COURTLAND
Capron, Meherrin, Nottoway and Riverdale elementary schools, as well as Southampton high and middle schools are again accredited, according to the information released on Thursday by the Virginia Department of Education.

The VDOE report, found at schoolquality.virginia.gov, shows the specifics for each school. Southampton High, for example, is at Level 1 in the English, mathematics and science categories, and at L2 in addressing achievement gaps in English, which means the school is performing near the state standard for the indicator or is improving.

SHS is at L2 where the dropout rate is concerned; 7.94 percent of the students in last year’s class dropped out before graduating.

The school is at L1 in addressing chronic absenteeism, which is defined as missing 10 percent or more of the school, regardless of the reason. At SHS, 10.72 percent of the students were chronically absent last school year. For the graduation and completion rate, the school is at L1 or 89.1 percent. This is the highest rate since 2014 (86.8 percent.)

All other schools are at L1 in academic achievement in English, Math and Science, but Meherrin and SMS are at L2 in achievement gap for English; Meherrin is at L2 in English where blacks, the economically disadvantaged and those with disabilities are concerned; Riverdale is at L2, and SHS and SMS are at L3 where those with disabilities are concerned.

SMS is at L2 in the achievement gap for math. The school is rated L3 in math for students with disabilities; L2 for Riverdale.

Only the middle school rated L2 in the matter of chronic absenteeism.

Dr. Gwendolyn Shannon, division superintendent, made the following statement about the report:

“I am very proud that each of the Southampton County schools and the school division are fully accredited by the Virginia Department of Education. Teachers, administrators and support staff work diligently to ensure that our students are provided with a high quality education. The continued support of our parents, School Board, Board of Supervisors, and community partners play a vital role in our success documented in the school quality profile.

“The new accreditation standards report contains a wealth of data for our staff to analyze and disaggregate. In this process, we will look for and acknowledge our achievements from the 2017-2018 school year. We will also continue our quest for excellence in identifying areas of focus to continually grow and improve.”

Shannon continued, “Southampton County educators are truly dedicated to the success of all students, not only academically but socially and emotionally as well. As superintendent, I applaud the work of our teachers and staff who care about students and student success and whose efforts are reflected in the school quality report.”