Charlotte County Public Schools has, again, exceeded state and federal benchmarks for academic achievement. The Virginia Department of Education has announced that the school division made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in all schools and at the division level. Only 21 of the 132 school division in Virginia attained this goal.  The Department of Education press release may be accessed at the following link:

 http://www.doe.virginia.gov/news/news_releases/2009/aug13.shtml

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) requires students to demonstrate progress from year to year on Standards of Learning tests. Those annual measureable objectives (AMOs) increase academic requirements each year. The AMOs for 08-09 for Reading (81%) and Math (79%).  The AMOs for 09-10 will increase to Reading (85%) and Math (83%). For the school division to make AYP, it must meet or exceed twenty-nine benchmarks for participation in statewide testing, demonstrate achievement in reading and mathematics, and meet attendance, science, writing and/or history/social science goals. Missing a single benchmark may result in a school division not making AYP. Charlotte County Public Schools has continued to demonstrate its leadership ability in implementing high academic standards and measures to hold teachers and students accountable for achievement through testing. It is clear classroom teachers are using proven strategies and all available resources to get all students to surpass the academic benchmarks. While the school division has reached high standards, the ultimate goal of all students passing all Standards of Learning tests must be reached by 2013. Even though that goal is a few years away, teachers and administrators are already looking at new ways to improve and enhance instruction to ensure all students are successful and making the 2009-2010 school year the best yet.