It’s official.
All county schools are accredited, according to Virginia Department of Education accreditation ratings released Monday.
Superintendent Dr. Mark Lineburg announced in August all nine county schools were accredited after SOL results were released from the state.
“I’m just really, really proud of our students and staff. It’s always a great accomplishment to achieve accreditation, and we’re going to keep on working hard to stay accredited. The key is being consistent,” added Lineburg.
Last year, eight of nine schools were accredited with Clay’s Mill Elementary accredited with conditions.
Schools are accredited with conditions when one or more school quality indicators is below state standard.
Last year, Clay’s Mill Elementary English scores were below state standard in the following subgroups, black students and students with disabilities.
From 2018 to 2019, black students’ English scores at Clays Mill Elementary School improved from 59 percent to 73 percent.
Students with disabilities’ English scores at Clays Mill Elementary School improved from 55 percent to 75 percent from 2018 to 2019.
Halifax County Public Schools’ nine schools join 1,673 Virginia schools in being accredited.
This is the second year that schools have been evaluated under the 2017 Board of Education approved accredited standard.
Under the revised accreditation system, schools are evaluated on school quality indicators grouped in three categories: academic achievement, achievement gaps and student engagement and outcomes.
Performance on each indicator is rated at one of the following levels:
• Level One: Meets or exceeds state standard or sufficient improvement;
• Level Two: Near state standard or sufficient improvement; and
• Level Three: Below state standard.
School-by-school school quality indicator data and accreditation ratings are available on updated online School Quality Profile reports and on the VDOE website.
James Gordon, the owner of Springfield Distillery, comes by his interest in whiskey naturally. “I grew up with memories of my father moonshining,” says Gordon, who opened his Halifax County distillery in August 2016. “My father is one of the first two private individuals in South Africa to get his license for distilling liquor. I get to tap into 25 years of distillery experience.”
