Governor honors high-performing schools

Seventeen Chesterfield County schools have been recognized by Gov. Bob McDonnell and the Virginia Board of Education as recipients of the 2012 Virginia Index of Performance (VIP) awards for advanced learning and achievement.

They are: Bettie Weaver Elementary, Grange Hall Elementary, Robious Elementary, Beulah Elementary, C.C. Wells Elementary, Elizabeth Scott Elementary, Swift Creek Elementary, W.W. Gordon Elementary, Winterpock Elementary, Woolridge Elementary, Bellwood Elementary, Bensley Elementary, Bon Air Elementary, Enon Elementary, Harrowgate Elementary, Providence Elementary and Reams Road Elementary.

In making the announcement on Thursday, Jan. 5, McDonnell and the Board of Education said 447 schools and two school divisions earned the awards.

The incentive program recognizes schools and divisions that far exceed minimum state and federal accountability standards and achieve excellence goals established by the governor and the board.

“I congratulate the educators in these schools and divisions for their unwavering commitment to academic excellence and to the success of their students,” McDonnell said. “They put students first and maintain high expectations for instruction, learning and student achievement.”

“The criteria for these awards are becoming more challenging with the Board of Education’s increasing focus on college and career readiness,” Board of Education president Eleanor B. Saslaw said. “That so many schools earned VIP awards speaks to the capacity of most of Virginia’s public schools to accept new challenges.”

“As we celebrate the successes of the 2012 VIP award winners, we must not lose sight of the schools in Virginia where students still struggle to achieve at grade level in reading and mathematics,” superintendent of Public Instruction Patricia I. Wright said. “Just as the Standards of Learning (SOL) provided the foundation for the excellence we recognize today, maintaining the SOL program is essential to raising achievement in low-performing schools and closing the achievement gap.”

Bettie Weaver Elementary, Grange Hall Elementary and Robious Elementary have received the 2012 Governor’s Award for Educational Excellence. To qualify, schools and school divisions must meet all state and federal achievement benchmarks for at least two consecutive years and achieve all applicable excellence goals for elementary reading, enrollment in Algebra I by the eighth grade, enrollment in college-level courses, high school graduation, attainment of advanced diplomas, increased attainment of career and industry certifications, and participation in the Virginia Preschool Initiative. Schools and school divisions earn bonus points for other performance measures, including the Governor’s Nutrition and Physical Activity Scorecard.For the honor, the three schools will receive a display banner and a signed resolution of commendation from McDonnell.

Beulah Elementary, C.C. Wells Elementary, Elizabeth Scott Elementary, Swift Creek Elementary, W.W. Gordon Elementary, Winterpock Elementary and Woolridge Elementary earned the Board of Education Excellence Award, the second-tier honor in the VIP program. These schools 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 the board.

Bellwood Elementary, Bensley Elementary, Bon Air Elementary, Enon Elementary, Harrowgate Elementary, Providence Elementary and Reams Road Elementary earned the Board of Education Competence to Excellence Award by meeting all state and federal benchmarks for at least two consecutive years and made progress toward the goals of the governor and the board.