King George schools mostly on track; chronic absenteeism rises as state raises SOL cut scores

King George County Schools received a preliminary update on state accountability and accreditation on Oct. 20 that showed mixed results under Virginia’s newly redesigned accountability framework and flagged rising chronic absenteeism and forthcoming changes to SOL cut scores.

Sandra Duff, who presented preliminary results, told the board the state’s new framework ranks schools as Distinguished (90–100), On Track (80–89), Off Track (65–79) and Needs Intensive Support (below 65). According to the preliminary numbers Duff presented, King George High School’s graduating cohort scored in the Distinguished range (about 97.4), Potomac Elementary was “on track” (about 86.3), the middle school scored roughly 81.6, and King George Elementary sat near the boundary at 79.75 — a quarter point below “on track.” Duff cautioned the board that these are preliminary figures and official state numbers would be released later in the week.

Duff said the framework weights mastery, growth and readiness differently by school level. For elementary schools, mastery is 55 percent of the score, growth 35 percent and readiness (currently chronic absenteeism) 10 percent. At the middle‑school level, mastery is 60 percent, growth 20 percent and readiness 20 percent (which includes chronic absenteeism and advanced coursework). The presenter noted that some English‑learner subgroups did not meet the threshold to be counted (the state requires at least 15 students to include subgroup metrics).

A central concern raised by multiple board members and Duff was an increase in chronic absenteeism across all five schools. “Chronic absenteeism increased from last year to this year,” Duff said, adding the problem can be masked by other gains in mastery or readiness. The division is using improved PowerSchool reporting to monitor attendance and identify students at risk early in the year; Duff said individualized outreach and targeted interventions remain necessary.

Duff also reported that the Virginia Board of Education approved new cut scores for SOL reading and math in September. Under the new standards, a 400 on the SOL is no longer a passing score in some grades; for example the third‑grade reading pass line would change to 444. The state is discussing phased implementation and whether to hold specific cohorts harmless; Duff said the state board planned further decisions in October and November about implementation timelines.

Board members thanked Duff for the analysis and pressed for further historical comparisons, subgroup breakdowns and targeted strategies to address absenteeism and the increasing English‑learner population. Duff said she would provide additional historical data and noted that, despite the new cut scores and standards, King George did not show the dips some divisions saw when standards changed in prior years.