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Alexandria City Public Schools students passed state assessments below Virginia averages in every tested subject, according to new School Quality Profiles released Tuesday by the Virginia Department of Education.
The data, published under a redesigned statewide accountability framework, shows ACPS pass rates lagging the state by 4 to 18 percentage points in core subjects:
The district’s on-time graduation rate is 83.9 percent, compared to 92.7 percent statewide.
New performance categories
Under the state’s new School Performance and Support Framework, schools are assigned to one of four categories: Distinguished, On Track, Off Track, or Needs Intensive Support.
One ACPS school — Lyles-Crouch Elementary — earned Distinguished status. Three schools were rated On Track: Alexandria City High School, George Washington Middle School, and Naomi L. Brooks Elementary.
Four elementary schools were classified as needing intensive support: Cora Kelly School for Math, Science and Technology; Ferdinand T. Day Elementary; Mount Vernon Elementary; and William Ramsay Elementary.
All ACPS schools were rated “Accredited with Conditions.” Superintendent Dr. Melanie Kay-Wyatt said in a letter to families Tuesday that the rating resulted from “two procedural items requiring correction related to the Code of Conduct Handbook and School Improvement Plan postings on the school webpages,” which the district addressed in August.
Writing assessment
The state report shows an 8 percent pass rate in writing for ACPS, down from 71 percent the previous year. However, the figure does not reflect district-wide performance.
ACPS did not administer the state writing SOL to most students this year, instead using an alternative assessment approved by the state. The Alexandria Times reported in September that the district confirmed the opt-out. The 8 percent represents a small group of students who took the state exam, so few that VDOE suppresses the exact count.
Results from the alternative assessment are not published on the School Quality Profiles.
Neighboring Arlington County, which administered the state writing exam, reported an 89 percent pass rate. Fairfax County, which also uses an alternative assessment, reported 16 percent.
The Alexandria Brief asked ACPS what alternative assessment was used and what the pass rate was on that test. I’ll update this story if I receive a response.
District response
In her letter to families, Kay-Wyatt emphasized the new framework’s higher expectations.
“The state’s new accountability system raises the bar for all school divisions by emphasizing high expectations for every student, which has always been our focus,” she wrote. “This shift does not signal a decline in performance, but an intentional strengthening to ensure students are challenged and engage in rigorous, high-quality instruction.”
The district highlighted that all five schools identified last year for improvement in specific student groups met their targets this year.
ACPS spends $19,632 per student annually, compared to the state average of $15,286.
The Virginia Board of Education is considering potential adjustments to the new accountability system, according to the superintendent’s letter. ACPS said additional information would be shared in Friday’s newsletter to families.
See the full report for ACPS here.
