when Rappahannock Public Schools were listed in the Richmond

when Rappahannock Public Schools were listed in the Richmond Times Dispatch as one of ten underachieving school systems in Virginia our school administration and the Rappahannock Ne\ys circled the wagons to explain away the problem.

Folks, two years ago the high school faculty were so concerned about attendance that a committee spent over a year developing a proposed new policy. It is a problem when two-fifths of our students are absent excessively. Does this affect student achievement? Well, remember that Rappahannock was also listed <^n the Richmond newspaper earlier uiis year (7/28/95).

The Times Dispatch listed standardized test scores for math, reading, and science, for the three grades tested, for all school divisions. Also results on the literacy passport were listed.

Rappahannock scored below the state averages in fourth grade reading, fourth grade math and fourth grade science. Rappahannock scored below the state averages in eighth grade reading, eighth grade math and eighth grade science. Rappahannock scored below the state averages in eleventh grade science. Rappahannock scored below the state average for the Passport Literacy test. In sum we scored below average in eight out of ten categories listed.

ThffjTimes Dispatch printed test results in only three subjects so let’s examine results in all categories of standardized testing using figures provided hy the Virginia Department of Education; Rappahannock scored above the state average in three categories, tied the state average twice, and scored below the state average in nineteen academic categories. Do we have below average students? No, but we do have a school system that has lost its way.

Let’s examine the area of attendance to see how this happens. The high school Attendance Committee’s first efforts at revising the policy elicited many objections from myself and other faculty members. After