Prince William, the third largest school district in the state, is the only northern Virginia district to have won the prestigious Medallion of Excellence since the inception of the awards program in 1982. The Medallion of Excellence, the highest level of recognition in the SPQA program, is presented to organizations which are considered to be model organizations in their implementation and application of quality principles. Other levels of recognition are the Award for Outstanding Achievement and the Certificate for Significant Achievement. Selection is based on a written application and on-site visit that evaluate quality and productivity results in eight management areas. Of the five recipients of the Medallion of Excellence, Prince William is the only organization to have won the award the first time it applied. 

SPQA recipients are selected by a 25-member board whose members collectively represent more than 250 years of quality and productivity experience. Virginia Tech has been organizing and administering the award process in Virginia since the inception of the program. 

The SPQA program was established in 1982 through a U.S. Senate resolution to foster awareness of the need for productivity improvement and to recognize organizations at the state level that demonstrate such improvements. Applicants are evaluated on eight criteria: Maturity of Effort, Top Management Commitment and Involvement (Leadership), Employee Involvement, Development and Management of Participation, Recognition and Rewards Systems, Plan for Continuous Improvement, Performance Measurement Process (Use of Information), Customer and Supplier Involvement, and Results Over Time. 

Since 1993, Prince William has operated under a Quality Management Plan which establishes specific standards of quality and performance in the areas of student achievement, customer service, and customer satisfaction. The implementation of this Quality Management Plan has led to continuous improvement in all goal areas, a fact demonstrated in the school division's application for the award, submitted in November, 1997, and during an on-site visit conducted in February, 1998.

Based on an evaluation of the application by the SPQA board, a seven-member Site Visit Team came to the school division in February, 1998. During a half-day presentation built on the theme "A Decade Makes a Difference," school division personnel, parents and students offered examples of implementation of the SPQA criteria in Prince William County Public Schools. For example, when incoming students at Woodbridge High School were found to be struggling to adjust to the particular challenges of attending the largest high school in Virginia, staff at the school developed the Freshman Seminar Program, a ground-breaking course now required of all incoming freshman. 

When staff and parents at Henderson Elementary School sought an opportunity for students there to acquire foreign language proficiency not available to elementary school students in the school division, they designed the Foreign Language Immersion Program (FLIP), now in place at the school through the fourth grade. 

When it became apparent that the best way to meet the needs of at-risk students was to begin in elementary school rather than wait until middle or high school when the behaviors were already intrenched, the Student Services Department, Marshall Elementary school staff and others implemented the Early Intervention Alternative Program. 

When skyrocketing energy costs pushed the school division's fuel bills higher and higher, Operations Department staff conceived the Energy Management Program, which shared the benefits of energy cost savings with schools and departments. This nationally recognized effort has returned thousands of dollars to school coffers while teaching children the benefits of saving energy. 

Other examples included the planning process at King Elementary School, the International Baccalaureate Program at Stonewall Jackson High School and the Foreign Language Immersion Program at Henderson Elementary School. 

Prince William County Public Schools began its journey towards Quality in 1988 with the introduction of School Based Management to the school division, and, concurrently, a Commitment to Quality Partnership with Xerox Corporation and the Virginia Department of Education to tailor quality strategies from the business world for the purpose of improving the quality of education. Research-based "effective schools" training was also initiated during the 1987-88 school year. 

In 1990, a curriculum audit of the school division was conducted by an outside organization. The audit was an objective, independent examination of data that examined management practices and system results. Recommendations led to upgrading the quality of curriculum action plans, revising curriculum guides, changing formats for school improvement plans, modifying the school-based funding formula, and developing a strategic plan for the school division -- the Quality Management Plan (QMP). 

The QMP includes goals related to student achievement, satisfaction, and customer service, with specific performance standards for each goal. The student achievement goal includes levels of achievement on Academic Proficiency Tests; in reading and math; and success on the Literacy Passport Tests, Advanced Placement Tests, and International Baccalaureate tests. Satisfaction is measured through a division wide survey of parents, students and staff, with the goal of an 80 percent overall level of satisfaction of good or excellent. The Customer Service goal is that at least 80 percent of building administrators will rate centralized services as good or excellent. 

Sixteen Virginia businesses and municipalities were recognized in 1998 by SPQA. In addition to the school division, recipients of the Medallion of Excellence are ABB Power T & D Company, Bland; Datatel, Fairfax; Naval Security Group Activity Northwest, and Chesapeake PRC Standard Systems, Reston. 

Recipients of the Award for Outstanding Achievement are Dana Corporation, Bristol; Litton Poly-Scientific, Blacksburg; Mountain Empire Community College, Big Stone Gap; Nabisco Biscuit Company, Richmond; Virginia Retirement System, Richmond, and World Access Service Corporation, Richmond. 

The Certificate for Significant Achievement was presented to Chartway Federal Credit Union, Virginia Beach; Churchland Academy Elementary School, Portsmouth; Columbia Pulaski Community Hospital, Pulaski; Cooper Industries, Hampton; and GTE Telephone Operations, Mechanicsville. 

"This award is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of all of our employees," said Superintendent of Schools Edward L. Kelly. "I think it is an indication that Prince William County Public Schools is an outstanding school division and that students here receive a quality education."

• U.S. Senate Productivity and Quality Award Web Site
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