HUD Tests Found Rental Bias Against Same-Sex Couples according to a Study of 50 Metro Markets

Same-sex couples are significantly more likely to face discrimination in the online rental housing market than heterosexual couples, according to a new study of 50 metro markets released by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“This is simply wrong. It is unjust, and we as a country cannot stand for it,” HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan said about the study’s findings.

For the study, HUD testers sent to landlords one e-mail from a heterosexual couple and another e-mail from a gay couple about the availability of a rental unit.

Heterosexual couples were “significantly more likely” to receive an e-mail response than gay male and lesbian inquiries.

“Heterosexual couples were favored over gay male couples in 15.9 percent of tests and over lesbian couples in 15.6 percent of tests,” according to the study.

“Federal housing laws do not prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, but 20 states and Washington D.C. have taken preventative measures to pass laws that prohibit discrimination again LGBT people,” MSNBC reports.

http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/06/18/same-sex-couples-face-housing-discrimination-new-study-shows/

.

NOTE: REALTORS, members of National Association of REALTORS, are bound by The REALTOR Code of Ethics, Article 12, against discrimination based on sexual orientation.

SOURCE: MSNBC

Read Full Post »

Grantor’s Tax increased to .25/$100 (or $2.50/$1,000) as of July 1, 2013 for Northern Virginia, Arlington County VA, Fairfax County VA, Loudoun County VA, Prince William County VA

The new landmark transportation law was passed by the Virginia General Assembly to raise new revenue to fund transportation initiatives across the Commonwealth (HB 2313). This law is effective July 1, 2013.

Among the increase in sales, use and fuel taxes is an increase in the grantor’s tax, or that tax imposed on transferors of real estate located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. 
However, the increased tax is only applicable to certain geographic areas.
Specifically, the tax will be imposed on properties located in:

• Arlington County VA
• Fairfax County VA
• Loudoun County VA
• Prince William County VA
• City of Alexandria VA
• City of Fairfax VA
• City of Falls Church VA
• Cities of Manassas VA and Manassas Park VA
• Town of Dumfries VA
• Town of Herndon VA
• Town of Leesburg VA
• Town of Purcellville VA
• Town of Vienna VA
• Additionally, certain counties and cities in the Hampton Roads area will also be subject to the increased tax.

The current tax imposed is .10/$100 of the sales price or fair market value, whichever is higher.

As of July 1, 2013, the tax is increased to .25/$100 (or $2.50/$1,000). This represents a 150% increase in the grantor’s tax.
For example, on a $400,000 sale, the tax is increased from $400 to $1,000.

Read Full Post »

Prince William County in Virginia Ranked at Number Eight Among All Counties Nationwide for Job Growth from 2000 – 2011 according to CNN Money

Prince William County in Virginia has been ranked No. 8 among counties nationwide for job growth from 2000 – 2011 according to CNN Money.

During that time period, according to CNN Money, Prince William County, VA, experienced a job growth rate of over 48 percent, with the growth rate increasing more than eight percent between 2010 and 2011. The ranking is featured in the magazine’s annual “Where the Jobs Are” list which placed Prince William County at No. 13 in 2011.

Read Full Post »

Maximum Loan Limits for VA Loans Increased to $838,750 for High Cost of Living Areas in Virginia, Maryland and D.C. for VA Loans Closed August 6, 2012 through December 31, 2012

The Honoring America’s Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012 has been signed into law. The Act includes a number of changes to the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Loan Guaranty program, including reverting back to the previous method of calculating maximum guaranty. This resulted in some loan limits increasing.

While VA does not have a maximum loan amount, the following county “limits” must be used to calculate VA’s maximum guaranty amount for a particular county. These limits apply to all VA loans closed August 6, 2012 through December 31, 2012.

Read Full Post »

Reston VA and Centreville VA in Fairfax County, and Ashburn VA in Loudoun County Top the 2012 List of the Best Places to Live in USA Published by Money Magazine

Money Magazine published its annual “Best Places to Live” list.

In 2012, Carmel, IN, took first place overall on the 100 top places list, with Reston, VA, topping the list locally at No. 7, followed by Centreville, VA, at No. 17. Four Maryland localities were ranked in the top 25.  Ashburn, VA, ranked No. 30 overall and No. 6 on the “Top-Earning Towns” list.

.

Bethesda, MD, took the top prize for MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME with $184,606.  Ashburn, VA, 6^th-place median family income averaged $146,093. The only other area in the region on the income list was Arlington, VA, with $132,580.

Read Full Post »

Fairfax County VA Public High Schools Ranking and College Readiness According to the 2012 U.S. News and World Report

Virginia’s Fairfax County Public Schools system contains 31 high schools. The district contains 15 school that received a gold, silver, or bronze medals in U.S. News‘s Best High Schools rankings: Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Alexandria ranked #2 nationally and #1 in Virginia.

Read Full Post »

Loudoun County VA Public High Schools Ranking and College Readiness According to the 2012 U.S. News and World Report

Virginia’s Loudoun County Public Schools system contains 11 high schools. The district contains 1 school that received a gold medal in U.S. News‘s Best High Schools rankings: Stone Bridge High School, Ashburn, which ranked #178 nationally and #10 in Virginia.

Read Full Post »

Prince William County VA Public High Schools Ranking and College Readiness According to the 2012 U.S. News and World Report

Virginia’s Prince William County Public Schools contains 10 high schools. The district contains 1 school that received a silver medal in U.S. News‘s Best High Schools rankings: Osbourn Park High School, Manassas, which ranked #545 nationally and #23 in Virginia.

Read Full Post »

Arlington County VA High Schools Ranking and College Readiness According to 2012 U.S. News and World Report

Virginia’s Arlington County Public Schools contains 3 high schools:

• Wakefield High School, Arlington, VA
• Washington-Lee High School, Arlington, VA
• Yorktown High School, Arlington, VA

Visit here for College Readiness, Math Proficiency and Reading Proficiency:

 http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/virginia/districts/arlington-county-public-schools

.

NOTE: All information presented here is believed to be accurate, but is subject to errors and omissions and should not be relied upon without verification.

NOTE: The view of the screen may be different on your computer depending on the BROWSER and FONT TYPE used.

Read Full Post »

Northern Virginia and Maryland High Schools Among Top-Ranked High Schools Nationwide According to 2012 U.S. News and World Report

The 2012 Report is in and dozens of Virginia, Maryland and D.C. schools made U.S. News & World Report‘s list of the highest ranking high schools.

To produce the report,  21,776 public high schools were analyzed in 49 states and the District of Columbia. This is the total number of public high schools that had 12th-grade enrollment and sufficient data, primarily from the 2009-2010 school year, to analyze. (Nebraska was the only state that did not report enough data and therefore was not evaluated for any part of the rankings.)

The rankings are based on state proficiency standards, how well they prepare students for college, as well as other factors.

.

In Virginia, top-ranked schools were clustered in Fairfax County, Falls Church and Loudoun County, with Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology rated second out of 100 nationally.

The following schools made the top 10 list for Virginia:

1. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
2. George Mason High School
3. George C. Marshall High School
4. McLean High School
5. James W. Robinson Jr. Secondary School
6. Langley High School
7. W.T. Woodson High School
8. James Madison High School
9. Oakton High School
10. Stone Bridge High School

.

In the Maryland rankings, Montgomery County had seven out of the top 10 schools schools, with Winston Churchill, Walt Whitman and Thomas Wootton ranking in the top three spots. The other schools in the top 10 are in Anne Arundel, Howard and Baltimore counties.

The Following schools made the top 10 list for Maryland:

1. Winston Churchill High School
2. Walt Whitman High School
3. Thomas S. Wootton High School
4. Poolesville High School
5. Walter Johnson High School
6. Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School
7. Richard Montgomery High School
8. Severna Park High School
9. Eastern Technical High School
10. River Hill High School

.

• In Prince William County, Osbourn Park High made the top 600.
• In Prince George’s County, Eleanor Roosevelt High School, made the list at No. 23.
• The top-ranked D.C. Public Schools are Benjamin Banneker High School and Coolidge High School.

The full list of schools is available on U.S. News & World Report’s website.

.

SOURCE: U.S. News & World Reports; WTOP

Read Full Post »

City vs. Suburb: More Americans Favor Living Closer to the City in 2012 – Northern Virginia Homes and Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area

More Americans are showing a preference for living closer into the city than the outer suburbs, according to newly released U.S. Census data. The annual rate of growth in American cities and surrounding urban areas recently surpassed exurbs for the first time in two decades.

Read Full Post »

Loudoun County in Virginia Tops the List as the County with the Highest Median Household Income in The United States in 2011

Loudoun County in Virginia held to its designation as the county with the highest MEDIAN household income.

http://www.LoudounTimes.com published a great article on that topic:

“The county has held the top spot, intermittently swapping with neighboring Fairfax County, for the past five years. Loudoun’s median household income totals $119,540 followed by Fairfax County with a median income of $103,010; Howard County, Md., at $101,771; Hunterdon County, N.J., ($97,874); and Arlington County, Va., ($94,986).”

To read the article and the comments visit:    http://www.loudountimes.com/index.php/news/article/economist_loudouns_richest_in_the_nation_designation_an_overstatement454/

NOTE: Loudoun County VA is located in the high cost of living area with high home prices and high taxes, therefore high median household income should NOT necessarily be equated with high median household wealth.

NOTE: Loudoun County MEDIAN household income of $119,540 means that 50% of households earned less than $119,540 in 2011 and 50% of households earned more than $119,540 in 2011 in Loudoun County, VA

.

SOURCE: LoudounTimes.com

Read Full Post »

HUD Extended Housing Discrimination Protections for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People Effective March 5, 2012

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development extended housing discrimination protections for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender people.

The new rule is effective MARCH 5, 2012 and prohibits owners from asking about an applicant or occupant’s sexual orientation and gender identity for the purpose of determining eligibility or otherwise making housing available.

However, this provision allows voluntary and anonymous reporting of sexual orientation or gender identity pursuant to state, local or federal data collection requirements.

This rule followed a January 24, 2011, proposed rule, which noted evidence suggesting that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals and families were being arbitrarily excluded from housing opportunities in the private sector.

HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan announced a new agency policy to combat bias against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in  federally-supported housing programs.

The new rule aims to help LGBT people and their families remain in their residences, get loans to purchase homes, and access federal aid programs.  They also include an equal access provision that prohibits owners and operators of HUD-funded or HUD-insured housing from asking about an applicant’s gender identity or sexual orientation or denying housing for those reasons. The new rule is effective MARCH 5, 2012.

Click here for more details:

http://blog.hud.gov/2012/01/30/ending-housing-discrimination-against-lgbt-americans/

AND

http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/press/press_releases_media_advisories/2012/HUDNo.12-014

AND

http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=5359-F-02EqAccessFinalRule.pdf

AND

http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=LGBTPR.PDF

AND

http://blog.hud.gov/2012/02/06/new-hud-rule-on-equal-access/

.

NOTE: Fair Housing Laws and Equal Credit Opportunity Act prohibit lenders and real estate agents to discriminate based on race, color, national origin, religion,  sex, disability, familial status, gender, sexual orientation, or dependency on public assistance.

NOTE:  Fair Housing protected classes are race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, familial status, gender and sexual orientation.

NOTE: Sexual orientation is not a protected class in the state of Virginia. However, the federal Fair Housing rules apply to all states.

NOTE: Protected classes in the state of Virginia are: race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status and disability.

NOTE: The National Association of REALTORS amended the Article 10 of  The REALTOR Code of Ethics to include sexual orientation as a protected class as of January 1, 2011.

NOTE: It is very important to remember that Fair Housing Laws and Equal Credit Opportunity Act prohibit discrimination against protected classes AND prohibit discrimination against ALL people of ALL races, colors, religions, national origins, sex, marital status, age, gender and sexual orientation. EVERY citizen and EVERY legal resident of this great land is protected by Fair Housing Laws.

NOTE: Contact a Real Estate Lawyer and/or Constitutional Rights lawyer for details and for the explanation of Fair Housing rules.

.

SOURCE:  HUD.gov; REALTOR Magazine

Read Full Post »

MLS, Multiple Listing Service, and MRIS, Metropolitan Regional Information Systems, scams requesting fraudulent email upgrades – white collar crime and scams targeting real estate agents in metropolitan Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia

Real estate agents are always bombarded by SPAM email, bogus advertisers who promise that only their companies deliver miracle results and are the best deal around, not to mention the ever pushy viagra marketeers, etc  – we are used to it. It is almost an expected part of our business because our e-mail addresses are so very public.

.

However, this morning I received an email that established *new bottom* in scamming and brazen, nonchalant white collar crime.

.

For clarification, MRIS, Metropolitan Regional Information Systems, is the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area MLS, Multiple Listing Service and is used by real estate agents to market and list real estate and homes for sale or rent. The MRIS is available only to member real estate agents and is supported solely by membership fees.

.

The email I received this morning was sent from Mris.com  <helpdesk@mris.com> which requested a payment needed to upgrade the email to 2.5GB.  

The link included in the email asked for the email address and — the PASSWORD – to the email account so MRIS could upgrade the account. Agents are allowed to have THREE email accounts, so THREE payments would have to be made to upgrade each account …. and of course three passwords disclosed…..

.

Now, real estate agents are some of the MOST SAVVY, SMART, INTELLIGENT, even SHREWD people that walk on this Earth – one has to be *shrewd* in real estate business. This is the ONLY business where being *shrewd* is actually a VIRTUE, a necessary part of daily life.

Please note that being *shrewd* does NOT prevent one from being HONEST, CARING agent with HIGH level of INTEGRITY.

.

When I received the email, one look at it told me that it could NOT possibly be a legitimate email sent by MRIS office:

• our email accounts were upgraded a while ago and are now at a nice size of 2GB
• I mostly use a KW-email account, so my MRIS accounts have a LOT of memory space left
• MRIS help desk uses (helpdesk@MRIS.***) …. NOT helpdesk@MRIS.com  – the scam email address did not match address used by helpdesk at MRIS office.

.

Needless to say, I reported the scam immediately to the MRIS office.  Do you think it should be *hard* to find the crooks responsible for the fraudulent email???

I do NOT think so.  Perhaps someone from FBI would like to earn some brownie points and take interest in this case. Let me know.

But do NOT tell me it is impossible to find those brazen arrogant criminals – white collar criminals – that plague the internet … and get away with a murder. Literally.

.

.

HERE BELOW IS  THE E-MAIL I RECEIVED FROM helpdesk@MRIS.com

—- Webmail Technical Services—–

Dear Mris.com Email Subscriber,

You have exceeded your email quota limit of 450MB and you are advice to expand your email quota limit within 48 hours. You need to upgrade your email quota limit to 2.5GB. You can use the below weblink to upgrade your email account:

www.nw-binc.com

Thank you for using our web-mail.

Checkout new features and enhancements with our newly improved and secured webmail.

—-Copyright © 1997-2011 Webmail Technical Services!. All rights

reserved—–

******

Anyone at the FBI looking to earn some brownie points?

Read Full Post »

Conforming Loan Limits and FHA Loan Limits at $625,500 for High Cost of Living Areas in Northern Virginia and Arlington County VA, Fairfax County VA, Fauquier County VA, Loudoun County VA, and Prince William County VA as of October 1, 2011

Senate Passed Loan Limit Extension Amendment – FHA loan limits back at $729,750 – click the link for more information: https://viviannerutkowski.wordpress.com/2011/11/16/conforming-loan-limits-for-conventional-mortgages-and-fha-loan-limits-at-729750-for-high-cost-of-living-areas-in-northern-virginia-and-arlington-county-va-fairfax-county-va-fauquier-county-va-lou/

.

On October 1, 2011, mortgage loan limits for the government-sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (GSEs) and the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) dropped from temporary levels to reduced limits based on permanent criteria established by Congress in 2008.

The base limit for most of US remains at $417,000, but the formula for establishing limits for high cost areas, like Northern Virginia, changed from 125% to 115% of the area MEDIAN HOME PRICE which means a drop in loan limit from $729,750 to $625,500.

It means that $625,500 is the maximum loan amount for one unit residential properties in high cost areas that can be purchased and securitized by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (GSEs).

.

As with the conventional loans insured by GSEs (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac), on October 1, 2011, the loan limits for the FHA loans also declined due to changes set in law. FHA loan limits are set slightly differently than those for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. By law, the lowest limit for any county in US for one-unit homes is $271,050. The ceiling for FHA loans in high cost areas declined on October 1, 2011 from $729,750 to $625,500 for one unit residential properties.

.

.

The new 2011-2012 GSE Conforming Loan Limits in Washington, D.C. area, Northern Virginia and Arlington County VA, Fairfax County VA, Fauquier County VA, Loudoun County VA, and Prince William County VA are as follows:

• 1 – UNIT         $625,500
• 2 – UNIT         $800,775
• 3 – UNIT         $967,950
• 4 – UNIT      $1,202,925 

.

.

The loan limits for VA Loans, mortgages guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs, will change on January 1, 2012.  The current VA loan limit in Northern Virginia area is $818,750 thru December 31, 2011.  http://www.googlerealestate.com/va-loan-limits-2011/

.

.

The new GSE Conforming Loan Limits for all counties in USA and Northern Virginia, Arlington County VA, Fairfax County VA, Fauquier County VA, Loudoun County VA, and Prince William County VA: http://www.nahb.org/fileUpload_details.aspx?contentTypeID=3&contentID=159279&subContentID=353571&channelID=311

The new FHA Loan Limits for all counties in USA and Northern Virginia, Arlington County VA, Fairfax County VA, Fauquier County VA, Loudoun County VA, and Prince William County VA:
http://www.nahb.org/fileUpload_details.aspx?contentTypeID=3&contentID=159279&subContentID=353572&channelID=311

.

Click here for Mortgage Calculators and Interest Rates TODAY

.

.

NOTE: Advertisement Ads which appear in most posts on this Blog are run by WordPress and do NOT necessarily represent the views of Vivianne Rutkowski or Keller Williams Realty. Visitors to this blog are NOT obligated to click the ads to visit this blog.

Read Full Post »

Loudoun County Public Schools Virginia SAT Test Scores at 1597 Points for School Year 2010

Loudoun County Public Schools SAT scores have been improving tremendously for the last couple of years. The average Loudoun County VA Public Schools SAT scores in 2010 were 76 points higher than average Virginia SAT scores and 88 points higher than National SAT scores.

.

.

.

.

..

.

Here are the Loudoun County Public Schools, Virginia, SAT test scores for the school year 2009-2010:

LOUDOUN COUNTY VA SAT SCORES 2010	MATH SCORE	CRITICAL READING	WRITING SCORE	TOTAL SAT SCORE in 2010
Virginia	512	512	497	1,521
Loudoun County	536	535	526	1,597
.
BRIAR WOODS	534	531	533	1,598
BROAD RUN	542	541	528	1,611
DOMINION	538	539	530	1,607
FREEDOM	524	512	507	1,543
HERITAGE	520	521	518	1,559
LOUDOUN COUNTY	536	542	529	1,607
LOUDOUN VALLEY	545	548	529	1,622
PARK VIEW	493	499	482	1,474
POTOMAC FALLS	550	542	534	1,626
STONE BRIDGE	550	547	542	1,639

.

Loudoun County Public Schools Fact Sheet for 2010: http://www.lcps.org/cms/lib4/VA01000195/Centricity/Domain/4/LCPS%20Fact%20Sheet%20Summary%20-%202010-2011.pdf

also http://www.lcps.org/site/default.aspx?PageID=1

.

NOTE: The information above is believed to be accurate, but is subject to errors and omissions and should not be relied upon without verification. Contact Loudoun County Public Schools personally for information.

.

Best Regards,

VIVIANNE RUTKOWSKI

REALTOR®, ABR, GRI, SFR, CHRE, CDPE
Licensed in Virginia

KELLER WILLIAMS REALTY
50 Catoctin Circle NE, Suite 101
Leesburg,  VA  20176
Toll-Free:  877.765.3799
Mobile:       540.229.5429
Texting:      540-229-5429
E-Fax:          888.864.3374
E-mail: VivianneRutkowski@gmail.com
WEBSITE: www.RealtorVivianneRutkowski.com
WEBSITE: www.RealEstateWithViv.com
BLOG: http://VivianneRutkowski.WordPress.com
TRULIA:  http://www.trulia.com/profile/VivianneRutkowski/
ZILLOW: http://www.zillow.com/profile/VivianneRutkowski/

World Class Service with Integrity and Knowledge

Loudoun County Public Schools Virginia, Loudoun County Public Schools Virginia SAT test scores in 2010, Briar Woods High School Ashburn VA 2010 SAT test scores, Broad Run High School Ashburn VA 2010 SAT test scores, Dominion High School Sterling VA 2010 SAT test scores, Freedom High School South Riding VA 2010 SAT test scores, Heritage High School Leesburg VA 2010 SAT test scores, Loudoun County High School Leesburg VA 2010 SAT test scores, Loudoun Valley High School Purcellville VA 2010 SAT test scores, Park View High School Sterling VA 2010 SAT test scores, Potomac Falls High School Sterling VA 2010 SAT test scores, Stone Bridge High School Ashburn VA 2010 SAT test scores

.

NOTE: Advertisement Ads which appear in most posts on this Blog are run by WordPress and do NOT necessarily represent the views of Vivianne Rutkowski or Keller Williams Realty. Visitors to this blog are NOT obligated to click the ads to visit this blog.

 

Read Full Post »

Prince William County Public Schools in Virginia Accredited for School Year 2011-2012 – All Schools Exceeded Benchmarks

All Prince William County Public Schools in Virginia (PWCS) are accredited under Commonwealth accreditation guidelines as per Virginia Department of Education. The new accreditation ratings for 2011–12 are based on performance during the 2010–2011 school year or a three-year average.

“At all levels, our students are exceeding the content-area benchmarks required for accreditation,” said Superintendent of Prince William County Schools Steven L. Walts. “This is evidence of the quality of teaching that goes on in the classroom, and of the quality of leadership in our schools. Prince William County residents can be proud of their schools and the high achievement of our students.

“All elementary schools exceeded the state math benchmark of 70% passing by at least 10 percentage points, and 15 out of 17 middle schools and all high schools scored 80% passing or higher, which is 10 percentage points higher than the benchmark,” Walts said.

.

All PWCS schools achieved higher passing rates in English – English includes reading and writing – than the benchmark required for accreditation:

• All elementary schools scored at least 8 points higher than the 75% benchmark with over 70% of elementary schools scoring at or above 90% passing
• All middle schools scored 15 or more percentage points higher than the required benchmark of 70%
• All 10 high schools also exceeded the 70% benchmark by at least 20 points.

.

All schools also exceeded their respective benchmarks in science:

• 55 of 57 elementary schools exceeding the benchmark by 10 percentage points
• all middle schools exceeding the benchmark by at least 15  percentage points
• all high schools exceeding the benchmark by 10 percentage points

.

All schools exceeded either the current year or three-year average benchmarks in history, with all elementary schools exceeding the benchmark by more than 25 percentage points.

.

The Accreditation rules require that at the middle and high school levels, at least 70 percent of students must pass the English, math, social studies, and science tests. At the elementary school level, at least 75 percent of students taking the tests must receive passing grades in English. Elementary students must also achieve pass rates of at least 70 percent in mathematics, fifth-grade science and fourth-grade history, and 50 percent pass rates in third-grade science and third-grade history. Beginning with tests administered in the 2012–13 school year, the benchmark will be 75 percent for English at all grade levels and the benchmark for all other content areas at all grade levels will be 70 percent.

For the first time, the accreditation ratings for 2011–12 for high schools include a graduation score, using the Graduation and Completion Index (GCI), explained in the state’s Accountability Guide. To be fully accredited, a school must meet the 2015 target score of 85 points. Provisional accreditation is awarded to schools with GCI scores of 80-84 (the provisional target increases from 80 points in 2011–12 to 84 points in 2014–15). All high schools in PWCS met the 2011–12 targets, with 8 schools earning full accreditation by meeting the 2015–16 target of 85 points.

.

http://princewilliamcounty.wusa9.com/news/news/73570-all-prince-william-county-public-schools-accredited-schools-exceed-benchmarks

Virginia Schools Accountability Guide for Accreditation

Prince William County VA SAT scores for 2011 school year

.

SOURCE: WUSA9.com

.

NOTE: Advertisement Ads which appear in most posts on this Blog are run by WordPress and do NOT necessarily represent the views of Vivianne Rutkowski or Keller Williams Realty. Visitors to this blog are NOT obligated to click the ads to visit this blog.

Read Full Post »

Report by FHFA Faults Freddie Mac on Mortgage Reviews – Possibly Costing Taxpayers Billions of Dollars

Freddie Mac failed to act aggressively enough in recovering billions – billions with “B” – of dollars in claims over defaulted mortgages, according to a report released in September 2011 by the Federal Housing Finance Agency, a regulator to Freddie Mac.
What’s more, the report charges that Freddie Mac’s settlement earlier this year with Bank of America Corp. to resolve $1.3 billion in bad-loan claims falls short of what it should have received as settlement.

FHFA has suspended loan-repurchase agreements while it further investigates ways to uncover defective loans, the report says.

“It is critical that this issue be resolved, as it involves potentially considerable recoveries for Freddie Mac and ultimately the TAXPAYERS,” the inspector general’s office wrote in the report. Freddie Mac has operated under the government’s conservatorship since 2008.

In general, Freddie was reviewing loans that default in the first two years since those tend to have the most problems, but the FHFA discovered that more mortgages, particularly adjustable-rate mortgages, that Freddie had purchased from 2005 to 2007 were defaulting after two years. Yet, the report notes, Freddie had reviewed less than 10 percent of the failed loans from 2005 and 2006 and was “eliminating any chance to put ineligible loans back to the lenders from those years,” possibly costing Freddie billions – billions – of dollars in losses.

The report alleges that Freddie failed to test older loans in order to preserve “business relationships with Bank of America and other large loan sellers.”

“FHFA and Freddie Mac must do more to ensure that high-dollar settlements of repurchase claims are accurately estimated and in the best interests of taxpayers,” Steve Linick, the FHFA’s inspector general, said in a statement.

SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal

Read Full Post »

Prince William County Public Schools, Virginia, SAT Test Scores for Class of 2011

Prince William County Schools in Virginia released the SAT scores for the 2010-11 school year showing that county students outperformed the national average in Reading and performed closely with the rest of the nation on Writing and Math.

The College Board’s report announced that graduating high school seniors in Prince William County Schools, Virginia, who took the SAT college entrance test averaged 502 in reading, 487 in writing, and 501 in math. Each section of the SAT test is scored on a 200 to 800 scale.

The national average in reading was 497, in writing 489, and in math 514.

The average score for critical reading achieved by PWCPS students exceeded the national average in six of the 10 high schools in the County. Those schools were Battlefield (517), Brentsville (518), Forest Park (513), Hylton (504), Osbourn Park (524) and Woodbridge (504).

Participation in the exam increased by more than 400 graduating high school seniors in 2011 from the total in 2009-10.

Prince William County Public Schools SAT test scores in 2011

.

Read about Fairfax County Public Schools Virginia SAT test scores.

.

To research and grade Elementary Schools, Middle Schools, and High Schools in Arlington County VA, Fairfax County VA, Fauquier County VA, Loudoun County VA, and Prince William County VA, visit http://www.realtorviviannerutkowski.com/schoolinfo.shtml

NOTE: Advertisement Ads which appear in most posts on this Blog are run by WordPress and do NOT necessarily represent the views of Vivianne Rutkowski or Keller Williams Realty. Visitors to this blog are NOT obligated to click the ads to visit this blog.

.

Read Full Post »

Fairfax County Public Schools Students in Virginia Continue to Post SAT and ACT Scores Above State and National Averages – 2011 Class Scores Lower than 2010 Class Scores

Students in Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) class of 2011 outperformed their peers in Virginia and the nation on the SAT test.  FCPS scores are 39 points above  the state’s average in Critical Reading, 54 points above the state’s average in Mathematics, and 45 points above the state’s average in Writing. SAT results compiled by the College Board show that FCPS students posted average scores of 551 in Critical Reading, 563 in Mathematics, and 540 in Writing for an overall composite score of 1654, down from last year’s overall composite score of 1663 (see Table 1). Slight decreases were also observed in state and national composites.

Five schools in Fairfax County made one-year gains in all three sections: Centreville High School, Hayfield Secondary School, Lake Braddock Secondary School, Madison High School, and Woodson High School. Students at Lake Braddock Secondary School posted the greatest gains by increasing the school’s Critical Reading average by 13 points, the Mathematics average by 2 points, and the Writing average by 10 points. Students at Hayfield Secondary School posted the second highest gains, raising the Critical Reading average by 8 points, the Mathematics average by 4 points, and the Writing average by 10 points (see Table 2).

Of the 25 high schools in FCPS, 15 saw an increase in their Critical Reading average, 11 saw an increase in their Mathematics average, and 10 saw an increase in their Writing average over the last year.  Fairfax High School and Madison High School students made steady gains in Critical Reading in each of the last three years while students at Mount Vernon High School made steady gains in both Critical Reading and Mathematics over the last three years.

.
Fairfax County Public Schools VA News Release: http://commweb.fcps.edu/newsreleases/newsrelease.cfm?newsid=1795

.

NOTE: Fairfax County Public Schools did analysis of College Board data that includes only students from FCPS’ class of 2011 in its results (see Table 4).

NOTE: College Board data may include the scores of students from other jurisdictions and students who are home schooled who took the SAT in Fairfax County high schools. The FCPS analysis uses the test scores of students who were members of the senior class in June 2011—based on the FCPS student information system— and race-ethnic designations taken from school registration records. The FCPS analysis excludes all non-FCPS students as well as students who were tested while enrolled in FCPS but who moved or may have been retained and were not part of the senior class.

.

Overall nationwide SAT scores decreased.

Maryland’s average SAT score fell six points to 1,492  out of 2,400 — eight points below the national average of 1,500. Virginia  dropped five points but kept its head above the nation with an average composite  score of 1,516.

The nationwide decrease is a trend several experts  called alarming. College Board, the nonprofit that administers the test, has  identified a score of 1,550 as a “benchmark,” indicating a 65 percent likelihood  that a student will achieve a B- or higher as a college freshman.

The average critical reading score dipped to 497 nationwide out of 800, the lowest score in the test’s 40-year history. The  average writing score also hit its lowest point, 489, since the writing portion  was introduced in 2006. Math remained relatively stable at 514, a mark it has  fluctuated around in the last 10 years.

.

Read more at the Washington Examiner:  http://washingtonexaminer.com/local/dc/2011/09/sat-scores-fall-across-area-and-nation#ixzz1Y4AiAT25

.

To research and grade Elementary Schools, Middle Schools, and High Schools in Arlington County VA, Fairfax County VA, Fauquier County VA, Loudoun County VA, and Prince William County VA,  visit http://www.realtorviviannerutkowski.com/schoolinfo.shtml

.

.

NOTE: Advertisement Ads which appear in most posts on this Blog are run by WordPress and do NOT necessarily represent the views of Vivianne Rutkowski or Keller Williams Realty. Visitors to this blog are NOT obligated to click the ads to visit this blog.or Keller Williams Realty. Visitors to this blog are NOT obligated to click the ads to visit this blog.

Read Full Post »