On Tuesday, Aug. 13, the Virginia Department of Education released SOL results for the 2018-19 school year. These results reflect significant changes in student test-taking patterns brought about by the commonwealth’s diploma and school accountability standards. Revision to the Standards of Accreditation that became effective last year reduced the number of SOL tests high school students must pass in order to graduate and implemented new requirements that students who have already earned the required number of verified credits in high school for their respective diploma would no longer take the SOL test for a particular course, even though they were enrolled in the course. Because of these changes, fewer high school students took SOL tests last year in mathematics, science and social studies. Also the 2018-2019 SOL results in mathematics reflect the administration of a new test based on the 2016 Mathematics Standards of Learning.

According to Superintendent Dr. Barbara Johnson, elementary and middle school students in Prince Edward County showed improvement in mathematics when compared to SOL results from the 2017-2018 school year. “While there was some improvement on individual SOL tests besides mathematics, we realize that there is significant work that still needs to be done to improve the overall performance of all students on future state assessments,” stated Dr. Johnson. Dr. Johnson added that “it is also important to remember that the SOL results released earlier this week do not include the combined rate used to calculate accreditation ratings which will be released by the Virginia Department of Education in September.” According to the Virginia Department of Education, “the combined rates used to calculate accreditation ratings include adjustments for successful remediation efforts, growth of students toward proficiency in reading and mathematics, allowances for transfer students and English learners, and other provisions approved by the state Board of Education.” Finally, as a division, Prince Edward County will continue to focus on increasing rigor in all core subjects and ensuring that all students have ample opportunities for academic and developmental success.