Norfolk hopes to solve math problems

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) - While the Virginia Department of Education released statistics showing 93 percent of schools meet SOL standards, schools in Hampton Roads are struggling in areas.

According to the Virginia Department of Education, 93 percent of Virginia’s 1,836 schools are fully accredited and meet all state standards in the following subjects: English, mathematics, science and history. Several schools in Hampton Roads are accredited with warning, while Lafayette-Winona Middle School in Norfolk was denied accreditation for the third year in a row.

Norfolk Public Schools spokeswoman Elizabeth Mather said that’s because the school fell short of the 70 percent passing rate for mathematics, but she added the school had an increased passing rate in English, science and history.

“For example…Lafayette-Winona Middle, which [has] struggled in multiple content areas during previous years, significantly increased pass rates in other core subjects besides math,” Mather said.

In total, 14 schools in Norfolk are not fully accredited. Mather said half of those schools have not reached the passing rate requirement in mathematics due to the new SOL math tests introduced last spring.

Other school systems in Hampton Roads are accredited as follows:

• Chesapeake – fully accredited
• Hampton – Six schools accredited with warning
• Newport News – Eight schools accredited with warning
• Virginia Beach – Two schools accredited with warning
• Suffolk – Two schools accredited with warning
• Portsmouth – Four schools accredited with warning

“The School Board and Dr. [Samuel T.] King have identified seven division improvement priorities for this school year, and the top priority is full accreditation,” Mather added.

“We feel a sense of urgency to earn full accreditation for our schools,” Dr. King said. “This community deserves nothing less than a fully accredited school Division.”

Thirty-one schools in Norfolk did receive full accreditation, including Maury and Lake Taylor high schools, which were provisionally accredited the previous year.

Click here to view all School Accreditation Ratings.

Stay with WAVY.com for more on this developing story.