As Department of Education Prepares for New Academic Benchmarks, Education Leaders Call for More Transparency

The Virginia Department of Education is facing calls for greater transparency regarding plans to raise academic benchmarks for students.

Education leaders and critics said that while they understand the need to raise expectations, they are concerned that the results of adjusting cut scores — used to determine whether K-12 students are meeting proficiency levels — could negatively impact equitable access to education, lead to teacher burnout, and decrease graduation rates.

Before seeking the Board of Education’s final approval, VDOE stated at the board’s Aug. 28 business meeting that it plans to provide a modeling and impact analysis using this year’s assessment results to determine how each school division would have performed under the proposed recommended cut scores.

The objective, established by Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration, is to better align the cut scores with the rigor of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) to help students improve their thinking skills and use different skills together when solving problems.

The action is part of a larger plan approved by the General Assembly and Youngkin to revise the state Standard of Learning  assessments (SOLs) but it has met pushback from some including school division superintendents who say they don’t have enough information about the process.

“Without a thorough understanding of how these cut scores were developed and determined and their impact, our students, parents and educators will not have the transparency needed to fully embrace these new goals,” Scott Brabrand, executive director of the Virginia Association of School Superintendents, said at the board’s Aug. 28 business meeting.

During the spring, a standards-setting committee comprising teachers and instructional specialists was established to develop cut-score recommendations for review by the Board of Education in June, with a final decision anticipated in July.

In response, Board of Education President Grace Creasey, a Youngkin appointee, told the Mercury that the work was not completed under the leadership of former superintendent Lisa Coons, who resigned in mid-March.

“The work was never done and that was uncovered,” Creasey said, adding that once the board and agency started the process of setting new standards, they realized “going to look for that work, it hadn’t been done.”

However, Creasey said she believes the board will approve the cut scores no later than October. The board’s subsequent two business meetings are on Sept. 25 and Oct. 23.

The recommended cut scores were presented to the Board of Education on Aug. 28, 2025. (Courtesy of the Virginia Department of Education)

The recommendations

As projected, the standards setting committee and Superintendent of Public Instruction Emily Anne Gullickson proposed a significant number of proficiency increases, mostly for reading.

A score of 400 has been the standard for passing the assessments for several years.

However, in grade 4 reading, the committees recommended increasing the proficiency minimum to 444, up from 400. The superintendent recommended raising it to 449. In Algebra I, the committees recommended increasing the proficiency minimum to 445, up from 400. The superintendent recommended raising it to 453.

The updated performance standards will not take effect until spring 2026.

Carol Bauer, president of the Virginia Education Association, said in a statement that the association has been calling on the board “for months” to model how the proposed cut score changes would impact graduation rates. She added that after other states adjusted their cut scores, they found “measurable impacts” and that Virginia can run a similar analysis.

“It’s indefensible that the board refuses to look at the data and it suggests an unwillingness to face the real impact these changes could have on Virginia’s students,” Bauer said.

VASS, in its statement last week, urged the agency and board to publicly share the full methodology, modeling, and impact analysis of the proposed SOL cut score changes before making any final decision.

They also requested that the state hold harmless graduating seniors taking the assessment test this year, considering the proposed higher score requirements. VASS said under the proposed plan to change the scores needed to pass, students who take their exams in the fall might have different score requirements compared to those who take the same tests in the spring.

The association is also asking the agency to clarify the proposed changes to the mathematics SOL test scores, including the number of items that need to be correct to achieve proficiency on each test, and how they align with the recently passed legislation on mathematics placement, and ask that the locally verified credit score of 375 remain in alignment across all grades and courses.

While the agency prepares an analysis for the board and public, Gullickson said school divisions can use last year’s assessment data to draw their comparisons. She said members of the agency will also meet with division leaders to address questions and “really make sure that they understand what the differences are in data, (and) where the supports are needed.”

Gullickson added, “We want to really take in both the requests from the board, requests from public comment, and others who have just said, ‘can we just make sure that this rollout is really thoughtful.’”

Regarding the concerns about the cut scores, Creasey stated that she does not expect the “drastic hits” that are prompting outcry from some education leaders, parents and advocates.

“Former board members continue to beat the drum that if we make these changes, kids are going to fail, they’re not going to pass, they’re not going to graduate,” Creasey said. “I just don’t think that’s the case at the level that has been expressed.”

by Nathaniel Cline, Virginia Mercury

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