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Harrisonburg officials highlight reading and graduation gains, math and biology pass-rate jumps at HHS
Summary
HCPS leaders highlighted strong year-over-year gains in early literacy, reductions in chronic absenteeism at several schools and notable increases at Harrisonburg High School—math up from 60% to 79% and biology from 60% to 80%—and marked improvement for students with disabilities.
Harrisonburg City Public Schools presented a roster of academic gains at the Aug. 5 board meeting, including large improvements in early literacy, higher pass rates in high‑school math and biology and reduced chronic absenteeism in several elementary schools.
Dr. Blosser led a review showing prekindergarten students’ performance on a vowels assessment moved many more children into the “strong” band (for one cohort, rising from roughly 22% to 75% in spring). Elementary literacy and math intervention programs, updated curriculum guides and targeted remediation were credited for gains. At Harrisonburg High School, the reported unadjusted pass rates rose sharply: math from about 60% to 79% and biology from about 60% to 80% year over year. The division also reported improved graduation rates and a drop in the dropout rate for students with disabilities; on‑time graduation reached 77.14%, an 11% relative improvement from the previous period.
Attendance and inclusion: The presentation highlighted chronic absenteeism improvements, with Bluestone and Smithland below the federal progress target (56% threshold referenced for ACCESS growth context), and credited a suite of proactive attendance interventions for that success. The special education section reported gains in proficiency and a narrowing of proficiency gaps between students with disabilities and their peers.
Context and caveats: Presenters cautioned that some measures shown were raw/unadjusted pass rates and that state accountability uses growth measures that the division expects to see in September or October. Board members praised staff and site teams, noting the results came from a combination of instructional changes, targeted interventions and community engagement.
