Suffolk News-Herald

Nine of the city’s 17 schools will be fully accredited based on initial results from the Standards of Learning exams students took last month. Three elementary schools – Oakland, Southwestern and Nansemond Parkway – will be the newest additions to the school division’s list of accredited schools. The six that have already received full state accreditation include Driver, Florence Bowser, Kilby Shores and Northern Shores elementary schools and John Yeates and Forest Glen middle schools.

&uot;Fully accredited&uot; means that these schools have met the Virginia standards for 2006 of a 70 percent pass rate or better in English, mathematics, science and computer technology, and the 55 percent pass rate in history/social studies. The state has mandated that all public schools be fully accredited by 2006.

&uot;This is good news,&uot; said School Superintendent Dr. Milton Liverman. &uot;I’m real excited about the progress our students made this year.

&uot;Our goal is to have all of our schools fully accredited by this time next year.&uot;

That is a realistic goal since several of the schools that didn’t make the grade this year are just a few points shy of that 70 percent benchmark, Liverman said.

Elephant’s Fork, Mack Benn Jr. and Robertson elementary schools and King’s Fork Middle School are within five points of full accreditation, he said.

Additional gains in 2003 SOL scores suggest that Mount Zion and Booker T. Washington elementary schools, John F. Kennedy Middle School and Lakeland High School are within 10 point of full accreditation.

Data is incomplete on SOL scores at Nansemond River High School, making that school’s possible accreditation &uot;too close to call,&uot; said Bethanne Bradshaw, spokeswoman for the schools.