WITH an eye towards implementation of these standards, Norton

WITH an eye towards implementation of these standards, Norton said that testing will begin soon on ninth and tenth graders to determine areas of weakness. He said it may be necessary to institute a different structure of courses in order to provide the classes necessary to make sure that Rappahannock children meet the new standards.

Montague asked if only those who could meet the new requirements would be able to graduate.

Fleetwood answered that he hadn’t “seen anything at all where ability is spoken to.”

“I would hope that the student who masters a trade (under a vocational program) would be awarded some type of certificate of completion,” said Norton. He added that he thought the new requirements would allow enough flexibility and discretion on the part of local school boards to allow such certificates to be awarded.

“With a change this radical, there are a lot of questions to be answered by 1978,” commented Fleetwood.

“A lot of students won’t be able to meet these standards,” said Board member Arthlinda Quaintance.

Montague replied that he wasn’t worried about that aspect. He felt there would be enough flack when the requirements are implemented to force the necessary changes to make the system workable. But he said he was worried about Rappahannock schools being in the advised category in regard to accreditation.

Fleetwood assured him that the overwhelming majority of Virginia schools would be in the same category and that he could foresee no situation in which Rappahannock schools would accumulate the five deficiencies necessary before accreditation is lost.

SHARON Kilpatrick was back before the Board to continue her protest against “junk food” popsicles sold in the schools. She brought with her examples of frozen fruit juice shacks, made at a cost of five and a half cents a