From the moment our Visiting Team arrived, we felt the warm and caring environment of the Saint Agnes community. Everyone was friendly, inviting, and cooperative. The students are engaged, respectful, excited, and happy to be a part of this school community.
— From the 2007 Reaccreditation Summary
Testing and Accreditation
Saint Agnes Catholic School is accredited every five years by the Virginia Catholic Education Association with most recent re-accreditation in 2007 (read the Reaccreditation Summary). All teachers are certified and the majority have advanced degrees.
Saint Agnes administers the following standardized tests:
- TerraNova tests to assess knowledge of specific subjects (grades 2-7)
- Development Reading Assessment to assess reading (grades K-3)
- Brigance Inventory of Early Development to assess readiness for Kindergarten
- Phonological Awareness and Literacy Screening (PALS) to evaluate progress in spring of Kindergarten
The TerraNova standardized tests, published by McGraw Hill, are administered each spring in grades 2-8 to assess achievement in reading, language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, vocabulary, spelling, and other areas. TerraNova helps teachers assess student performance as a means of planning relevant instruction to support the established curriculum. Saint Agnes consistently scores well above the national and Diocesan averages on the TerraNova tests.
Since Virginia public schools use the Standards of Learning (SOL) tests to measure achievement and student growth, Saint Agnes’ academic performance cannot be directly compared to the excellent local public schools. To attract and retain students and teachers, Saint Agnes must be academically equal to these schools — and offer something more: a safe and nurturing environment, spiritual and emotional growth, discipline, and a sense of community.
