Objective 1: Engage Every Student

We believe every child is an artist, maker, and creator. Albemarle County recognizes and embraces that through the arts students learn to communicate, collaborate, create, and think critically. 

High School Fine Arts Enrollment - Numeric Data

School Year	School Enrollment
2009-10	1,824
2010-11	2,887
2011-12	2,560
2012-13	2,516
2013-14	2,601
2014-15	2,694
2015-16	2,744

With the introduction of the Fine Arts Pathway at Albemarle High School two years ago, and at Western Albemarle High School last year, there are now 88 high school students taking part in a program that gives them a clear understanding of what professionals in their specific fields do to prepare and present their work.

Additionally, all three of our comprehensive high schools have been equipped with digital music labs. These labs have created opportunities for students who have not been engaged with the traditional arts offerings to learn express themselves through music.

We believe our approach to Career and Technical Education encourages students to learn how things work, to experiment, invent and redesign things through multiple iterations and understand the processes of engineering, design, and entrepreneurship.

CTE Course Enrollments by Program Area

 

Program Area	2011-12	12012-13	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16
Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources	6	4	1	0	0
Architecture and Construction	88	85	90	41	64
Arts, Audio-Video Technology and Communications	238	235	199	340	486
Business Management and Administration	138	189	132	118	169
Education and Training	64	102	48	45	49
Finance	0	0	0	0	0
Government and Public Administration	56	60	0	0	0
Health Science	193	242	314	320	321
Hospitality and Tourism	133	185	188	169	176
Human Services	402	241	189	177	206
Information Technology	1292	1277	1576	1588	1384
Law, Public Safety, Corrections and Security	9	8	7	8	19
Manufacturing	39	26	29	36	37
Marketing	234	258	236	223	123
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics	1546	1554	1512	1750	1935

 

» Download data for CTE Enrollment

In previous years the chart for CTE Enrollments was based on data that only counted students in their primary CTE program area. It did not accurately reflect total course enrollments in each CTE program area. The chart has been revised to indicate the actual number of students (duplicated count) who enrolled in a CTE class in each program area. The chart below indicated the number of students (unduplicated count) who enrolled in a CTE class.

	2011-12	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16
Students Enrolled in CTE Class	3131	3109	3010	3174	3370

 

CTE faculty outreach efforts assist in the development of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, & Mathematics) projects across content areas and schools and integrated curricula. CTE spaces are accessible to students throughout the days to be utilized in for projects in other courses or to pursue personal interests.

The redesign of the middle school CTE curriculum continues to be a driver of positive change. General enrollment continues to grow in CTE courses, high school credit bearing courses are being added, and teachers are connecting with elementary schools to develop increased capacity for project-based learning, STEAM opportunities, and advanced manufacturing technologies in the lower grades.

The interest in mechatronics , engineering design, and entrepreneurship is especially high across the Division. Plans are underway to redesign the high school CTE curriculum for vertical alignment and to include pathways for meaningful credentialing, CATEC, PVCC, and preparation for college. 

We believe that when students graduate from Albemarle County Public Schools that they will have an understanding and be able to follow a physically active lifestyle that promotes good health and wellness.

A key tool for lifelong learners to help make decisions that promote good health and wellness is having a goal setting process and continuously evaluating personal goals. In Albemarle County Public Schools we use the Plan, Do, Study, Act model when setting SMART goals in an age appropriate manner within the physical education curriculum.

By simply giving students time and space to set goals, make progress towards them, and reflect on their progress we provide an opportunity for students to take ownership of their health and wellness. Additionally, students are prepared with a process through which they can both maintain good health and wellness or find routes for improvement.

Individual student goals may lead them to participation in one of many Albemarle County Public Schools sponsored sports or activities. ACPS student athletes are met with highly qualified coaches and mentors that help them reach team and individual aspirations. ACPS students continue to earn opportunities to compete beyond local, district, or even regional levels and match up at both state and national competitions every year. Students participating in sports and activities have also secured opportunities to continue at the college level and even some finding success at the professional level.

	AHS	WAHS	MoHS	Total
Males	678	494	430	1602
Females	509	458	377	1344
Total	1187	952	807	1946

 

We believe international and multilingual students bring our school division the capacity to advance 21st century learning for all students by giving them opportunities to communicate across language and culture, to connect with a global community and economy, and to contribute to the development of a rich tapestry of cultural diversity that is the civic, social, and economic foundation of our region and country.

Our international and linguistically diverse students succeed in one of the most rigorous high school programs in our schools: They meet and exceed Virginia’s graduation requirements while simultaneously becoming fluent in a foreign language and adjusting to a new culture. Our bilingual and bicultural  graduates are poised to become transformative leaders in the community and the world. Over the last six years, former and current students in Albemarle County’s high school ESOL program have consistently graduated at higher rates than their state peers. The gap in graduation rates between all ACPS students and those who participated in the high school ESOL program has decreased during this time.

These results are due to programs like the immersion excursion summer program for high school ESOL students that earned $10,000 from local grants and engaged students in experiential, project-based learning. They are due to the hard work of our teachers ​and the incredible potential of our students.

In addition to these successes, the ESOL program faces challenges in ameliorating opportunity gaps as evidenced by content-based assessments. Over the last three years, the ESOL program has supported schools in adopting a more collaborative approach to ESOL instruction, and this has begun to improve opportunity gaps, though there is still considerable work to be done.

We believe that children with disabilities should be educated in the least restrictive environment using the most current, research based, methodologies and technologies in order that they be provided a meaningful educational benefit (Free and Appropriate Public Education).

 

Students Included in Regular School 80% or More of the Day - Numeric Data

Year	ALBEMARLE: 80% + in Regular Ed. Setting	VADOE Goal
2010-11	67%	68%
2011-12	79.90%	68%
2012-13	75.90%	68%
2013-14	73.44%	68%
2014-15	71.38%	68%

 

The focus of the department of special education is to build the capacity of our schools, teachers and teaching assistants to work with children as much as possible in the regular education classroom. Efforts to include students in their neighborhood schools within regular classrooms has been a priority as evidenced by professional development opportunities, supports put in place within the regular education environment (i.e. assistive technology, increased staffing, access to related services at base schools).

Over the past four years the percentage of special education students included in the regular education classroom has remained high for Albemarle County, and far exceeded the State average. Our efforts to prepare every learning environment to be appropriate for special education students has resulted in over 70% of students being in the regular education classroom for over 80% of their day.