Virginia eyes stricter testing standards on SOLs
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The Virginia Board of Education has begun the process of revising how state tests are graded, reports RTD's Anna Bryson.
Why it matters: If the board decides to increase the threshold to pass, as Gov. Youngkin has asked them to do, Virginia's state tests could be some of the toughest nationwide.
State of play: Virginia students saw some of the steepest drops in the country on reading and math scores during the pandemic, and they haven't bounced back.
- That's according to the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), a federally mandated test that compares testing samples from fourth and eighth graders across the U.S.
- NAEP's report notes not to compare its results to state tests, because its standard for "proficiency" surpasses most states' standards.
- But Youngkin has vowed since 2022 to raise Virginia's testing grading scales to match what NAEP considers "proficient," per RTD.
Zoom in: The goal is to close the gap between state and NAEP scores (state results are usually higher).
- One way they could do this is by increasing the number of questions a student has to get right to pass, known as "cut scores."
- But last week's board vote was only about starting the revision process, not about what change will take effect or when.
Yes, but: Anne Holton, the board's sole Democratic member, warned that increasing the pass threshold could lead thousands of high school students to fail.
- That could impact graduation rates, Holton said, since Virginia is one of a few states where students must pass mandatory exit exams to graduate.
- It could also impact school funding, added Holton, because "there are funding formulas that allocate money based on pass rates."
The other side: Proponents of changing the grading scale, however, say a dramatic change is needed to reverse the test scores trend.
- Some board members like Andy Rotherham also called Holton's statements "irresponsible" because "we're not there yet in terms of what this is going to look like."
- "It creates angst. It's politics," Rotherham said in last week's meeting.
What's next: Committees will first propose changes for the Board to review in June.