Manassas Park principals cite gains in reading, math and graduation rates; chronic absenteeism declines

Manassas Park City Schools staff on Oct. 21 told the school board that student performance improved across several measures in the 2023–24 school year, while noting areas — particularly science — that still need targeted support.

Pam Kelso, the district’s executive director of student achievement, said the division’s graduation rate rose “nearly 7 percentage points” from the prior year and that reading and math showed “greater growth” overall. She also said English learner progress increased from about 41.85% to 51% and that chronic absenteeism declined from 33.2% to 20.5% divisionwide.

The presentation broke the results into state and federal accountability measures. Kelso noted that state accreditation and federal school identification use different calculations: some schools show a level‑3 indicator in science, which led to an “accredited with conditions” status and federal targeted support identification for those buildings. “This is new this year,” Kelso said of the level‑3 indicator’s inclusion in federal identification.

High school principal Charles Forrest described improvements at the secondary level, including an increase in SOL reading and math scores and a 10% jump in science performance between semesters after curriculum adjustments and targeted interventions. Forrest highlighted career and technical education expansions — nurse aide cohorts and an EMT program — and said the high school is in a James Madison University direct‑admissions cohort that offered 80 students direct admission last year, with nearly 100 this year.

Manassas Park Middle School principal Mrs. Tuttle credited collaborative learning teams and focused strategies for reading and math growth, and she said chronic absenteeism there fell from about 30.3% to 17.6%. At the elementary level, presenters described new pacing guides, additional reading specialists, and the adoption of benchmark assessments and a new primary literacy curriculum to identify and respond to early reading needs.

District staff said resources to support the work include instructional coaches at elementary schools, additional reading specialists at the middle school, ESSER and school improvement grant funds for intervention materials, and planned federal school improvement grant applications to secure evidence‑based supports. Kelso said the division will work with principals to apply for federal funds and to implement multi‑tiered systems of support.

Board members asked about transitions for accelerated students moving from elementary to middle school and how the district ensures continuity of advanced coursework. Kelso said the district is using a Common Curriculum platform and counseling teams to coordinate placements and that conversations between buildings begin in early spring and continue throughout the year.

The presentation concluded with principals’ action plans emphasizing collaborative planning, just‑in‑time professional learning, and targeted, small‑group interventions to support literacy, math and science learning. The presenters said they will return with further data and updates as improvement work continues.