CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) – As schools across Virginia prepare for standardized testing, researchers at the University of Virginia are shedding light on persistent achievement gaps tied to race, ethnicity, and economic background. n nData from UVA’s Center for Community Partnerships shows significant differences in pass rates on the Standards of Learning (SOL) exams. In Charlottesville City Schools, over 80% of white students pass the reading SOL, while the pass rate for Black students from the same district is nearly half that figure. The disparity, though somewhat narrower, also exists in Albemarle County schools. n nResearcher Asha Muralidharan noted that while such socioeconomic divides have long existed, the pandemic worsened outcomes across the board. However, she highlighted encouraging improvements in recent years. n n“This is an issue school leaders are aware of,” Muralidharan said. “Our goal is to provide actionable data so districts can direct resources where they’re needed most.” n nTeammate Nina Schoonover emphasized the importance of making the findings accessible and visually clear for educators, policymakers, and community organizations. n n“Having a centralized, easy-to-use platform helps support data-driven decisions,” Schoonover explained. “It allows districts to evaluate how specific programs are affecting achievement gaps or overall test results.” n nThe research aims to serve as a tool for targeted intervention, helping schools identify where additional support can make the greatest impact. n— news from WVIR
— News Original —nUVA Researchers illuminate race, economic gaps in student SOL scoresnCHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) – As the school year ramps up so do educators’ preparations for standardized testing. In Virginia, that means SOL prep, and as Commonwealth leaders look for ways to improve student performance, researchers at UVA have been tracking the factors outside of the classroom that appear to divide results. n nAcross the state, including in Albemarle County and Charlottesville schools, the data scientists at UVA’s Center for Community Partnerships found sharp disparities in scores between race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. n n“We’ve seen these kinds of socioeconomic gaps for a long time,” researcher Asha Muralidharan said. “I really want to point to is how drastically COVID impacted our students’ scores. Those gaps still exist and they definitely still need to be addressed, but we can see some really positive change happening in specifically the last three or four years.” n nIn Charlottesville City Schools, more than 80% of white students pass their reading SOL test. Students coming from the same schools who are Black pass the same test at nearly half that rate. n nThe gap is slightly less wide for Albemarle schools, Virginia Department of Education reports. n n“It’s a problem that I think the schools are very aware of and we just want to be a resource to highlight which schools in particular need the most assistance and might need the most support,” Muralidharan said. n nMuralidharan said that sentiment inspired the SOL score resource. n nNina Schoonover is another researcher on the team, who wants to make this data easily accessible to everyone and visually engaging for everyone. n n“Being able to pass this on to districts or leaders or community partners and just having a space to go and find that more easily is really important to help increase data informed decision making,” Schoonover said. “It’s really helpful for school districts to look at initiatives and how those have impacted gaps or test outcomes.” n nDo you have a story idea? Send us your news tip here.