The school division predicts fewer schools than last year will be fully accredited by the state, based on preliminary test results released Thursday night.
Superintendent Deran Whitney said between eight and 10 schools could be accredited with warning this year. Six of the division's 19 schools received that designation in 2013.
State accreditation is based largely on Standards of Learning scores and graduation rates for high schools.
Officials discussed preliminary SOL data at the monthly School Board meeting.
The division saw improvement in math at the elementary, middle and high school levels. However, it saw decreases in reading for elementary and middle school.
Writing, science and history scores did not change greatly at any level.
Whitney said he's heard reading scores are down across the state. He attributed that in part to struggles in adjusting to tougher standards implemented last year.
Board Chairman Mike Debranski credited teachers and staff members for their efforts but expressed frustration with the results.
"We knew they were coming," he said of the new standards. "We should've been better prepared."
Whitney said the division is already acting on the results. It is realigning its instructional staff to support English in the way it has emphasized math.
Officials noted that the division has improved in both topics - math and history - in which the tougher standards were implemented more than a year ago.
"That shows we are on the right track," Whitney said.
The state Department of Education is to release final SOL results later this month.
Mike Connors, 757-222-5217, email@example.com