From A to F: Once-lauded Norfolk schools miss goals

NORFOLK

Four years ago, the Norfolk school division won the Broad Prize for Urban Education, drawing the prestige and affirmation that went along with one of the nation's top honors for school systems.

But earlier this month, administrators confirmed that preliminary numbers show Norfolk will be the only city in South Hampton Roads with schools that aren't fully accredited by the state this year. Five of the division's 49 schools are likely to fall short.

One of them, Lake Taylor Middle School, is expected to move a step closer to having its accreditation denied, a designation assigned to only a handful of the state's consistently low-performing schools that miss achievement goals over a period of years.

Is the school division is losing ground?

Councilman Paul R. Riddick said the division is "obviously" slipping. "It will certainly shine a dim light on our school district."

Vice Mayor Anthony L. Burfoot worried that the accreditation results could feed a perception that frightens people away from Norfolk and its schools.

"If you're trying to attract businesses and commerce to your city, you have to be aware of that perception," Burfoot said. "We have to be aware of how people make their decision."

Superintendent Stephen C. Jones says the school division is continuing to move forward.

"I don't think you can size the whole system up by saying 'Five schools didn't make accreditation, therefore the whole system stinks,' " Jones said in an interview earlier this month. "I'm happy that we're making the progress that we're making in a lot of areas."

In the early 2000s, Norfolk students' gains on the Virginia Standards of Learning tests earned national notice.

The school division won the Broad Prize after two years as a finalist. The award recognizes high achievement, improvement and closing achievement gaps in districts with a significant percentage of low-income and minority students.

Norfolk was ineligible for the prize for the following three years. This year, it wasn't among the five finalists.

Broad researchers noted that proficiency for most student groups in Norfolk has continued to increase, but the gains have happened more slowly than in the state and Virginia districts serving students with similar family incomes.

"Norfolk Public Schools clearly led the pack in 2005," communications director Erica S. Lepping said in an e-mail. "With efforts to accelerate student improvement relative to the state, the district can once again be among the top urban American districts."

Broad researchers say that between 2006 and 2008, Norfolk narrowed the achievement gap between low-income and other students in math, and also increased the percentage of black students taking SAT, ACT and Advanced Placement courses. Their SAT participation rate rose by 10 percentage points.

Recent results show progress for Norfolk under the federal No Child Left Behind law. This year, Norfolk was one of only two South Hampton Roads school divisions to increase the number of schools meeting federal benchmarks, from 31 to 33 schools.

The number of Norfolk schools expected to be fully accredited by the state this year remained the same as last year: 44 of 49 schools.

Virginia's schools can be fully accredited, warned, conditionally accredited or denied accreditation based on how many students pass the Standards of Learning tests. A school receives a warning if pass rates fall below a minimum in any subject. Schools that are warned for more than three years in a row can be denied accreditation or assigned a "conditionally accredited" rating if the school division makes major changes at the school.

Lake Taylor, which had about 750 students last year, is entering its third year with a conditional accreditation - the last allowed by the state before denial.

Two other Norfolk middle schools - Lafayette-Winona and Northside, with 780 and 930 students respectively last year - also are expected to receive that designation this year. Administrators have attributed their performance to difficulties related to new history tests. Preliminary results show Lindenwood Elementary and Ruffner Academy receiving warnings.

Only a handful of Virginia's 132 school divisions have schools that are conditionally accredited or have been denied accreditation, and the number of schools in that position is expected to decrease this year, said Kathleen Smith, director of the office of school improvement for the Virginia Department of Education.

Two Portsmouth schools that received the conditionally accredited rating last year - Brighton Elementary and Cradock Middle - are expected to shed that designation this year after meeting state standards.

Their success means all 20 Portsmouth schools are likely to be fully accredited - a change that Superintendent David Stuckwisch describes as the difference between day and night.

"The gold standard is accreditation," he said. "That's what everyone understands. It's the difference between winning and losing."

Smith said Lake Taylor is on track.

"They're doing exactly what needs to be done in that building," she said. "They certainly have made progress, and they're certainly very close."

Lake Taylor's biggest problem is high teacher turnover, a common issue with struggling schools, Smith said.

Cathy Lassiter, Norfolk's executive director of middle schools, said some teachers find working at Lake Taylor challenging because of the additional scrutiny. Some were forced to leave. Others became discouraged when the school missed government goals.

"There is a core of teachers at Lake Taylor Middle who are still green, who are very good," Lassiter said. "You cannot make a 20-year veteran out of a third-year teacher, no matter how much you try and how hard they work."

When Lakeicha Ward first heard that Lake Taylor was conditionally accredited, she didn't want her son to attend the school. Two years later, her feelings haven't changed.

Ward lauded a Lake Taylor social studies teacher who phoned her several times about her son's academics last year. But she said her son's education generally suffered because of teachers who struggled to control their classes.

"I don't think they're doing what they're supposed to be doing," Ward said.

In seventh grade at Lake Taylor last year, Janet Rosser's daughter suddenly started failing math, a subject she'd previously done well in. Other students had the same experience, she said.

"I never did figure out what the problem was," Rosser said. "After the teacher left, all the kids' grades went back to what they were capable of doing."

The division has tapped four of its best math teachers this year to provide experienced instruction for students and guidance for newer teachers. Norfolk school leaders also have requested more support from state math specialists.

If Lake Taylor fails next year, the division could close the school, merge it with a higher-performing school or enter a legal agreement with the Virginia Board of Education on an improvement plan.

Councilman Riddick said he holds the superintendent accountable for the school division's performance and has suggested that a change is needed.

Jones is predicting full state accreditation for all of Norfolk's schools next year.

"If they don't, I'll kiss a pig," he said. "On the lips."

Amy Jeter, (757) 446-2730, amy.jeter@pilotonline.com