Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 10, 1994 TAG: 9404100011
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: D8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
\ Botetourt County: The percentage of eighth-graders taking algebra dropped from 41 to 14 in the past year. Scores on 11th grade standardized tests were about the same as the state averages. Botetourt ranked above the state average in basic reading skills. Attendance steadily increased in the past three years: 73 percent of Botetourt students missed 10 days or fewer.
\ Floyd County: About one-fourth of the eighth-graders took algebra and a foreign language. Before graduating, about half of the students completed a class that included keyboarding or typing. Attendance was lower than most school systems in the region. About 40 percent of the students were absent 10 days or more in 1992-93.
\ Franklin County: Twenty percent of eighth-graders took algebra in 1992-93, down from 66 percent the year before. More students sought advanced-studies diplomas, with an increase from 33 percent to 39 percent in the past three years. Attendance was below state average, with 39 percent of the students absent 10 days or more.
\ Giles County: The school system has one of the best attendance records in Western Virginia. Eighty-five percent of Giles' students were absent 10 days or fewer in 1992-93, up from 81 percent in the previous year. Nearly one-third of the county's seniors earned advanced-studies diplomas.
\ Montgomery County: Forty percent of the fourth- and fifth-graders passed the four spring fitness tests, one of the highest rates in Western Virginia. Only 15 percent of eighth-graders took a foreign language, about half the statewide rate. The dropout rate in the high schools was 6 percent, compared to the state average of 5 percent.
\ Pulaski County: Nearly two-thirds of the sixth-graders in Pulaski County passed all three Literacy Passport tests on reading, writing and math in the past year. The percentage of seniors earning advanced-studies diplomas nearly doubled in the past three years, from 23 percent to 40 percent.
\ Radford: Only 1 percent of high school students dropped out, one of the lowest rates in Western Virginia. Ninety percent of Radford's sixth-graders passed all three Literacy Passport tests, one of the highest rates in the state. Nearly 50 percent of Radford's 11th-graders scored in the top quarter of students nationwide on standardized tests.
\ Roanoke: Twenty-five percent of the seniors earned advanced-studies diplomas in 1992-93, one point above the previous year. Roanoke had one of the state's highest rates for 12th-graders completing a class that included keyboarding or typing - 99 percent. Nearly two-thirds of sixth-graders passed all three Literacy Passport tests on reading, writing and math in the past year. Roanoke's dropout rate was 7 percent, more than double the state average of 3 percent.
\ Roanoke County: About 80 percent of the county's sixth-graders passed all three Literacy Passport tests in the past year, up from 70 percent the previous year. The dropout rate was low, at 2 percent. Nearly 50 percent of the seniors received advanced-studies diplomas. Forty-six percent of eighth-graders took a foreign language.
\ Salem: Elementary students did better on physical fitness tests than other schools in the region. Thirty-five percent of Salem's fourth- and fifth-graders passed all four fitness tests in the past year, compared to 33 percent statewide. Forty-six percent of Salem's seniors earned an advanced-studies diploma in the past year, up from 44 percent the prior year.
by CNB