Montgomery County School officials say Shawsville Middle School has been granted partial accreditation following an application as a reconstituted school.  This designation from the Virginia Board of Education recognizes the achievement gains in recent years at the school – with the goal of reaching fully accredited status within three years.

From Montgomery County Public Schools: Shawsville Middle School was awarded partial accreditation by the Virginia Board of Education, following an application as a reconstituted school.  This designation recognizes the achievement gains realized at the school and provides additional state support for the school as they work to continue raising their achievement scores.

“I am glad that the gains being made by our students and our school are being recognized,” said Andy Hipple, SMS principal. “We are focused on relationships with our students and our families. Shawsville Middle is also dedicated to removing barriers to success for each of our students and helping all students achieve.”

“Last year’s success in math at SMS is an example of the potential that this school has to meet all accreditation benchmarks,” said Superintendent Mark Miear. “We know the tools that the school needs to succeed and are dedicating necessary resources to ensure the school’s English scores follow the same pattern as last year’s math scores.”

The partially accredited designation means that the school has committed to meetings and documentation for the VDOE Office of School Improvement and is committed to moving out of partial accreditation into fully accredited status within three years.

Shawsville Middle exceeded accreditation standards in three of four areas after a 16 point improvement in math scores last year. SMS showed gains in English and this is part of the reason for the partially accredited status.