Henrico Schools terminates partnership with Achievable Dream Academy

The Henrico School Board voted Thursday to end its investment in An Achievable Dream Certified Academies, the nonprofit that currently serves students at Highland Springs Elementary and the Oak Avenue Complex.

HCPS has partnered with An Achievable Dream since the 2017-2018 school year, first establishing the nontraditional academic program for kindergarten through second grade students at Highland Springs Elementary and adding a grade level each year. The program was expanded to include pre-kindergarten through eighth graders, with grades 6-8 hosted at the Oak Avenue Complex.

Students attending the Achievable Dream Academies at Highland Springs and Oak Avenue will finish out the school year with current programming, HCPS officials said. The partnership will be officially terminated on the last day of the 2023-2024 school year – May 31, 2024 – and students will then transition out of the program to attend their zoned schools.

All school board members voted to approve the resolution to terminate the partnership.

“Henrico County Public Schools has since expanded its capacity and expertise in supporting and growing full-service community schools with programming and community wrap-around supports,” the resolution reads. “The school board does not desire to renew or continue the memorandum of agreement with Achievable Dream.”

In the past few years, HCPS has spent millions of dollars on maintaining and expanding the Achievable Dream Academies, including a half-million-dollar annual payment to the Achievable Dream agency. HCPS invested a total of $7.8 million in the Achievable Dream Academies for the 2023-2024 school year according to the 2023-2024 HCPS adopted budget, which is an increase of $2 million from last year.

Highland Springs’ Achievable Dream Academy has struggled with low test scores and literacy rates during the past few years, to the dismay and frustration of school board members. Only 9% of second graders were reading at grade level during the 2019-2020 school year, compared with 52% during the 2016-2017 school year. Only 3% of fifth graders were reading at grade level in 2019-2020.

Standards of Learning tests have shown similar declines for elementary students since the Achievable Dream Academy was established in 2017-2018. While students at Highland Springs Elementary had a 63% pass rate on reading SOLs in 2016-2017, that rate dropped to 21% by the 2020-2021 school year. Students had a 64% pass rate on math SOLs in 2016-2017, which dropped to 9% in 2020-2021. Similar declines occurred in social studies and science.

The low scores prompted Varina District school board member Alicia Atkins to call for HCPS to cut ties with Achievable Dream in fall of 2020, with board members Marcie Shea and Kristi Kinsella having similar concerns.

In the past two years, SOL pass rates at Highland Springs Elementary have seen some improvements. In 2022-2023, 35% of students passed reading SOLs and 27% of students passed math SOLs. However, these scores still fall much lower than the 59-83% pass rate range seen in 2016-2017.

SOL scores for secondary students at the Oak Avenue Achievable Dream Academy were reported as part of their home schools, however, internal calculations made by HCPS’ accountability office determined pass rates were 61% in reading and 70% in math for secondary students in 2022-2023, according to HCPS official spokesperson Eileen Cox.

While both the elementary and secondary programs are under the oversight of Achievable Dream, which is based in Newport News, major aspects of the schools such as daily operations and core curriculum are managed by HCPS.

The Achievable Dream Academies have several unique features, including an extended school day, Saturday school, a month-long summer session, school uniforms, and more field trips and after school activities. Students start their day with affirmations, mindfulness, conflict resolution, meditation, and yoga.

The academies are designed to accommodate students facing poverty and difficult home lives by going beyond academic requirements and teaching life skills and providing social-emotional learning. In fall 2022, Highland Springs Elementary had a population of 89.5% Black students and 82.5% economically disadvantaged students.

During a school board meeting in fall 2020, the school’s principal Shawnya Tolliver noted that most of the students have some type of personal trauma that can disrupt their academic progress.

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As students prepare to transition out of the program for the 2024-2025 school year, HCPS Chief of Staff Holly Coy said that middle school students will have the option to either attend their zoned school, which for most will be John Rolfe Middle or Elko Middle, or accept a guaranteed spot in HCPS’ new Center for Innovation program at Rolfe Middle. An extended enrollment window will be available for students considering the Center for Innovation.

Elementary students will continue to attend their zoned school at Highland Springs Elementary. Students entering high school will either attend their zoned school, either Varina High or Highland Springs High, or can attend a specialty center if they have already applied.

Staff members at the Achievable Dream Academies either can stay in their roles if they work at Highland Springs Elementary, request that the HCPS team prioritize their placement at an alternative school, or go through the traditional employee transfer process.

“All of our staff will continue to have a home in Henrico County Public Schools and we look forward to working with each one to determine the best fit for next year,” Coy said. “Our shared priority is to finish off the school year successfully with our current programs, create smooth transitions for our students and staff, and prepare for a strong 24-25 school year.”

HCPS officials also said that they would provide new in-school and after school supports to Highland Springs Elementary and Elko Middle to ensure that Achievable Dream students will not lose any afterschool programming when they transition.

Highland Springs Elementary will also be designated as an HCPS “Opportunity School” moving forward, meaning that licensed instructional staff at the school will receive $3,000 annual bonuses and the school will receive a full time teaching fellow, an additional behavior support position, and a permanent substitute teacher.

Achievable Dream students in grades 6-8 will also continue to be eligible for Henrico Education Foundation scholarships as long as they graduate high school with a 2.0 GPA or higher, Coy said.

HCPS officials said that communication would be sent out to the students, staff, and families impacted in the following days to announce the end of the programs and the transition plans.

“We are incredibly grateful to all of the staff at Highland Springs Elementary and the secondary program for their passionate commitment to our students,” Coy said. “They have invested a great deal of time in our students and these programs.”

At the board meeting, Shea thanked Atkins for her “insights and leadership.” Outgoing Three Chopt District representative Micky Ogburn also praised the board’s decision.

“A lot of thought into how to support children has gone into this and it’s a deep dive into getting that done,” Ogburn said.

Families and staff impacted by the termination of the partnership can attend an information session at Highland Springs Elementary on Dec. 18 at 6 p.m.

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Liana Hardy is the Citizen’s Report for America Corps member and education reporter. Her position is dependent upon reader support; make a tax-deductible contribution to the Citizen through RFA here.