Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin successfully campaigned on raising standards in K-12 education. One of his promises after he took office was to raise cut scores, the number of questions students need to get right to pass state tests, to the “highest in the nation” by spring 2023.
But that never happened.
Governors appoint members of the state Board of Education. Following a standoff over some of his predecessor’s appointees, Youngkin had an unusual stroke of luck — he obtained a majority of his own appointees on the board early in his tenure. But the administration spent much of its time and political capital on history standards and transgender policies. With 13 months left in his term, Youngkin’s time is running out.
The state Board of Education under then-Gov. Ralph Northam’s administration lowered the number of correct answers needed to pass math Standards of Learning tests in third through eighth grade in 2019. The following year, it lowered the number of correct answers to pass reading tests for the same grades.
The board’s decision to change cut scores was based on recommendations provided by the articulation committee, which is made up of subject experts.
Youngkin and his appointees have repeatedly referred to these moves as “lowering standards” and creating what they call an “honesty gap” in test score reporting.
At an Oct. 24, 2022, news conference, Youngkin said: “Reversing the failed policies of the last two administrations, I am directing the Board of Education to raise our SOL cut scores from the lowest in the nation to the highest in the nation by the time our students take our SOL exams next spring.”
Spring 2026
The number of correct answers required to pass tests remains unchanged. Now, the Youngkin administration says the state Board of Education will implement new cut scores by the time students take their SOL tests in spring 2026 — after Youngkin leaves office in January of that year.
Youngkin’s education secretary, Aimee Guidera, said in a statement: “Governor Youngkin has spent the past three years working to restore excellence to education, and as a result, Virginia has more rigorous standards in math, English, history, and computer science that align to [the National Assessment of Educational Progress].”
Guidera added: “The Board has replaced its outdated accreditation system with the School Performance and Support Framework, which provides actionable data to guide efforts and investments in schools most in need. Over the next 12 months, a Technical Advisory Committee of national technical experts and Proficiency Setting Review Committee of educators, employers, and parents will ensure that proficiency cut scores align with NAEP, meet workplace and higher education demands, and set best-in-the-nation expectations on par with top-performing states.”
History standards
Three weeks after Youngkin announced he was directing the Board of Education to raise the cut scores by spring 2023, his administration released a rewritten version of the state’s K-12 history standards that was developed over the course of a few months, disregarding a draft document Northam’s administration developed over the course of nearly two years.
The new draft referred to Native Americans as “America’s first immigrants” and scrapped mentions of discussion about the ongoing legacy of slavery and the Civil War in Virginia today. The new draft sparked public uproar due to several missteps and what opponents criticized as the secretive process under which it was written. Youngkin acknowledged “omissions and mistakes” in the document.
The state Board of Education, with a majority appointed by Youngkin, rejected the revised standards and later approved a new compromise version in April 2023.
In 2022, Youngkin’s Education Department unveiled new model policies for the treatment of transgender students. The controversial document that rolled back protections for transgender students was finalized in July 2023.
The cut scores on the state’s SOL tests that Youngkin said perpetuate “the honesty gap” and allow “our children’s learning to suffer” have remained in place.
Youngkin’s first state superintendent, Jillian Balow, resigned last year, 14 months into her tenure after the state Education Department came under fire for errors in its redrafting of K-12 history standards and for miscalculating how much education funding localities would receive from the state.
Lisa Coons, a former Tennessee education official, took over as head of the Virginia Department of Education in April 2023.
Over the past year, the Board of Education has moved away from culture war issues and taken on more systemic education reform measures such as implementing a new school accountability system.
Last year, the state Board of Education implemented new, more difficult math standards, which include curriculum and guidance to educators on what to teach. Early this year, the board implemented new reading standards that are more rigorous. The new math and reading standards are being taught this school year.
The Virginia Department of Education added a handful of new “innovative” questions to math and reading SOL tests that students will take in the spring. The board will use the test results to help decide how high to set the new cut scores that will be implemented when students take their SOL tests in spring 2026.
Source: www.dailyprogress.com
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