After Virginia Raised Expectation, Students in Grades 3 Through 8 Show Improvements in Math, Reading

Virginia students’ reading and math assessments in grades 3 through 8 for the 2024-25 school year improved despite the commonwealth making assessments more “rigorous” for students, according to data released by the Department of Education on Wednesday.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin credited the “Restoring Excellence to Education” plan, which included setting higher expectations and supporting schools with financial investments, improving transparency and accountability by providing “easy-to-understand” information for parents, and combating learning loss with the “ALL IN VA” initiative, which also improved student attendance.

As a result of the plan, Youngkin said at a Wednesday event touting the academic achievements at the state Capitol, Virginia’s Standards of Learning (SOL) pass rates for grades 3 through 8 in reading and math increased over the past three years. In reading, pass rates increased from 70.4% to 71.9%; in math, pass rates increased from 64.8% to 68.3%. Pass rates are scored on the proficient and advanced levels.

“We made the tests harder, and yet the students’ performance improved,”  Youngkin said. “That is a testament to the capabilities of Virginia students. When we set high expectations, the results improve. When we expect more from our students, they will deliver more. It is that fundamental belief that, I think, is the foundation of the future of education.”\

A banner promoting ALL IN VA, the Youngkin administration’s plan to address learning loss and boost student achievement post-COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Nathaniel Cline/Virginia Mercury)

Virginia uses the results of the SOL to measure student learning and achievement in mathematics, reading, science, writing, history and social science. SOL results also play an important role in determining whether schools are accredited, which impacts funding, support and intervention efforts.

Youngkin and his administration said some of the reasons for the previous decline in student achievement in math and reading scores are connected to prior Boards of Education and administrations’ “dismantling” of expectations and prolonging school closures due to the pandemic, which they said impacted students’ achievement.

“We took our foot off the gas, we lowered our vision and our expectations, and the system produced the results for which it was designed,” said Secretary of Education Aimee Guidera.

The governor explained that the commonwealth raised expectations by requiring students to demonstrate mastery of subjects, making math and English standards harder, and encouraging more students to take dual enrollment college courses, advanced math courses, and earn career and technical education credentials.

Youngkin said the administration is not “trying to demean schools,” but instead is “trying to have a clear understanding of where the students are.”

The governor said the next step is to close the “honesty gap,” or the disparity between state-level proficiency standards and the more stringent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) benchmarks.

This week, the Board of Education is continuing its discussion about adjusting cut scores to determine whether K-12 students are meeting proficiency levels to better match the rigor of NAEP.

Once approved, the updated performance standards will not take effect until spring 2026.

Youngkin’s administration is pushing for Virginia to meet the NAEP’s “proficient” standard, which is defined as a student demonstrating a deeper understanding of complex topics and the ability to apply them in real-world situations. However, critics have questioned the effectiveness of this approach.

With the $418 million ALL IN VA initiative plan set to end next year, Youngkin said the success can continue if Virginia encourages businesses to invest in the commonwealth.

He also said the state is running on $10 billion in surpluses, and he plans to continue investing in education when he presents his final budget in December.

“There is still funding available to run ‘All In Virginia’ for the rest of this academic year, and that’s really exciting to me,” Youngkin said. “And then, when I have an opportunity to sit down and introduce my budget, we’re going to work through and prioritize a whole bunch of the shared priorities that I believe represent what Virginians need to go forward.”

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