Debate Grows Over Timing of Higher Academic Standards in Virginia

As Virginia prepares to revise its academic benchmarks for students, a select group will consider how quickly the state should implement its proficiency ratings.

The committees could recommend either a single-year transition or a more gradual approach over several years. However, any decision could significantly impact how schools, students, and communities respond.

Implementing the changes over a year could have immediate effects but might also lead to rushed decisions. A phased approach over several years could help reduce anomalies, but may delay schools from receiving timely interventions.

“The (Board of Education) hasn’t made a policy decision yet on how they’re going to do that,” Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction Emily Anne Gullickson told The Mercury.

Gullickson did not indicate her preference on the matter but said a subject expert will analyze data from other states that have taken similar approaches. A presentation is expected in June when the standard-setting committees meet.

The committees include teachers, instructional specialists, and community stakeholders, such as parents and business leaders. In June, the members will make recommendations to the board for an initial review, with a final decision expected in July.

Virginia’s effort to change the cut scores — the threshold for determining student proficiency — is part of a broader push by Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration to raise academic benchmarks and “restore excellence in education.” The plan includes increasing rigor in core subjects, boosting transparency and accountability, and overhauling the state’s assessment system.

The administration aims to align the new cut scores more closely with the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which it says highlights the “honesty gap” — the disparity between Virginia’s current standards and the more stringent NAEP benchmarks. NAEP measures academic performance in grades 4, 8, and 12, using a randomly selected sample designed to reflect student diversity across factors like ethnicity, school size, economic background, and gender.

Between 2017 and 2022, Virginia’s fourth-grade reading and math results showed a stunning 40-percentage-point gap between the state’s Standards of Learning assessment tests and NAEP assessments.

According to the latest NAEP results for Virginia, 8% of Black students and 13% of Hispanic students tested proficient in 8th-grade math. In 4th-grade math, 19% of Black students and 27% of Hispanic students reached proficiency.

The governor has attributed these results to the previous Board of Education lowering cut scores and altering school accreditation standards. However, Democrats have defended the prior approach.

A change would not take effect until the spring of 2026. Board members are still in the early stages of considering their options.

Anne Holton, a former state education secretary and a current member of the Board of Education member appointed by former Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam, said that while she is looking forward to seeing what the superintendent and committees recommend, she’s disappointed the governor’s administration has not adequately communicated the potential changes to the public — especially because they are likely going to be unpopular.

The Youngkin administration wants Virginia to meet 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.

In response to Holton’s question at the board’s recent work session, Marianne Perie, founder of Measurement in Practice LLC and a technical advisor on standard setting, said that aligning Virginia’s standards with the NAEP benchmark would increase the student failure rate. Holton said the rate could rise to about 68% — resulting in dramatic changes in the commonwealth.

“You need the public to understand that this is not suddenly your child is dumber than he was last year or that your school is worse than last year, but rather that we’re changing the grading scale, causing this change,” Holton said.

However, board member Andy Rotherham, a Youngkin appointee, warned of an “inevitable result” if the state delays action. Speaking at the board’s May 21 work session, he said the state has been telling the public that 90% of Virginia’s schools are “doing fine” when fewer than one in five Black and Hispanic eight-grade students are proficient.

“We’re either going to have a reckoning for that or not,” Rotherham said, urging the board to continue its push for greater transparency and honesty about how students are performing on assessments.

“The question should not be about that; it should be what we are going to do for those kids, what we are going to do for those communities, what we are going to do for those families,” Rotherham said.

“Those are the kinds of policy conversations that we should be having, not trying to square this circle where we’ve been telling people that almost every school is great when you have these astounding gaps in achievement, and this astounding gap overall in terms of what we’ve been saying is proficient and what is not.”

Rotherham said he looks forward to hearing from the committees. He did not endorse a specific  implementation method but emphasized the importance of raising standards in a way that educators can manage — without postponing a decision.

“The only thing I’m not open to is kicking the can down the road or not being transparent with parents and communities about where we are,” Rotherham said.

“There are multiple ways to do this, and that’s why we need to have a conversation that’s not getting everybody riled up that ‘all the kids are going to fail next year,’ or whatever. (It needs to be) thoughtful, and I have confidence in Emily Anne on that.”

The Mercury learned that several of Virginia’s most prominent education associations share the board’s commitment to high standards and accountability for students, but have not taken a position on how quickly the state should implement any proficiency ratings.

Carol Bauer, president of the Virginia Education Association (VEA), said in a statement that changes in performance benchmarks have consequences and should only be considered with great care and caution.

“There’s no need to rush this process for political purposes,” Bauer said. “Before any moves are made, we need significant research into how changing cut scores will affect not only student success, but graduation rates, the new Performance and Support Framework, and funding that’s tied to SOL outcomes.”

On May 16, a statewide coalition of 12 education associations signed a letter urging the Board of Education to consider the broader implications of raising the cut scores on Virginia’s SOL assessments. Areas of potential impact include the state budget, the new accountability system, and graduation rates.

The organizations include the Virginia Association for Teaching, Learning and Leading, Virginia PTA, Virginia School Board Association, Virginia Associations of Secondary School Principals, School Superintendents, and Elementary School Principals and VEA.

“Our coalition supports rigorous expectations; we do not advocate lowering the bar for learning,” the letter states.

“However, we believe any changes to SOL cut scores must be approached with great care, thorough, extensive modeling of student performance impacts as well as transparency around the impact of the new cut scores on state budget funding streams tied to SOL outcomes, graduation rates, and the new Performance and Support Framework.”

The coalition added that significant shifts in performance benchmarks without extensive modeling could carry “far-reaching consequences.” It urged the board to “fully analyze and communicate these impacts to all education stakeholders, especially parents, before moving forward.”

by Nathaniel Cline, Virginia Mercury