Dropouts—Students in grades 7-12 who leave school before graduation and do not transfer to another school are considered dropouts.  Dropout information is reported for any school with a grade 7 or higher. 

General Educational Development (GED) Certificates—This number indicates high school students who earned a GED.  Adults earning a GED certificate through adult education programs are not included in these numbers. 

Limited English Proficient—Students who are identified as limited-English-proficient (English as a Second Language) are expected to take and pass the SOL tests; however, these students may be granted an exemption from taking the tests for one grade level only at grades 3, 5, or 8.  For School years 1997-98 and 1998-99, LEP students’ scores will not be included in the calculation and reporting of school-wide scores. 

Paired Schools—School accreditation is based on student performance on the SOL tests.  SOL tests are administered to students in grades 3, 5, 8, and high school.  Schools that do not house these grades or offer courses for which SOL tests exist are paired with another school in the division housing one or more of the grades or courses in which SOL tests are administered.  The pairings are at the recommendation of the division superintendent. 

Standards of Learning (SOL)—In June 1995, the Virginia Board of Education adopted new, more rigorous student academic standards in the four core content areas of English, mathematics, science, and history and social science.  What a student is expected to know and be able to do at each grade level and in certain high school courses is outlined in the Standards of Learning (SOLs).  The SOLs form the basis for the SOL tests administered to students in grades 3, 5, 8, and in 11 high school courses.   

School Accreditation—The Regulations Establishing Standards for Accrediting Public Schools in Virginia, adopted by the Board of Education in September, 1997, outline the expectations for schools in the Commonwealth.  Each school in Virginia will be awarded an annual accreditation rating.  During 1998-99 all Virginia public schools are Provisionally Accredited.  In subsequent years schools will be awarded accreditation ratings based on the performance of students in the school on the SOL tests. 

School-Wide Scores—Student achievement on English, mathematics, science, and history SOL tests is reported as a scaled score at both the total test level and in the reporting categories for the test.  Scaled scores for a total test range from 0-600.  A scaled score of 400 or higher is needed to pass each test. Scaled scores for a total test, reported on the School Performance Report Card for a school, are the average scaled score earned by those taking the test in the school.  Additional information is also provided beyond the total scores for an SOL test.  Each test is divided into reporting categories that represent different segments of the content on the test.  The average scaled score for each reporting category is 35, which serves as a point of reference for future test administrations.  The reporting category scaled scores shown on the School Performance Report Card are the average scaled scores earned by those in the school taking the test .  All scaled scores in the School Performance Report Card for this year exclude the performance of limited English proficient students. 

School Safety Information—The information provided on the School Performance Report Card comes directly from the annual report provided by each school division to the Department of Education. 

Teacher Information—The Department of Education issues teaching licenses to qualified individuals wishing to teach in Virginia.  Such licenses carry specific endorsements to teach specific content areas.  The percentage shown on the School Performance Report Card is the percent of teachers in the school teaching in their area of endorsement.