All Suffolk Public Schools are fully accredited by the Virginia Department of Education, the VDOE announced today.

The schools had to meet state standards for student achievement in English, mathematics, history and science based on the 2007-2008 SOL scores. Ninety-five percent of Virginia’s public schools statewide met the benchmarks, which is the highest percentage of schools reaching full accreditation since statewide testing began 10 years ago.

To achieve the accreditation, a pass rate of at least 70 percent in all four subject areas is required in middle and high schools. In elementary schools, a combined pass rate of at least 75 percent on English tests in grades 3-5 is required for full accreditation. Elementary schools also must achieve pass rates of at least 70 percent in mathematics, grade 5 science and grade 5 history, and pass rates of at least 50 percent in grade 3 science and grade 3 history.

The state accreditation results do not change the performance based on federal No Child Left Behind standards, which are more stringent than state standards. This year, eight of the 20 schools missed the federal benchmarks for English and math.