We pulled Standards of Learning (SOL) passing rates (as in what percentage of students in the school passed the SOL in a school year) from the Virginia Department of Education Website to compare how well APS elementary schools are performing.
What does it mean to pass the SOL?
Per the Virginia Department of Education, student performance is graded on a scale of 0-600 with 400 representing the minimum acceptable level of profieciency and 500 and above representing advanced proficiency. A scaled score of 400 is required to pass the SOL, to meet the minimum acceptable level of proficiency.
Tiered Instruction at APS
APS states every student counts and promotes a tiered instructional method to provide high quality instruction to meet the needs of all students. Tier 1 instruction meets the needs of 80-85% of students. Is every APS elementary school providing Tier 1 instruction? Is every student in every school recieving high quality instruction in all subjects, Math, Reading, Science, Social Studies, and Writing? And if not, what are the barriers? What is being done to ensure all APS elementary students recieve equal access to instruction? How can we as a community support our schools to ensure all schools recieve equitable instruction while maintaining or raising the bar for all?
About the APS SOL Data Comparison Charts
The SOL pass rate data charts for English Reading, Math, Science and History and Social Studies below are sorted based on the the 2022-2023 passing rates for All Students (test scores for grades 3-5) from high to low. The data for school year 2019-2020 not reported due to COVID. You will see that all schools had learning loss post covid. Many APS elementary schools had significant academic growth in the 2021-2022 school year. Some had less visible growth because the passing rate in 2020-2021 were already high and close to prev-covid numbers.
Note, by each school name there is a notation of the percentage of students eligible for free and reduced lunch as of the end of 2022-2023. The asterisk* identifies Title I schools. We included the free and reduced lunch percentage because in Arlington County elementary schools there is a correllation between free and reduced lunch populations and demographic diversity and we were curious to see if there was also a correllation between pass rates and free and reduced lunch populations. We’ve downloaded the APS demographic charts in the files for all elementary schools to show the breakout by ethinicity, students with disabilities, and English learner populations as of the end of 2022-2023. You can visit APS Demographic Dashboard to see the most current data.
How does Oakridge compare?
In English Reading, 78% of Oakridge kids passed the SOL in 2022-2023, a 4 point growth from the prior year. The Arlington English Reading average passing rate was 78% and the average growth in passing rates was 0 points. Of the 25 elementary schools/programs listed below, Oakridge is in the bottom 40%of Arlington Elementary Schools; 15 schools (60%) had passing rates between 79-94%. APS is increasing focus on reading and writing in the 2023-2024 school year and has adopted CLKA and the science of reading, proven methods to help our students grow.
In Math, 75% of Oakridge kids passed the SOL in 2022-2023, an 11 point growth from the prior year. The Arlington Math average passing rate was 78% and the average growth in passing rates was 4 points. Of the 25 elementary schools/programs listed below, Oakridge leads the bottom 40%; 14 schools (60%) had passing rates between 79-99%.
In Science, 64% of Oakridge kids passed the SOL in 2022-2023, a 24 point growth from the prior year. The Arlington Science average passing rate was 72% and the average growth in passing rates was 8 points. Of the 25 elementary schools/programs listed below, Oakridge leads the bottom quarter of schools; 16 schools (64%) had passing rates between 69-95%. We’re glad to see Science is back in the classroom at Oakridge.
In History and Social Sciences, 68% of Oakridge kids passed the SOL in 2022-2023, a 29 point growth from the prior year. The Arlington History average passing rate was 77% and the average growth in passing rates was 6 points. Of the 25 elementary schools/programs listed below, Oakridge leads the bottom quarter of schools; 17 schools (64%) had passing rates between 76-99%.
Beyond the SOL Exams
The State of Virginia has a much larger list of Standards of Learning than the standards we see test scores for which are limited to the charts below the Data Comparison section.
- Digital Learning Integration: emphasize the essential role of technologies in the deeper learning experiences of students in content areas, as digital citizens in an ever-increasing digital world.
- Fine Arts
- Health Education
- Physical Education
- World Language (Encouraged not required. Spanish was dropped at Oakridge a few years ago.)
- Family Life Education
Many parents are curious about Digital Learning Integration. How is technology used in the classroom? What apps are tracking my child and who has access to the data? Is my kid getting too much screen time in the classroom? Is Oakridge incorporating the Digital Learning Integration standard? Are other schools following the standard and are what are the benefits to incorporating the standard?