Newport News reports SOL gains and higher graduation rate; district sets long-term proficiency goals

Newport News Public Schools officials reported district-level gains on state assessments and improvements in graduation and attendance measures during a joint work session with the City Council.

The presentation by the district’s academic chief outlined recent state testing changes and district responses. District staff said the Virginia Department of Education implemented a new accountability system that combines mastery, growth and readiness measures; district leaders said the state has not yet released the school-by-school accountability designations because the growth-calculation details and final cut scores remain pending.

District chief academic officer Dr. Kip Rogers told the meeting that the district saw notable gains even amid recent statewide changes in standards and assessments. The district highlighted double-digit gains in science and described gains that, on balance, were comparable to peer districts. Rogers said the district’s on-time four-year graduation rate improved from about 93 percent to 97 percent. The district also reported a reduction in chronic absenteeism, from roughly 21 percent to about 18 percent, and said the division was invited to present its chronic-absenteeism work at a Virginia School Boards Association event.

Rogers described five priorities the district is pursuing to sustain improvement: build strong foundational instruction, support teachers with feedback and development, provide tiered school support, focus on student interventions, and sustain leadership development for principals and assistant principals. The district has partnered with Educentric for intensive support at 24 schools; half of those schools have begun multi-day training and school improvement planning work.

Officials gave examples of targeted supports. The district said a plan used at Newsome Park produced a 23-percentage-point increase in third-grade reading at that school, and staff said the district is replicating elements of that plan at other schools. The district also described a hands-on science initiative (SciPac) and distribution of science kits to grades 5 and 8 as part of the strategy that preceded the science gains.

Communications and outreach were discussed. Rogers and other staff said the district has a Huntington-specific webpage with monthly updates and photos, and that the division and city communications teams are coordinating publicity, community meetings and a planned ribbon-cutting when the facilities open. The district also reported survey results from the parent outreach tied to the Educentric work: about 24 selected schools received focused surveys with roughly 1,000 parent responses to date, and the district said roughly 90 percent of those respondents reported overall satisfaction with current school services.

The board and council asked a range of questions about the new accountability system, the timeline for statewide cut scores, and the potential effects of charter schools and vouchers on enrollment. Rogers said the division is implementing new standards now and will provide further updates as state accountability calculations are released; he said staff have a plan for math that emphasizes teacher preparation and pre‑teaching for standards that teachers report as challenging. Rogers also said the division has an AI task force that has developed guidance for staff; senior staff were scheduled to receive a briefing and the division plans to share the guidance more broadly in the coming weeks.

District and city officials emphasized partnerships with Peninsula Community College, Christopher Newport University, Hampton University and hundreds of community partners; the superintendent said the division has recorded 444 community partners across schools.

Officials cautioned that final school-by-school accountability labels and growth calculations depend on state decisions. The district said it will continue to brief the board and the city as the Virginia Department of Education publishes final cut scores and school-level reports.