Black and Hispanic students scored higher on most of Virginia's Standards of Learning exams this year than in the past year and closed the gap with the general student population on some exams.
Black students improved on 22 of the 28 SOL exams, while Hispanic students improved on 20 of the exams.
As a whole, the Virginia student population improved on 23 of the exams over last year's scores.
Charles Pyle, a spokesman for the Virginia Department of Education, attributed the higher scores to the individual work of educators.
The improvement is "due to the tremendous efforts on the part of the teachers and administrators," Pyle said.
More schools have made their curriculums match with state standards and this has helped improve SOL scores, he said.
The SOL exams, which are still in their testing phase for students in grades 3-12, will be used to determine whether students graduate and schools receive accreditation by 2007.
In this year's exam results, gaps remained between black and Hispanic students and the general student population, though the gap narrowed on some exams.
Black students improved compared to the general population on 19 of the 28 exams. Among Hispanics, however, the gap widened on more exams than it narrowed.
In this year's results, blacks scored lower than whites on exams by between 14 and 32 percent, while Hispanics scored lower by 5 to 24 percent.
Economics and other factors contribute to the lower SOL scores among minorities, Pyle said.
Predominantly minority schools often have worse facilities, less funding, fewer educational resources and more poorly trained teachers, according to Monty Neill, executive director of FairTest, a Massachusets-based advocacy group that seeks to improve educational evaluation practices.
Other more subtle factors also may be involved, Neill said.
Test-makers may have "social and cultural assumptions" that make tests better suited for upper-middle class white children than for poor and minority children, he said.
Despite improving scores, criticism of the SOLs persists.
Besides noting the minority achievement gap, critics such as Neill say the standardized tests lead to bad educational practices.
The SOLs encourage narrowed curriculums, rote memorization and teaching to the test, he said.
"It's typical for scores to go up," he said. "What's unclear is whether it represents real learning."
Pyle said, however, that the SOLs really are helping students learn, noting improved algebra scores.
"You either know the math or you don't," he said.
Gov. Mark R. Warner has had some concerns that the SOLs will encourage teaching to the test, but he said he thinks the tests have been improved over time to address this problem, Warner spokesman Kevin Hall said.
"Parents want accountability," Hall said. "That's what the SOLs are all about."
Accountability also could be achieved by a system where schoolwork is independently evaluated over time, without standardized testing, Neill said.
Read More
Sen. Tim Kaine speaks to U.Va. students, discusses Ryan resignation and more
By Grace Traxler | 17 hours agoIn an informal Q&A session, audience members asked about threats to federal research, the future of diversity, equity and inclusion at the University, potential shifts in the Democratic Party and more.
Summer Language Institute sees record high enrollment in its 45th year
By Zach Minkin | 18 hours agoFor the first time in its 45-year history, SLI is featuring both four week and eight week options, where it previously only offered an eight week program.
U.Va. Faculty Senate overwhelmingly adopts a no confidence vote in Board of Visitors
By Xander Tilock | 3 days ago"The Faculty Senate expresses no confidence in the Board of Visitors for not protecting the University and its president from outside interference," the resolution read.
