New state data shows Virginia students are continuing to struggle when it comes to math and reading assessments.
Figures from the Virginia Department of Education show that more than half of 3rd through 8th graders either failed or were at risk of failing their reading Standards of Learning tests during the last school year. That number ballooned to nearly two-thirds of that group on the math examination.
Pass rates for every elementary and middle-school grade were behind those for the 2018-2019 school year – in both reading and math.
The data shows that Black and Hispanic students were more likely to have lower test scores on the reading and math assessments when compared to the 2018-2019 assessments.
The department also looked into chronic absenteeism for the most recent school year. It found that the number of chronically absent 3rd through 8th graders doubled from the 2018-2019 school year.
In a statement, Superintendent of Public Instruction Lisa Coons says those students are still struggling to recover from the learning loss caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
