Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, October 1, 1995 TAG: 9509290004
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: G-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
And that could give a boost to Gov. George Allen's argument for changes in the state's education system.
Virginia students ranked slightly higher on nationwide standardized tests this year and remain better than average nationally.
In every subject in grades four, eight and 11, the state's children scored above the national average, ranging from the 53rd percentile in eighth-grade vocabulary to the 71st percentile in fourth-grade science.
A percentile rank indicates the percentage of students in the national sample who received lower scores on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, and Test of Achievement and Proficiency. These standardized tests are given to students in every state.
Virginia generally fares well on most other education measures such as graduation rates, math and reading test scores and college entrance exams.
The state's public schools graduate more of their students than the nation as a whole. Virginia's graduation rate, 75.3 percent, is 4.2 percentage points above the average and 24th among the states, according to the Education Commission of the States, a nonprofit education policy group based in Denver.
A recent report showed that Virginia's fourth-graders had a bigger drop in reading scores than any other state from 1992 to 1994 on the National Assessment of Education Progress test.
But Virginia still ranked 20th, tied with Tennessee and West Virginia and beating Maryland at 28th. The state ranked 18th in eighth-grade math scores.
Virginia's scores on the Scholastic Assessment Test have fallen below the national average, but 65 percent of the state's high school students take the SAT, compared with 41 percent nationally. As the percentage of students taking the test increases, the average score decreases.
Virginia ranked 39th in SAT scores this year with an average of 896, compared to 910 by the nation as a whole. In some states, only the top 4 percent or 5 percent of the students take the test.
Allen has pointed to the decline in Virginia's SAT scores as a disturbing trend. Virginia's scores are lower on both the verbal and math parts than they were a decade ago.
Virginia ranks above North Carolina in SAT scores, but below Tennessee, West Virginia and Maryland. A smaller percentage of students take the test in Tennessee and West Virginia than in Virginia, however.
Despite the recent increases in the state's rankings on national standardized tests, educators are dismayed that the state has made no progress in performance on the state Literacy Passport Test since it started six years ago.
This year, nearly 35 percent of the state's sixth-graders failed to pass all three parts of the test, the same failure rate as the first year that it was given.
"This is an alarming symptom that we are not improving the academic performance of students in Virginia," James Jones, president of the state Board of Education, said. "We haven't budged in increasing the academic skills of our students."
The passport test consists of exams in reading, writing and math. The test determines whether students have achieved competence in the three subjects.
Students must pass all three parts to be classified as a ninth-grader or above and to get a high school diploma. They can retake the exams until they pass them.
William Bosher, state superintendent of public instruction, said he was disappointed by the passport test results. While Virginia students did better on the standardized tests this year, the passing rate declined on the passport test.
Bosher, an Allen appointee, speculated that the scores on the passport test might have been lower because students are tested on practical skills such as writing rather than multiple choice questions.
Bosher believes the state's new Standards of Learning, recently approved by the Board of Education, will help improve academic performance.
Beverly Sgro, Allen's secretary of education, said academic expectations for students have been too low in the past and that has contributed to the negative trend in some cases.
"We have not required our children to do as much as they could," she said. "The schools are a microcosm of society and we have seen a decline in family values and standards."
Sgro believes that children in rural counties and inner-city neighborhoods can perform just as well academically as those elsewhere.
The Allen administration's focus has been on raising the standards for what students should learn in each grade. The standards are meant to help measure how schools are doing.
There is a wide disparity in the academic achievement among Virginia students. While the state's students as a whole rank well above the national average on standardized tests, those in some localities fall far below in some subjects. Some educators believe that money is one reason for the gap.
Rob Jones, the president of the Virginia Education Association, said 11th-graders in one rich suburban school system ranked at the 80th percentile in reading while 11th-graders in one poor rural county ranked at the 26th percentile.
He said he recently visited the schools in both school divisions and the difference in scores cannot be attributed to demographics alone.
"It has to do, at least in part, with whether the schools are adequately heated and cooled, whether the roofs leak, whether the library is well stocked, whether instructional supplies and staff development are available, and whether salaries attract and retain the most qualified instructors," he said.
Virginia's per-pupil spending on education is below the national average. It ranks 26th among the state's in spending, but13th in wealth.
Virginia spent $5,169 per pupil in 1993-94, compared to $5,314 by the country as a whole, according to the Education Commission of the States. The spending within the states ranged from $8,898 to $3,805 per pupil.
The average teacher salary in Virginia - $33,128 - was also below the national average - $35,958 - in 1993-94, the last year for which statistics are available. Virginia ranks 26th in teachers' salaries.
Rob Jones said he fears those salaries might be causing the state to lose some of its best teachers, which may be hurting students' academic performance.
Virginia spends more money per pupil than North Carolina and Tennessee which rank 39th and 44th respectively, but less than Maryland, which ranks 11th, and West Virginia, 13th.
Teachers salaries are higher in Virginia than in North Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia, but lower than those in Maryland.
State Sen. Malfourd "Bo" Trumbo, R-Fincastle, said the state has school funding problems in some rural areas and more money is needed for programs and educational technology.
"It scares me that we keep education in the condition we do in some places," he said.
"We need to spend more for computers, technology and other things. Some things need to be cut, but some do not."
Trumbo said education can't be treated as a business or product. "It is people development and it is something that we have to invest in, although we have to look at where we are spending the money," he said.
During its next session, the General Assembly will again be faced with the disparity issue. The Coalition for Equity in Educational Funding will lobby for more money for poor school systems.
Ken Walker, chairman of the coalition of mostly rural school systems, said the group hopes that Allen will recommend more disparity funds in his budget for the next budget period. The disparity package approved by the legislature this year helped, he said, but more money is needed.
"We support higher academic standards and accountability, but we feel that we've got to have more money if we are going to meet the standards," Walker said. "We're hoping that the governor will provide more money for education in general and for disparity in particular."
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