Letter to Governor Glenn Youngkin and Senior Virginia Department of Education Officials Regarding SOL Results
Superintendent Reid's message to Governor Youngkin and senior Virginia Department of Education officials
August 23, 2024
The Honorable Glenn A. Youngkin
Governor of Virginia
P.O. Box 1475
Richmond, VA 23218
Aimee Rogstad Guidera
Secretary of Education
Patrick Henry Building
1111 East Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23219
Dr. Lisa Coons
Superintendent of Public Instruction
James Monroe Building
101 N. 14th Street
Richmond, VA 23219
Dear Governor Youngkin, Secretary Guidera, and Superintendent Coons:
I write to you today in the spirit that we share a commitment to a brighter future for our Commonwealth. As such, I would like to address the manner in which the recent student achievement data was released.
Tuesday morning, the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) released the results of the 2023-24 Standards of Learning, what we call "SOLs." Beginning in third grade, the state requires certain SOL tests at the end of the school year as one way to measure student learning.
Uncharacteristically, early this week, the VDOE released this state-wide data to schools after hosting a press event where the achievements of large school systems like Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) were not recognized. Local media then misrepresented FCPS student achievement in writing and history/social sciences.
To be clear, FCPS, which is Virginia's largest school division, continues to outperform state averages in all state-mandated SOL subjects. The table below provides clear detail on FCPS results in reading, math, and science.
Only a small number of FCPS students elect to take SOLs in writing and history/social studies. Instead, thanks to the School Division of lnnovation designation granted to FCPS by the VDOE in 2021, our students can demonstrate mastery using a variety of state-approved alternative assessments which include Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams -- in many cases, nationally-normed college exams.
In FCPS, we use this flexibility to ensure that our students can engage in rigorous assessments, which have higher performance standards than SOLs. FCPS continues to raise the bar for student performance.
Further, as the writing SOL still assesses the now-outdated 2010 writing standards, we want to make sure our students write to current standards. FCPS has also elected to embrace VDOE flexibility in history/social sciences to offer more authentic assessment experiences for our students, aligned with their classroom learning.
As a result, Fairfax participation numbers for SOL writing and history/social sciences tests are quite small. For example, in School Year 2023-24, only 110 FCPS students took a writing SOL, while more than 18,000 FCPS students took VDOE-approved alternative assessments and continued to perform extraordinarily well, as indicated in the chart below.
By omitting the tens of thousands of students who performed exceedingly well on VDOE-approved alternative assessments and publishing only the fraction of students who took SOLs, the hard work of our students and staff is not recognized.
It concerns me that instead of lifting up and celebrating the unquestionable success of students and staff in Fairfax as we enter a new school year, there are those who deliberately rely on such omissions to perpetuate misrepresentations of our staff and students' hard work and achievement. At a time when we are working hard to recruit and retain our educators, we must be aligned in our collective support of this mission-driven work.
We have had an amazing first week of school across FCPS. I've visited almost two dozen schools, and I'm more resolute than ever in championing and celebrating our students, staff, and families for their hard work and commitment to teaching and learning. As another Virginian long ago stated, "The cornerstone of democracy rests on the foundation of an educated electorate." Public education is this cornerstone and forms the foundation of a successful democracy both today and tomorrow, where opportunity for all remains our unwavering core belief.
I am proud of the work Team FCPS does each and every day, in all their unique roles, to support a world class education for each and every one of our students. This work matters!
Thank you for your shared commitment to the success of each and every child here in Fairfax County; together all things are possible.
Sincerely,
Michelle C. Reid, Ed.D.
Division Superintendent
cc: Karl Frisch, Fairfax County School Board Chair, Providence District
Sandy B. Anderson, Fairfax County School Board Vice Chair, Springfield District
Ricardy J. Anderson, Fairfax County School Board Member, Mason District
Seema Dixit, Fairfax County School Board Member, Sully District
Mateo Dunne, Fairfax County School Board Member, Mount Vernon District
Robyn A. Lady, Fairfax County School Board Member, Dranesville District
R. Kyle McDaniel, Fairfax County School Board Member, Member At-Large
Ryan L. McElveen, Fairfax County School Board Member, Member At-Large
Melanie Meren, Fairfax County School Board Member, Hunter Mill District
Ilryong Moon, Fairfax County School Board Member, Member At-Large
Marcia St. John-Cunning, Fairfax County School Board Member, Franconia District
Rachna Sizemore Heizer, Fairfax County School Board Member, Braddock District
Jeffrey C. McKay, Fairfax County Board of Supervisor, Chairman, Elected At-Large
Kathy L. Smith, Fairfax County Board of Supervisor, Vice Chairman, Sully District
Walter L. Alcorn, Member, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Hunter Mill District
James N. Bierman Jr., Member, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Dranesville District
Pat Herrity, Member, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Springfield District
Andres F. Jimenez, Member, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Mason District
Rodney L. Lusk, Member, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Franconia District
Dalia A. Palchik, Member, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Providence District
Daniel G. Storck, Member, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Mount Vernon District
James R. Walkinshaw, Member, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Braddock District
The Honorable Jennifer D. Caroll Foy, Virginia State Senator, 33rd District
The Honorable Scott A. Surovell, Virginia State Senator, 34th District
The Honorable David W. Marsden, Virginia State Senator, 35th District
The Honorable Stella G. Pekarsky, Virginia State Senator, 36th District
The Honorable Saddam Azlan Salim, Virginia State Senator, 37th District
The Honorable Jennifer B. Boysko, Virginia State Senator, 38th District
The Honorable Adam P. Ebbin, Virginia State Senator, 39th District
The Honorable Charniele L. Herring, Virginia House of Delegates, 4th District
The Honorable Richard C. Sullivan, Jr., Virginia House of Delegates, 6th District
The Honorable Karen A. Keys-Gamarra, Virginia House of Delegates, 7th District
The Honorable Irene Shin, Virginia House of Delegates, 8th District
The Honorable Karrie K. Delaney, Virginia House of Delegates, 9th District
The Honorable Dan I. Helmer, Virginia House of Delegates, 10th District
The Honorable David L. Bulova, Virginia House of Delegates, 11th District
The Honorable Holly M. Seibold, Virginia House of Delegates, 12th District
The Honorable Marcus B. Simon, Virginia House of Delegates, 13th District
The Honorable Vivian E. Watts, Virginia House of Delegates, 14th District
The Honorable Laura Jane H. Cohen, Virginia House of Delegates, 15th District
The Honorable Paul E. Krizek, Virginia House of Delegates, 16th District
The Honorable Mark D. Sickles, Virginia House of Delegates, 17th District
The Honorable Kathy K.L. Tran, Virginia House of Delegates, 18th District
The Honorable Rozia A. Henson, Jr., Virginia House of Delegates, 19th District