Exemplar Performance Awards
Schools are identified for exemplar performance under the Board of Education’s authority prescribed in the Regulations Establishing the Standards for Accrediting Public Schools in Virginia (8VAC20-131.410) which states:
Recognitions and rewards for school and division accountability.
Schools and divisions shall be recognized by the board in accordance with guidelines the board shall establish for the Exemplar School Recognition Program to recognize (i) schools or school divisions that exceed board-established requirements or show continuous improvement on academic and school quality indicators and (ii) schools, school divisions, and school boards that implement effective, innovative practices. Such recognition may include:
- Public announcements recognizing individual schools and divisions;
- Tangible rewards;
- Waivers of certain board regulations;
- Exemptions from certain reporting requirements; or
- Other commendations deemed appropriate to recognize high achievement.
In addition to board recognition, local school boards shall adopt policies to recognize individual schools through public announcements, media releases, and participation in community activities when setting policy relating to schools and budget development, as well as other appropriate recognition.
The last time any of these recognitions were given was in the 2019-2020 school year. Due to the pandemic, accreditation was waived in 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 and therefore, there was not accreditation data available for selection of these awards. The recognition cycle began again with accreditation year 2022-2023, based on 2021-2022 school year data.
Highest Achievement Award
For the 2022-2023 award year, 48 schools met the criteria for the Highest Achievement Award. These schools are listed in Appendix A. Schools identified for this recognition must meet all of these criteria using 2021-2022 school year data:
The school must be Accredited.
The school meets state benchmark in reading, math and science (75 percent for reading and 70 percent for math and science) based on the current year pass rate on state assessments (not including growth or English Learner progress);
All student groups within the school meet state benchmarks in reading and math (75 percent for reading and 70 percent for math) based on the current year pass rate on state assessments (not including growth or English Learner progress), and
For schools with two student groups, there is no more than five percentage points between the lowest performing group and all other students in the school; or
For schools with three or more student groups, there is no more than ten percentage points between the lowest performing group and all other students in the school
Please visit the VDOE website for more information.