Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin speaks during news conference announcing the Department of Education report on education Thursday May 19.
PHOTO: STEVE HELBER/ASSOCIATED PRESS
New Gov. Glenn Youngkin promised to improve schools in Virginia, and exit polls last November showed that 53% thought it was the most important issue. A new report by the state Department of Education lays out the academic decline—fueled by state policy—that the Governor will have to reverse to fulfill his education mandate.
Student achievement in K-12 has declined on several metrics. From 2017 to 2019, reading proficiency measured by the National Assessment of Educational Progress fell five percentage points for 4th graders and four points for 8th graders. From 2014 to 2021, the state fell to 9th place from 3rd in the percentage of high-schoolers who qualified for college credit on at least one Advanced Placement exam. Reading scores on the state’s Standards of Learning exam also fell from 2017-2019.
“State leaders have lowered expectations for students and redefined success for both students and schools,” says the report, and that’s for sure. In 2017 the Virginia Board of Education reduced the importance of grade-level proficiency in school accreditation.
The education board also voted to lower proficiency standards on state exams. This has exacerbated Virginia’s “honesty gap,” which is the difference in student proficiency levels between state tests and the NAEP. While other states have closed these gaps, “Virginia is the only state to define proficiency on its fourth-grade reading test below the NAEP Basic level and also sets the lowest bars in the nation for fourth-grade math and eighth-grade reading,” says the report.
Pandemic learning loss hasn’t helped. The report cites a National Bureau of Economic Research study this spring of 11 states, which foundthat Virginia had the least amount of in-person instruction and the greatest decline in math and English state test pass rates for 3rd- through 8th-graders from 2019 to 2021.It’s no surprise with this record that more parents are taking their children out of district schools. The percentage of home-schooled students is about 45% higher in the current school year than in 2019-20. In the 2020-21 school year, 3,748 students left public schools for private schools.
All of this is a great opportunity for Mr. Youngkin to start a turnaround. His Administration is promising to raise achievement standards, promote more “collaboration” with parents, and “nurture freedom of speech and inquiry” in classrooms. It also pledges to “support innovative education by increasing school choice,” including “lab schools,” which are public schools run by universities. The good news is he has a mandate to do all of it.It’s no surprise with this record that more parents are taking their children out of district schools. The percentage of home-schooled students is about 45% higher in the current school year than in 2019-20. In the 2020-21 school year, 3,748 students left public schools for private schools.
All of this is a great opportunity for Mr. Youngkin to start a turnaround. His Administration is promising to raise achievement standards, promote more “collaboration” with parents, and “nurture freedom of speech and inquiry” in classrooms. It also pledges to “support innovative education by increasing school choice,” including “lab schools,” which are public schools run by universities. The good news is he has a mandate to do all of it.
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