The Virginia Department of Education Releases 2017-2018 SOL Test Results

The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) today released results of Standards of Learning (SOL) assessments taken by students during the 2017-2018 school year.

“Virginia has challenging standards and assessments, and students are performing at a much higher level today than when the state raised expectations six years ago,” Superintendent of Public Instruction James Lane said. ”Pass rates are not the only measure of school quality. If we focus solely on annual pass rates, we miss the achievement of students who are making steady progress toward the benchmarks and the efforts of schools to address issues that directly affect learning and achievement. These factors are captured in the new accreditation system, and the ratings we will report next month will provide a more complete picture of where schools are today and where they can be enhanced in the future.”

Statewide, 2017-18 student scores on Standards of Learning tests slumped in every subject: English, math, science, social studies and writing. The drops locally mirrored the declines statewide.

Williamsburg-James City County, York County and Poquoson were the only Peninsula-area districts to outpace state averages, as well as Virginia Beach and Chesapeake on the Southside.

Gloucester and Isle of Wight counties fared better or the same as the state averages, while results in Mathews, Newport News, Hampton, Norfolk and Portsmouth were mixed with growth and some areas and declines elsewhere

Statewide :

▪ 79 percent of the students who took reading tests passed, compared with 80 percent during 2016-2017;

▪ 78 percent passed in writing, compared with 79 percent previously;

▪ 77 percent passed in mathematics, compared with 79 percent in 2016-2017;

▪ 81 percent passed SOL tests in science, compared with 82 percent previously; and

▪ 84 percent of students tested in history and social studies passed, compared with 86 percent in 2016-2017.

Under the revised Standards of Accreditation approved by the Board of Education in November 2017, school quality indicators for English and mathematics will include the academic growth of students making significant progress toward meeting state benchmarks. Schools will also be evaluated on progress in closing achievement gaps in English and mathematics, raising overall achievement in science and reducing chronic absenteeism. High schools will also be evaluated on their success in raising graduation rates and reducing dropout rates.

“An emphasis on overall pass rates can obscure the needs of groups of students who require additional support, both inside the classroom and in the community,” Lane said. “Under the new accreditation standards, schools and school divisions are required to develop and implement plans to address achievement gaps and ensure that all students have the resources they need to succeed.”

Additional information on the performance of students on SOL tests during 2017-2018 — including pass rates for schools and school divisions — is available on the VDOE website and on the online School Quality Profiles