SOL Testing Results 2022: Prince William County Schools Performance

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, VA — The Virginia Department of Education released Standards of Learning standardized test results for 2022 last Thursday showing some improvements from last year's scores but lower numbers than pre-pandemic testing.

Prince William County Public Schools had pass rates above the Virginia average in four out of five subject areas and increased test scores over the previous year.

The PWCS pass rate of 75 percent for reading was above the Virginia average of 73 percent. The school division's pass rate is up from 72 percent in 2021, which reflects reduced student participation due to COVID-19 impacts to testing. However, the school system has yet to return to the 79 percent pass rate it had for reading in 2019, the last year there was full participation.

In math, the PWCS pass rate was 67 percent, compared to 66 percent for Virginia. The pass rate in 2021 for PWCS was 54 percent, which reflects reduced student participation. However, the latest math pass rate is down from 83 percent in 2019.

In science, PWCS had a 63 percent pass rate, compared to a state average of 65 percent. The 2021 pass rate had been 57 percent for PWCS and 59 percent for Virginia. The 2019 science pass rate for PWCS was 81 percent.

PWCS also outperformed the state in writing (70 percent compared to Virginia's 65 percent) and history (70 percent compared to Virginia's 66 percent). History and writing results are not available for 2021 due to widespread use of local assessments for writing and history.

PWCS Superintendent LaTanya McDade said the test results show the impact that the pandemic had on student performance. "It is clear we still have a long road to full academic recovery," McDade wrote in her weekly email to the community on Friday. "Although PWCS has realized increases in reading and math scores and remains above the state average, our SOL scores reaffirm the impact the pandemic has had on student learning."

In her message, McDade also outlined the school system's plan for continued improvement before classes resumed on Monday.

"PWCS will work diligently to support continued academic progress, acceleration, and recovery," McDade said. "Our ambitious strategic plan ensures we are on the right track to navigate the journey back to pre-pandemic levels by investing in our instructional core, maintaining high expectations to ensure academic excellence, and strengthening infrastructures along the way toward greater equitable and accessible academic achievement for all students."

On the state level, Gov. Glenn Youngkin's Department of Education pointed to the impact of school closures as a factor in SOL results. According to research by the nonprofit NWEA, a period of three to five years is expected for recovery of pandemic learning loss.

All 132 school divisions in Virginia were back to in-person learning in the 2021-2022 school year and normal testing levels for the 2022 SOL. In 2021, SOL tests were impacted by testing opt-outs granted to students due to the COVID-19 pandemic. SOL testing had been canceled in the 2019-2020 school year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"When we compare the 2021-2022 data with achievement in 2020-2021 — when the majority of our students were learning remotely or on hybrid schedules — we can see the difference our teachers made once they were reunited with their students in their classrooms," said Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow in a statement. "I want to thank all of our teachers for everything they did last year to begin what will be a multiyear recovery effort."

However, the Virginia Department of Education noted changes in pass rates between 2021-2022 and 2018-2019, the last time Virginia had regular SOL testing participation. The overall pass rate in math for all students fell from 82 percent in 2019 to 66 percent in 2022. The percentage drops were even higher for some student groups — 70 percent to 49 percent for Black students, 74 percent to 53 percent for Hispanic students, 72 percent to 52 percent for economically disadvantaged students, and 59 percent to 36 percent for English learners.

The percentage drop for reading was less significant, as the Virginia Board of Education had introduced less rigorous proficiency standards starting with the 2021 test. For all students, the reading pass rate fell from 78 percent in 2019 to 73 percent in 2022.

"Had the board retained the pre-pandemic level of rigor on the reading SOLs, we would be looking at less recovery in reading," said Balow.

The Virginia Department of Education plans to launch individualized progress reports this fall for students in grades 1 to 8. According to the department, the reports will show parents or guardians where their students are succeeding and falling behind. The reports will be piloted in selected school divisions before becoming available statewide.

SOL results are available on the School Quality Profile for Prince William County Public Schools. Full results for Virginia are on the Virginia Department of Education website