BY GWEN ALBERS/MANAGING EDITOR
gwen.albers@tidewaternews.com

RICHMOND—Windsor and Carrsville elementary schools are among 103 schools across Virginia that were recognized Wednesday for raising the academic achievement of economically disadvantaged students.

The awards presented by the Virginia Board of Education are based on student achievement on state assessments during the last school year and 2009-2010.

“We’re very excited about this honor,” said Windsor Elementary School Principal Stenette Byrd. “We have a great faculty and staff and students. They have all worked very hard and are very deserving of this honor.”

Byrd, who is in his first year at Windsor Elementary, said efforts are made to identify those students struggling with academics among the 630 in kindergarten through fifth grade.

“I have things in place to work with them,” Byrd said. “I’m constantly aware of where they are standing academically, going back and doing remediation in those areas.”

Carrsville Principal Jackie Carr said she was thrilled to hear the news.

“I am so very proud of our hard-working teachers and staff,” Carr said. “They demonstrate their commitment to education and the children daily. Our students know that we all truly care, and we work diligently to help them succeed.”

Carr also thanked the parents for their support.

“Parental involvement directly affects student achievement,” she said. “When the whole school community works together, great things happen.”

Windsor and Carrsville received the “Title I Distinguished Schools” recognition for maintaining full state accreditation under the commonwealth’s Standards of Learning program for two consecutive years, meeting federal benchmarks in reading and mathematics and having average test scores in both subjects at the 60th percentile or higher.

Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act provides funding to school divisions and schools for programs to raise the achievement of students identified as being at risk of academic failure.

The federal education law requires schools and school divisions to meet annual objectives for increasing student achievement on statewide assessments in reading/language arts and mathematics. During the 2009-2010 year, 482, or 66 percent, of Virginia’s 733 Title I schools met all federal objectives.