Higher SOL cut scores coming, but not this year, Virginia board says
Eight-member panel approves gradual increase in reading and math benchmarks after months of debate over equity and readiness
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Virginia will delay raising its academic benchmarks in reading and math until the following school year — a pause that gives teachers and school divisions a brief breather before higher proficiency standards take effect.
On Thursday, the Virginia Board of Education endorsed a four-year phased plan to raise expectations set by Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration. The goal is to better align the state’s benchmarks, or cut scores, with the rigor of the National Assessment of Educational Progress and help students improve their thinking problem-solving skills.
Critics have said for months that while they understand the need for higher expectations, they worry shifting cut scores could lower graduation rates, increase teacher burnout and worsen inequitable access to education. Others, however, spoke in support at Thursday’s meeting.
“When standards stay low, the least advantaged children lose the most as they depend the most on the public school system for their education,” said parent Todd Truitt.He added that “many of these least advantaged kids in Virginia graduate believing they are prepared, only to find out later that the world expected more of them.”
This school year will serve as a preparation year, with the proficient cut score staying at 400 before rising to 446 by the 2028-2029 school year. Virginia will begin gradually increasing cut scores starting in 2026-2027.
Under the board’s plan, students retaking a Standards of Learning (SOL) assessment must meet the passing score that was required when they first took the test.
Students who have already demonstrated proficiency on high school end-of-course assessments — whether in middle or high school — will not be required to retake the test or the course. The board also directed the Virginia Department of Education to release updated student assessment reports next spring for parents and school divisions, intended to help meet the board’s goals for higher expectations.
Groups including the Virginia Association of School Superintendent had asked the board to extend the existing proficiency and graduation requirements for all high school students, not just seniors. But the board took no action, with staff saying they are following the precedent of modifying cut scores without altering graduation requirements.
Board Member Ida Outlaw McPherson emphasized the need to support disadvantaged students as they prepare for college, sharing that she herself had not been ready in certain subjects — something she said might have derailed her plans to pursue a political science degree.
“Fortunately, I was able to overcome it, but that’s why it’s very important to me that we raise the level as quickly as possible so the students never have to face that,” McPherson said.
Since September, VDOE has met with school leaders to discuss concerns over how the proposed cut scores would affect their divisions, providing modeling and impact analyses.
Scott Brabrand, VASS executive director, said members “strongly appreciated” and “support your total four-year phase-in approach to intentional transition planning,” which will allow for additional modeling by VDOE and school divisions.
The vote caps a years-long process that drew heightened attention in the spring, when a standards-setting committee of teachers and instructional personnel began developing recommendations.
On Oct. 24, 2022, Youngkin asked the board to raise achievement expectations and cut scores — particularly for grades 3-8 reading and math SOLs — following the release of 2022 NAEP results that showed declines in Virginia across both subjects between 2019 and 2022, and continuous drops in fourth-grader proficiency dating back to 2017.
The administration asked the board to reverse cut scores lowered by a previous board, which “inflated the perception of proficiency and ultimately led to some of the worst learning losses in the country,” according to the agency’s presentation.Mim Luangraj, a resident in Arlington, said parents — including those from working families and those who speak English as a second language — likely do not know where standards should be set for college and career readiness.
“As a product of that community and on behalf of those that can’t advocate for their own children, I’m here today to say it’s crucial that their children receive an education at schools with high academic expectations and real opportunity — because for many of them, that’s the only place they’ll get it,” Luangraj said.
Board Vice Chair Bill Hansen was absent from the 8-0 vote by the Youngkin-appointed board.
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