COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA
Office of the Governor

Timothy M. Kaine                                         FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Governor                                               January 15, 2009

Contact:                 Gordon Hickey                                        Charles Pyle/DOE
Phone:                   (804) 225-4260                                                    (804) 371-2420
Cell Phone:           (804) 291-8977                                      
Internet:                www.governor.virginia.gov                        www.doe.virginia.gov

 

GOVERNOR KAINE RECOGNIZES HIGH-PERFORMING VIRGINIA PUBLIC SCHOOLS

~ 162 Earn Governor’s Excellence Awards;      

Board of Education Honors Additional Schools & School Divisions ~

 

RICHMOND – Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced that 162 Virginia public schools have earned the 2009 Governor’s Award for Educational Excellence. The award is the highest honor under the Virginia Index of Performance (VIP) incentive program created by the Board of Education to advance Governor Kaine’s “competence to excellence” agenda to encourage advanced learning and achievement in the Commonwealth’s public schools. Last year, 89 schools received the award.

 

“The fact that nearly twice as many schools met or exceeded the rigorous criteria for the award this year speaks to the progress Virginia’s public schools are making,” Governor Kaine said. “It also speaks to the wisdom of the Commonwealth’s approach of including in its accountability program incentives for schools to exceed minimum expectations for student achievement.”

 

To qualify for the Governor’s Award for Educational Excellence, schools and school divisions must meet all state and federal achievement benchmarks for at least two consecutive years and achieve Governor Kaine’s goals for elementary reading; enrollment in Algebra I by grade 8; enrollment in college-level courses; attainment of advanced diplomas; increased attainment of career and industry certifications; and participation, if eligible, in the Virginia Preschool Initiative. Schools and school divisions also earn bonus points for other performance measures, including the Governor’s Nutrition and Physical Activity Scorecard.

 

The 162 schools earning the Governor’s Award for Educational Excellence are

 

Each school earning a Governor’s Award for Educational Excellence will receive a display banner and a signed resolution of commendation from Governor Kaine.  

 

Twenty-four school divisions and 544 schools earned the Board of Education’s Excellence Award, the second-tier honor in the VIP program. These schools and divisions also have met all state and federal accountability benchmarks for at least two consecutive years and have made significant progress toward goals for increased student achievement and expanded educational opportunities set by Governor Kaine and the board. Nineteen school divisions and 475 schools earned the Board of Education’s Excellence Award in 2008.

 

Ten school divisions and 276 schools earned the Board of Education’s Competence to Excellence Award. This award recognizes schools and divisions that have met all state and federal benchmarks for at least two consecutive years and are making progress toward VIP objectives reflecting the goals of Governor Kaine and the board. Twenty-five school divisions and 322 schools received the award last year.

 

Two schools earned the Board of Education’s Rising Star Award, which recognizes school divisions and schools that have met all state and federal accountability standards for two consecutive years and have improved their VIP scores significantly from the previous

year. Data from last year was used as a base line for determining the first schools to earn the award.

 

“Each of these awards is a milestone on the journey to excellence,” said Board of Education President Mark E. Emblidge. “That more than half of the Commonwealth’s public schools qualified for a VIP award reflects the commitment of educators across Virginia to helping all students meet high standards for learning and achievement.”

 

“The schools earning VIP awards include urban schools, schools in economically challenged rural areas and schools serving diverse communities with high percentages of English-language learners,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction Patricia I. Wright. “They present many models of success for schools to build upon the strong foundation of the Standards of Learning.”

 

Schools and divisions earning the Board of Education’s Excellence Award, Competence to Excellence Award and Rising Star Award will each receive a resolution of commendation from the board.

 

The Board of Education approved the Virginia Index of Performance in July 2007 in response to Governor Kaine’s call for a formal means of recognizing schools and school divisions that exceed minimum state and federal accountability standards.

 

The VIP program awards points to schools and divisions based on the percentage of students achieving at the advanced level on Standards of Learning assessments and progress made toward educational goals advocated by Governor Kaine and the board.

 

The multi-tiered VIP program also provides incentives for improved performance and opportunities for recognition regardless of where a school or school division is on the journey from competence to excellence.

 

A list of all schools and school divisions earning Virginia Index of Performance Awards is available on the Virginia Department of Education Web site.

 

 

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