<strong>Charlottesville, VA</strong> – The release of the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) offers a first look at the pandemic’s impact on fourth and eighth grade reading and mathematics since the assessment was last given prior to the onset of COVID-19 in 2019. Virginia is among the participating states and districts where nearly all mathematics scores declined for fourth and eighth graders who were tested. This sample size of data, which also shows eighth graders in the Commonwealth maintained steady reading scores, coupled with the 89 percent of fully accredited public schools reflects the ongoing academic recovery efforts already set in motion across Virginia’s public education system.

“The pandemic magnified existing achievement gaps and our school systems are working hard to meet this challenge head on,” said Teddy Martin, II, VSBA President. “The NAEP scores provide a snapshot of where schools have maintained progress and where there are still areas of opportunity in some grade levels. As rebuilding and recovery efforts continue in Virginia, the underlying need for continuous collaboration between educational advocates and leaders is even more critical to ensure that schools have the resources necessary to remain on track.”

NAEP assesses a sample of students across the country with the primary purpose to measure educational achievement and progress nationally at established grades and ages in relation to the content of NAEP frameworks. NAEP testing took place between January and March 2022, with 224,000 fourth graders from approximately 5,700 schools and 222,000 eighth graders from about 5,100 schools participating. In addition to this assessment, Virginia introduced the bipartisan Standards of Learning (SOL) Program in 1997 and NAEP scores have served as one of the resources to help inform how academic progress is measured in the state.

“These scores highlight the call-to-action that our school divisions have already been proactive in responding to,” said VSBA Executive Director Gina Patterson. “The learning loss experienced due to the pandemic will take time to recover from, so having this type of supplemental data is a great benefit to school leaders as they fine tune their plans to address specific student needs. The VSBA will continue to offer guidance for school boards to advocate for resources and supports that will assist them in regaining momentum in their academic acceleration.”
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<strong>About the Virginia School Boards Association
</strong>Virginia School Boards Association, a voluntary, nonpartisan organization of Virginia school boards, promotes excellence in public education through advocacy, training and services. The Association offers conferences, information, training, and counseling designed to meet the needs of the Commonwealth’s educational leaders.