FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va.—Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin was outraged over delays by high schools in notifying “commended” students of their National Merit Award, as four more schools reported the same issue on Friday, increasing the school count in Fairfax County to seven in total.
“What started off as allegations of one of our most prominent schools has revealed a systematic problem,” Youngkin said in a tweet on Jan. 14. “Now, there are news reports that seven schools in NOVA [northern Virginia] have delayed notifying Virginia students of their academic achievements. This is unacceptable.”
Students who score among the top 3 percent in Preliminary SAT (PSAT) tests obtain the “Commended Student” accolade, which for some may open doors to special scholarship programs provided by corporate and business sponsors. However, high schools are charged by the National Merit Scholarship Corp. program, which runs the test, with relaying the news to award recipients….