ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, April 10, 1997 TAG: 9704100019
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER THE ROANOKE TIMES
More teens are taking foreign languages as well as advance math and science classes.
High school students in Western Virginia are taking tougher courses as the percentage of graduates who earn advanced-studies diplomas in the region climbs.
Last year, more than 50 percent of the seniors in four school divisions in the region received diplomas that required three years each of math, science, foreign languages and social studies in addition to four years of English.
Radford ranked first with 58 percent of its graduates receiving an advanced diploma, and Bedford County was second at 56 percent, according to a new report on the state's schools. Fifty-one percent of the graduates in Salem and Roanoke County earned a similar college-preparatory diploma in the 1995-96 school year.
"More and more students are getting this type of diploma because they realize it improves their chances of being admitted to the better colleges and universities," said Gary Kelly, guidance director for Roanoke County schools.
Kelly said more students are taking foreign languages because many companies have global operations. Students are required to take three years of one foreign language or two years each of two languages to earn an advanced diploma. They have to finish two years of algebra and take geometry as well as chemistry and other science courses.
"We encourage our students to stretch themselves and raise their expectations, " Kelly said. "We try to get that across to students and their parents."
Growing numbers of Bedford County graduates are enrolling in advanced-studies courses because the county has eliminated a general-studies diploma, Superintendent John Kent said.
Bedford students must seek either an advanced-studies diploma or a tech-preparatory diploma that helps them get ready for technical school or work, Kent said.
All other school systems in the region have shown a gradual increase in advanced-studies diplomas during the past six years, but some remain below the state average of 49 percent, based on the Virginia Department of Education report.
More eighth-graders also are taking algebra and foreign language - a statewide trend since the state began collecting the data in 1990.
Bedford County ranks at the top, with 98 percent of its eighth-graders taking algebra and 53 percent enrolled in a foreign language.
Except for a small number of special education students, Bedford requires all eighth-graders to take algebra and encourages them to take a foreign language. Beginning next year, all ninth-graders in Virginia will be required to take algebra under the state's new academic standards.
The state's annual report, called the Outcome Accountability Project, includes data on test scores, attendance, dropout rates, vocational programs, physical fitness and other indicators of student performance for all 134 school systems. This is the sixth year the state has collected the statistics.
Almost all Western Virginia school divisions have shown an increase in student attendance in recent years, and the dropout rate has decreased in most localities.
Salem, Giles County and Roanoke County had the best attendance in the region with 81 percent of the students in each locality missing 10 days or fewer during the 1995-96 school year. Radford ranked fourth with 80 percent. The state average was 73 percent.
Bedford, Floyd and Roanoke counties had the lowest dropout rate, each at 1 percent, compared with the 3 percent state average. Franklin County, Pulaski County and Roanoke were above the state average.
Sixth-graders' scores on the state's Literacy Passport test were mixed in the past year.
Radford and Salem recorded the highest percentage of sixth-graders passing all three parts with 86 percent and 79 percent, respectively. The test consists of exams in reading, writing and mathematics.
Students must pass all parts to be classified as ninth-graders or above and receive a diploma. They are allowed to keep taking the test each year until they pass all sections.
Fourth-, eighth- and 11th-graders in about half of the region's localities scored higher in the past year on standardized tests of math, reading and other academic skills. But the scores in several localities remained below the state average.
Radford, Salem and Roanoke County had the highest percentages of 11th-graders whose composite scores on the standardized tests were above the 50th percentile, the national average for students. In Radford, 74 percent of juniors scored above the 50th percentile, with Salem and Roanoke County each recording 70 percent. The state average was 60 percent.
The same three localities also had the highest percentages of fourth- and eighth-graders who scored above the 50th percentile.
Like their counterparts in the rest of the state, students in Western Virginia continue to do poorly on physical fitness tests, with fewer than half passing all four of the state-mandated fitness tests.
LENGTH: Medium: 96 lines ILLUSTRATION: GRAPHIC: Chart by RT: 1995-1996 report card. KEYWORDS: MGRby CNB