By Lily Mott
Virginia public schools will increase testing, attempting to combat lower student scores in science and other core subjects following the pandemic.
The Virginia Department of Education mandated the new growth assessments to improve students’ academic performance after most divisions reported decreases in Standards of Learning (SOL) test scores from the last two school years.
Rockbridge County Public Schools reflected the statewide trend. Students’ reading SOL scores dropped 4.5% from the 2018-2019 school year. Science test scores in Rockbridge County dropped 14.2% between the same years.
Meanwhile, Lexington City Public Schools bucked the trend. The division’s test scores increased following the pandemic. Lexington City schools ranked second out of 132 divisions in Virginia with 93% of its students passing the last SOL tests.
Lexington City School Board Chair Tim Diette expressed a general concern about whether the new tests capture what the teachers are trying to accomplish with their students throughout the year.
“There have been these growth measures that have been put in, and it’s not exactly clear how the new benchmark tests are going to be used and how those new scores are going to be used.” Diette said.
Lexington City Public Schools Superintendent Rebecca Walters thinks there is great benefit in the new testing because it could show students’ growth. “Even though they don’t score a 400 that says they passed their state test, that tells us a lot about that child’s educational journey throughout the year.” Walters said.
Tim Martino, assistant superintendent of Rockbridge County Public Schools, says virtual learning during the pandemic was challenging for students.
“The social piece was missing so much which, let’s face it, kids love going to school because there is a huge social piece,” Martino said. “A transition to virtual learning isn’t as easy as internet access and a computer in a kid’s hands.”
Martino says the tests were a good tool to measure growth in Rockbridge County Public Schools last year after the pandemic.
“It’s always good to have accountability and to make sure we’re doing right by our kids. So, we’ll see where those take us this year,” Martino said.