2022-2023 Test Results Show Virginia Students Continue to Struggle with COVID-Related Learning Loss in Reading and Math
RICHMOND — Today the Virginia Department of Education released the 2022-23 Virginia Assessment Results, demonstrating significant and persistent learning loss in reading and math for Virginia students in grades 3-8. More than half of 3rd-8th graders either failed or are at risk of failing their reading SOL exam, and nearly two-thirds of 3rd-8th graders either failed, or are at risk of failing, their math SOL exam.
“Grade 3 through 8 Virginia students are still struggling to recover the learning loss from the pandemic and are not performing as well as their pre-pandemic peers,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction Lisa Coons. “The 2022-2023 SOL data demonstrates just how important school attendance is for students’ academic success. VDOE recommends school divisions allocate this $418 million in learning loss resources to proven programs that will achieve the greatest student impact--approximately 70% for high-dose tutoring, 20% for Virginia Literacy Act implementation, and 10% for chronic absenteeism response.”
About the 2022-23 Data
Pass rates for every elementary and middle-school grade are behind 2018-19 pass rates, both in reading and in math.
The pass rates are even more alarming when considering the large number of students who are in the “low proficient” level and would have likely failed the SOLs under the 2018-2019 cut scores. Proficiency cut scores were lowered between the 2018-2019 and 2020-2021 test administration. These lowered cut scores enabled students to pass that would not have otherwise received a passing score. Students who fall into this band are considered “low proficient.”
Reading
- Hispanic and Black 3-8th grade students experienced the most significant declines in reading performance from 2018-2019 to 2022-2023, with an 8% and 7% decline respectively.
 Mathematics
- Hispanic and Black 3-8th grade students experienced the most significant declines in math performance from 2018-2019 to 2022-2023, both at 20%.
 Chronic Absenteeism
- Students who miss more than 18 days, just 2 days a month, are considered chronically absent.
- In 2022-2023, the number of chronically absent students doubled from 2018-2019.
- In Reading, students in grade 3-8 who missed 18+ days of school scored 18% lower than students with regular attendance. Students in grade 3-8 who missed 36+ days (2 months of school) scored 31% lower than students with regular attendance.
- In Math, students in grades 3-8 who missed 18+ days of school scored 25% lower than students with regular attendance. Students in grades 3-8 who missed 36+ days (2 months of school) scored 43% lower than students with regular attendance.
 The Virginia Department of Education is conducting a statewide attendance campaign (#AttendanceMattersVA) aimed at reducing absenteeism rates across the Commonwealth. The campaign works with Virginia schools and parents to increase attendance by communicating the importance of attendance to families, expanding breakfast after the bell programs, ensuring that every child has a trusted adult at school, monitoring and celebrating successes, and reducing barriers to attendance such as transportation and mental health challenges.
SOL Results for Divisions and Schools
Additional data on the performance of students on the 2022-2023 assessments — including grade-level and course-specific rates for schools, school divisions and the commonwealth — is available on the VDOE website and on the department’s School Quality Profile reports.
School Accreditation Ratings Released in September
VDOE will release 2023-2024 school accreditation ratings later this month. Accreditation ratings include multiple indicators of school quality and student achievement, including growth in reading and mathematics and high school graduation rates.
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