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Norfolk schools report mixed progress toward advanced-studies diploma targets
Summary
District staff reported cohort-level metrics showing growth for some classes but noted key barriers — chiefly world-language enrollment and higher failure rates in English and math — that limit students’ ability to achieve advanced-studies diplomas on schedule.
Norfolk Public Schools officials told the school board on Jan. 8, 2025, that progress toward a board goal to increase the share of graduates earning the Virginia Advanced Studies diploma is inconsistent across cohorts, with improvements in some measures but persistent barriers in others.
James Pohl, chief academic officer, presented two measures tied to the district’s goal: Measure 5.1 monitors the 2027 graduating cohort (current 10th graders) and Measure 5.2 monitors the 2026 cohort (current juniors). Pohl said the 2027 cohort was 7.9 percentage points lower at the end of first quarter than the prior year’s comparable point and that, under current enrollments, the highest the cohort can reach this year is 47% on the metric used by the district. He said the 2027 cohort was still 9.4 points higher at Q1 than the 2026 cohort at the same stage last year, signaling year-over-year improvement but still short of the division’s target.
Pohl identified three principal problems: higher failure rates in English and mathematics for the relevant cohorts, limited enrollment in level‑2 world-language coursework by sophomore year (a gatekeeper for completing the required three years of language within four high-school years on the district’s schedule), and credit/scheduling constraints that make catch-up difficult. He said the district’s data show the 2026 cohort has less than a 5% failure rate in some science and history courses and that health and PE credit requirements are largely met for that cohort, but math failure rates are higher and the cohort’s Q1-to-Q1 performance dropped by 2.2 points.
District strategies to address gaps include: targeted remediation and post-test procedures; use of backwards-design curriculum alignment; producing lists of at-risk students for counselors to conduct small-group and one-on-one interventions; expanding use of evidence-based tutoring (university instructors, FEV tutors, Edmentum and Lexia platforms); and using tools such as Major Clarity and AP Potential to guide scheduling and course placement. Pohl also noted the district added ninth-grade reading tutors this year to strengthen literacy at the high-school level.
Board members asked for deeper subgroup analysis (for example, by special education status or by school) and for data that show whether teacher vacancies are contributing to higher failure rates. Pohl said some of those deeper analyses are available but were not included in the Q1 summary and that principals and central staff are working to provide disaggregated data and to monitor supports.
No policy action was taken at the meeting; the presentation was received for discussion.
