Case Study: Southampton County Public Schools achieves full accreditation and improved SOL readiness with PowerSchool Assessment

Southampton County PS Prepares Students for End-of-year Exams

Southampton County Public Schools, a rural Virginia district serving 2,863 students, partnered with PowerSchool Assessment to better prepare students for end-of-year SOL exams and to achieve full accreditation. The district had inconsistent formative assessments and lacked cognitive rigor on teacher-made tests, so leaders needed reliable, standards-aligned data and realistic test practice to close learning gaps and improve state performance.

Implemented in 2009, PowerSchool Assessment provides weekly checks, four-and-a-half-week benchmarks, and beginning/end-of-year pre/post assessments delivered online in a state-like testing environment; teachers easily build and share standards-aligned items (with Bloom’s/DOK tagging and locked benchmark items) and use reporting to guide instruction. The result: improved teacher collaboration, reduced student test anxiety, measurable student growth, and stronger district outcomes—Southampton now ranks 21 of 132 Virginia districts (outperforming 83.3%) and is one of 53 fully accredited divisions.

Southampton County Public Schools

Kelli Gillette

Director of Special Programs & Instructional Services