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The Washington Post editorial board penned a scathing critique of Virginia’s public officials over the latest devastating academic report.
On Thursday, an assessment by Virginia superintendent of public instruction Jillian Balow found that Virginia students suffered a significant backslide after COVID-19 lockdowns and former Gov. Ralph Northam’s attempts to lower education standards.
The Washington Post offered more critical details.
ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA - AUGUST 19: Gabby Mondelli teaches her fourth grade students at Samuel W. Tucker Elementary School in Alexandria, Virginia (Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/For The Washington Post via Getty Images) (Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)
"State education officials last week issued a damning report that documented a years-long trend of declining student performance and glaring racial, ethnic and income achievement gaps that have been hidden from public view. Chock-full of data, it cited significant drops in reading scores for both fourth- and eighth-grade students on the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress administered in 2019, revealing the wide gaps in how students perform on state reading and math assessments compared with the grade-level benchmarks on the federal assessment," the Post wrote.
The Washington Post previously criticized Gov. Ralph Northam’s efforts to change the state’s Standards of Learning in 2017 and referenced its past comments in their op-ed.
"Among the troubling moves: jettisoning of critical tests, adoption of test score standards to make it easier for students to pass and weakening of regulations for schools. Officials, alas, paid no heed to concerns about the consequences of lowering standards and expectations. Now, we get to say we told you so," the Post wrote.
FILE - In this Feb. 2, 2019 file photo, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, left, gestures as his wife, Pam, listens during a news conference in the Governors Mansion at the Capitol in Richmond, Va.. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File) (AP)
The article also mentioned that despite pushback from Democratic opponents, the report proved to be "pretty comprehensive" by former Virginia Board of Education member Andrew Rotherham who was appointed by Democratic Gov. Mark R. Warner.
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In closing, the Post called on current Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who requested the report after his election in 2021, to work towards "meaningful reform" when appointing new members of the state board of education.
Glenn Youngkin, governor of Virginia, speaks to members of the media following a cabinet swearing-in ceremony at the Virginia Executive Mansion, in Richmond, Virginia, U.S., on Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022. Youngkin, former co-CEO of the Carlyle Group Inc., is the first Republican elected to the office since 2009. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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"Virginia once prided itself on asking more of its students than what was minimally required by the federal government, and this report should be a call to action for meaningful reform," the Post wrote.