Board of Education Announces 2019

Exemplar Performance School Awards

RICHMOND, Va. — The state Board of Education today recognized 235 schools for high student achievement or continuous improvement under the board’s new exemplar performance school recognition program.

The board approved the criteria for the new awards in April 2018. The exemplar performance school recognition program is aligned with the Board of Education’s revised accreditation standards and replaces the Virginia Index of Performance recognition program.

“The exemplar performance awards criteria are designed to complement the commonwealth’s recently revised accreditation standards and help school divisions focus resources where they are most needed to ensure that all children are receiving a high-quality education,” Board of Education President Daniel A. Gecker said. “The awards recognize schools that are exceeding state accreditation standards and schools that are making continuous improvement in improving outcomes for students and in narrowing achievement gaps.”

The recognized schools include 52 schools that earned the Board of Education Highest Achievement Award and 183 schools that earned the Board of Education Continuous Improvement Award.

“I congratulate the principals, teachers, support staff and students of all of these schools for the academic successes and hard work these awards represent,” Superintendent of Public Instruction James Lane said. “I am especially pleased to see schools that went unrecognized under the previous awards program receive the recognition they deserve for consistent gains in academic achievement and successful efforts to reduce absenteeism and dropout rates.”

The full release can be found here: VDOE Press Release