News Releases

For Immediate Release: August 18, 2022
Contact: Charles Pyle (804) 371-2420 

RICHMOND — Results from Standards of Learning and other state assessments taken by Virginia students during the 2021-2022 school year reflect the continuing impact of prolonged school closures on student learning. Despite one-year gains in most subjects, student achievement in all areas remained well below pre-pandemic levels. The 2021-2022 school year marked the return to in-person learning for all 132 Virginia school divisions and the return to normal levels of student participation in the state testing program.

“The bottom line is that in-person instruction matters. When we compare the 2021-2022 data with achievement in 2020-2021 — when the majority of our students were learning remotely or on hybrid schedules — we can see the difference our teachers made once they were reunited with their students in their classrooms,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow said. “I want to thank all of our teachers for everything they did last year to begin what will be a multiyear recovery effort.”

16-Point Proficiency Gap in Mathematics from 2018-19 to 2021-22

In mathematics, 66% of students overall passed, compared with 82% before the pandemic. Gaps between pre-pandemic math performance and achievement in 2021-2022 were much wider among Blacks, Hispanics, economically disadvantaged students, English learners and students with disabilities.

“The first step in addressing the learning loss our students have experienced is to dive into the SOL data at the state, division and school levels and identify the instructional supports and interventions students require individually and in the aggregate to get back on track to grade-level proficiency,” Balow said. “This is especially critical for our youngest learners who have spent more than a third of their early elementary years without the benefit of in-person instruction.”

5-Point Proficiency Gap in Reading Despite Less Rigorous Proficiency Standards

Seventy-three percent of students overall passed SOL and other state assessments in reading, five points below the pre-pandemic pass rate in 2018-2019. Gaps between pre-pandemic performance and reading achievement in 2021-2022 were wider for Hispanic students and economically disadvantaged students.

Balow said the reading results for 2021-2022 understate the extent of learning loss — especially in the early elementary grades — given the adoption of less-rigorous proficiency standards by the Board of Education when introducing new reading tests during the 2020-2021 school year. “Had the board retained the pre-pandemic level of rigor on the reading SOLs, we would be looking at less recovery in reading,” Balow said.

“The prolonged closure of schools exacerbated downward trends in achievement that began several years before COVID-19 and our efforts to address learning loss must go beyond making up for lost seat time,” Secretary of Education Aimee Guidera said. “Moving forward, we must restore a culture of high expectations for every child in every school in the commonwealth. This includes working with the Board of Education to raise standards, increase transparency and create an accountability system that drives improvement and sets grade-level achievement as the goal for every child.”

Greater Learning Recovery Among Students with More In-Person Learning

A Virginia Department of Education analysis of statewide data shows a strong correlation between in-person instruction during 2020-2021 and higher achievement on the 2021-2022 SOLs. For example, 69% of students who experienced in-person instruction for nearly all of 2020-2021, and 62% of students who experienced in-person instruction for most of 2020-2021 passed their 2021-2022 math tests, compared with 39% and 37% who experienced nearly all or mostly remote instruction, respectively.

In reading, 75% of students who experienced in-person instruction for nearly all of 2020-2021, and 69% of students who experienced in-person instruction for most of 2020-2021 passed in 2021-2022, compared with 58% and 52% who experienced nearly all or mostly remote instruction, respectively.

Wide Achievement Gaps Remain Despite Gains from 2020-2021 to 2021-2022

With the exception of writing, students overall and students in all demographic groups made progress in 2021-2022, compared with performance during 2020-2021.

“The growth and progress of students last year accounts for the rebound in achievement in most content areas. Teachers are working so hard to help students catch up and meet academic needs,” Balow said. “Schools have the responsibility to target their state and federal pandemic relief funds on proven strategies to address learning loss, such as high-dosage tutoring, before and after-school programs and extended learning opportunities.”

Next Steps in Addressing Learning Loss

This fall, VDOE will introduce individualized progress reports for students in grades 1-8 that will allow parents to see where their children are succeeding and where they have fallen behind. The department will pilot the progress reports in selected school divisions before making them available for students and parents statewide.

The state budget signed by Governor Glenn Youngkin last month includes a historic $3.2 billion in direct aid to school divisions and provides nearly $10 million for implementation of the Virginia Literacy Act and $7 million for additional reading specialists. The spending plan also allocates $100 million to launch innovative college laboratory schools in partnership with Virginia colleges and universities.

The 2021 General Assembly provided $40 million to school divisions during the 2021-2022 school year to address learning loss. In addition, school divisions have received $3.2 billion in federal funding since 2020 under three pandemic relief acts to address learning loss and other impacts of the pandemic. 

SOL Results for Divisions and Schools

Additional data on the performance of students on the 2021-2022 assessments — including grade-level and course-specific rates for schools, school divisions and the commonwealth — is available on the VDOE website and on the department’s School Quality Profile reports.

School Accreditation Ratings Released in September

VDOE will release 2022-2023 school accreditation ratings next month. Accreditation ratings include multiple indicators of school quality and student achievement, including growth in reading and mathematics and high school graduation rates.The department waived annual school accreditation ratings for the last two school years because of the pandemic.

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