The Shadow
RICHMOND (AP) – The state’s new, more rigorous mathematics tests proved to be a challenge for all types of students during the last school year, the first in which they were tested under revised standards aimed at better preparing them for college or post-graduation employment, education officials said Wednesday.
The Virginia Department of Education had announced last month that math results for the 2011-2012 school year were down notably from the year before because of the new standards, but said the rates provided a “solid foundation” for future achievement.
According to statewide data released Wednesday, 68 percent of students passed the math portion of the Standards of Learning tests in the 2011-2012 school year, compared with 87 percent the year before. Pass rates fell by between 8 and 26 percentage points among certain races and other subgroups.
In Alleghany County, 87 percent of students passed their reading portion of the English SOL, while 90 percent passed the writing portion. Seventy-nine percent of all students passed the history and social science SOL, 60 percent passed the math test and 90 percent of students passed the science SOL.
In neighboring Bath County, 89 percent of all students passed the English reading SOL and 81 percent passed the writing test. Eighty-six percent of all students passed the history and social science SOL, 60 percent passed the math test and 88 percent passed the science SOL.
In the city of Covington, 83 percent of students passed the English reading portion of the SOL, while 84 percent passed the writing test. Seventy-eight percent of students passed the history and social sciences test, while 47 percent of students passed the math test and 90 percent passed the science SOL.
“What matters now is where we go from here,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Patricia I. Wright said in a news release. “At the state level, we must set aggressive but attainable annual objectives for narrowing and ultimately closing these achievement gaps.”
The largest drops in pass rates between the two most-recent school years were seen among black students, whose rates fell from 77 percent to 52 percent; and students with disabilities, whose rates fell from 66 percent to 40 percent, officials said.
Pass rates for students categorized as economically disadvantaged fell from 78 percent to 54 percent, students with limited English proficiency saw pass rates decline from 82 percent to 59 percent, and pass rates for Hispanic students fell from 83 percent to 61 percent.
The smallest drops in pass rates were seen among Asian students, whose rates fell from 95 percent to 87 percent; and white students, whose rates declined from 90 percent to 75 percent.
While students across the state and by subgroup experienced declines in math assessment pass rates, officials said results for English, science and history/social science assessments stayed relatively flat, with some improvements.
The education department will continue to provide training and resources to help reach the new math standards, as well as new English and science standards that are set to be implemented during the 2012-2013 school year, officials have said.
Virginia plans to release its annual accreditation ratings based on test results and other measures later this month.
Schools will be able to use a three-year average of test results to help lessen the impact of lower rates in the last school year.
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Local News Editor Josh Hagy also contributed to this report.
