FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va.—Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin vowed to raise standards and performance in the state’s K-12 public schools after a new report highlighted declining academic achievement over fallen standards. He also pledged to improve transparency in education performance reporting and empower parents for student academic excellence.
According to the new report by the state’s Department of Education, Virginia public school students’ performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as “the nation’s report card,” decreased between 2017 and 2019.
During the same time, however, these students’ test results with the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) either remained flat or slightly increased due to lower standards. Under the previous administration, the Virginia Board of Education reduced its SOL proficiency standards in math in 2019 and reading in 2020….