle and Buckingham County Primary
Chesapeake — Camelot Elementary, Rena B. Wright Primary and Truitt Intermediate
Danville — Edwin A. Gibson Elementary, G.L.H. Johnson Elementary, O. Trent Bonner Middle, Park Avenue Elementary, Schoolfield Elementary, Westwood Middle and Woodberry Hills Elementary (third consecutive year)
Essex County — Essex High (third consecutive year)
Franklin — S.P. Morton Elementary
Greensville County — Belfield Elementary, Edward W. Wyatt Middle and Greensville Elementary
Halifax County — Sinai Elementary
Hampton — John Tyler Elementary
Henrico County — Elko Middle, Glen Lea Elementary, Harold Macon Ratcliffe Elementary, Laburnum Elementary and L. Douglas Wilder Middle (fourth consecutive year)
Hopewell — Harry E. James Elementary
Lancaster County — Lancaster Middle
Lynchburg — Linkhorne Elementary, Linkhorne Middle, Sandusky Middle and William M. Bass Elementary
Newport News — Carver Elementary, Crittenden Middle, George J. McIntosh Elementary, Hidenwood Elementary (second consecutive year) and Huntington Middle (second consecutive year)
Norfolk — Azalea Gardens Middle, Blair Middle, Coleman Place Elementary, Jacox Elementary, Lake Taylor High, Lake Taylor Middle (fourth consecutive year), Lindenwood Elementary (fifth consecutive year), P.B. Young Sr. Elementary (third consecutive year), Richard Bowling Elementary, Tidewater Park Elementary (third consecutive year) and William H. Ruffner Middle (sixth consecutive year)
Page County — Luray Elementary
Petersburg — J.E.B. Stuart Elementary and Vernon Johns Middle (twelfth consecutive year)
Portsmouth — Brighton Elementary, Cradock Middle, Douglass Park Elementary, John Tyler Elementary, Westhaven Elementary and William E. Waters Middle
Richmond — Armstrong High (third consecutive year), Binford Middle, Blackwell Elementary, Chimborazo Elementary, G.H. Reid Elementary, George Mason Elementary, Ginter Park Elementary, Henderson Middle, J. L. Francis Elementary, Lucille M. Brown Middle, Martin Luther King Jr. Middle (third consecutive year), Oak Grove/Bellemeade Elementary, Overby-Sheppard Elementary, Richmond Alternative School (third consecutive year), Swansboro Elementary (second consecutive year), Thomas C. Boushall Middle, Thomas Jefferson High, Westover Hills Elementary and Woodville Elementary
Shenandoah County — North Fork Middle and W.W. Robinson Elementary
Staunton — Bessie Weller Elementary (third consecutive year)
Suffolk — Booker T. Washington Elementary, John F. Kennedy Middle and Mack Benn Jr. Elementary
Warren County — Ressie Jeffries Elementary
Waynesboro — Wenonah Elementary and William Perry Elementary
Westmoreland County — Montross Middle
Ninety-two 92 schools are at risk of being denied accreditation for 2017-2018.
Priority schools must design and implement school-reform models that meet state and federal requirements. The 33 schools identified as Priority schools for 2017-2018 are as follows, by division:
Accomack County — Metompkin Elementary
Alexandria — Jefferson-Houston Elementary
Buckingham County — Buckingham County Elementary and Buckingham County Primary
Danville — Woodberry Hills Elementary
Franklin — S.P. Morton Elementary
Halifax County — Sinai Elementary
Hampton — A.W.E. Bassette Elementary
Henrico County — L. Douglas Wilder Middle
Lynchburg — Dearington Elementary/Innovation
Newport News — Horace H. Epes Elementary, Newsome Park Elementary and Sedgefield Elementary
Norfolk — Campostella Elementary, Chesterfield Academy Elementary, Jacox Elementary, James Monroe Elementary and Lake Taylor Middle
Petersburg — Vernon Johns Middle
Prince William County — Belmont Elementary
Richmond — Binford Middle, Blackwell Elementary, Chimborazo Elementary, Elkhardt Thompson Middle, G.H. Reid Elementary, Ginter Park Elementary, Henderson Middle, John Marshall High, Martin Luther King Jr. Middle, Oak Grove/Bellemeade Elementary, Richmond Alternative, Swansboro Elementary and Woodville Elementary
Focus schools must employ state-approved, school-improvement coaches. Focus schools retain their designation for a minimum of two years unless they no longer receive federal Title I funding. The 48 Focus schools for 2017-2018 are as follows, by division:
Albemarle County — Mary Carr Greer Elementary, Paul H. Cale Elementary, Red Hill Elementary and Woodbrook Elementary
Alexandria — William Ramsay Elementary
Bedford County — Moneta Elementary
Bristol — Highland View Elementary
Brunswick County — Totaro Elementary
Campbell County — Altavista Elementary
Danville — G.L.H. Johnson Elementary
Fairfax County — Graham Road Elementary, Herndon Elementary and Saratoga Elementary
Franklin County — Rocky Mount Elementary
Greensville County — Greensville Elementary
Halifax County — Clays Mill Elementary
Henrico County — Glen Lea Elementary, Harold Macon Ratcliffe Elementary, Highland Springs Elementary and Montrose Elementary
Hopewell — Patrick Copeland Elementary
Lunenburg County — Kenbridge Elementary and Victoria Elementary
Lynchburg — William M. Bass Elementary
Martinsville — Martinsville Middle and Patrick Henry Elementary
Montgomery County — Prices Fork Elementary
Nelson County — Tye River Elementary
Newport News — Hidenwood Elementary
Norfolk — Norview Elementary, Richard Bowling Elementary, St. Helena Elementary and William H. Ruffner Middle
Page County — Stanley Elementary
Petersburg — Robert E. Lee Elementary
Prince Edward County — Prince Edward Middle
Richmond — Albert Hill Middle, Armstrong High, George Mason Elementary, George Wythe High, J.L. Francis Elementary, Lucille M. Brown Middle and Westover Hills Elementary
Shenandoah County — W.W. Robinson Elementary
Spotsylvania County — Riverview Elementary
Staunton — Bessie Weller Elementary
Suffolk — Booker T. Washington Elementary
Westmoreland — Washington District Elementary
