About two-thirds of public schools in Virginia are meeting or exceeding expectations for student performance, according to data from a new rating system long sought by Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R).
But the data showed continued disparities in performance along racial and socioeconomic lines, according to a Washington Post analysis.
The results released by the Virginia Department of Education are the first assessment since the state approved a new way of measuring school performance last year. The system now gives schools two ratings: one for accreditation that’s based on simple criteria such as whether the school meets staffing requirements and building codes, and another for accountability that uses test scores and other metrics to award a performance score.
That score — based on factors such as how much students improved, how well they mastered topics and schools’ absenteeism rate — is used to categorize schools into four tiers: distinguished, on track, off track and needs intensive support. The department will work with lower-rated schools to identify and create a plan to address underlying problems, and the schools will be eligible for grants.
Parents can see how their school is rated in updated School Quality Profiles on the VDOE website.
According to the VDOE, about 1 in 4 public schools in the state are rated as distinguished, or exceeding expectations. Northern Virginia and Southwest Virginia have the highest percentages of top-rated schools at 31 percent and 28 percent, respectively, the data shows.
Thirty-eight percent of public schools in Fairfax County and 46 percent in Loudoun County rated as distinguished, while Arlington County saw about 34 percent of schools in the top category.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Emily Anne Gullickson said in a statement that data shows momentum in literacy, math and postgraduation readiness for life beyond high school.
“These results prove that excellence is possible in every community in the Commonwealth and we are committed to ensuring every student in every Zip code has the support and opportunities they need to be successful,” Gullickson said.
The new ratings are part of an effort by Youngkin to overhaul education in Virginia, including changing the scoring on state standardized tests. Youngkin had criticized the previous model, taking issue with the fact that nearly 90 percent of Virginia schools were deemed fully accredited in 2022 despite large dips in student test scores during the pandemic.
Youngkin championed the new system as a solution to closing what he called an “honesty gap” in performance.
“On day one we committed to delivering the most transparent K-12 accountability system in the nation, with the highest expectations for every student,” Youngkin said in a statement Wednesday. “Our Student Performance and Support Framework is doing just that, providing timely, trustworthy data so we can target support to the students, schools and communities who need it most, and we can all learn from our Distinguished top-performing schools.”
Critics of the new framework worried it wouldn’t capture the nuance of school success. Last year, school board chairs from across Northern Virginia districts pushed for the new rating system to be pushed back by a year.
Achievement gaps along racial, socioeconomic and geographical lines have long been a concern in education. A Post analysis of the new Virginia data and enrollment data found gaps remain, mirroring previous projections as the rating system was developed.
For example, about 59 percent of the state’s Black students were enrolled in schools rated as distinguished or on track schools, while 79 percent of the state’s White students were enrolled in schools in the top categories.
Black students, who make up 21 percent of the state’s student population, also accounted for only 13 percent of students in distinguished schools. The same goes for Hispanic students, who make up 20 percent of the student population but only 14 percent of the population of distinguished schools.
White students accounted for 52 percent of the student population at schools rated as distinguished.
Students identified as socioeconomically disadvantaged made up 29 percent of student bodies at distinguished schools compared with 61 percent of those at schools rated as needing intensive support. About 43 percent of students across the state are identified as socioeconomically disadvantaged.
English learners, who make up about 12 percent of public school students, account for about 22 percent of the students in the lowest-rated schools and only 6 percent of the highest-rated schools.
The data released by the VDOE offers snapshots across regions, highlighting schools that performed well in performance metrics. For example, Haycock Elementary is the highest-rated elementary school overall in Northern Virginia, while Weems Elementary in Manassas City scored the highest for reading growth.
Gullickson and Tiara Booker-Dwyer, Virginia’s deputy superintendent of student outcomes and school quality, said in an interview that the detailed data helps identify what schools are doing that works and opportunities to improve.
Math is an area where they said data shows resources need to be focused.
“We now have a system where every student is seen,” Booker-Dwyer said.
Schools that may have scored lower on the rankings are now expected to begin creating improvement plans to address weak spots.
Virginia typically releases school ratings in the early fall. In an email, the VDOE said this year’s results were delayed as officials worked to validate the new accountability data. Leaders wanted to ensure that every piece of data was accurate before sharing it publicly, the department said.
Local school leaders in Northern Virginia celebrated their results but were careful to point out that the ratings’ new emphasis on standardized test mastery over individual growth will affect school performance.
Fairfax Schools Superintendent Michelle Reid said the “new framework will not change our focus on excellence, equity, and opportunity for all students.”
Loudoun Schools Superintendent Aaron Spence said the new ratings “are two of many measures that provide important insight into how we are serving our students and where we can continue to grow. While we are certainly proud of the work happening every day in our schools, more work is in front of us.”
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