NORFOLK, Va. - Right now, some school divisions are heading back to the classroom this week while others will go back next week.
As they do, News 3 is taking a dive into the performance of local students in the Standards of Learning results.
When the results were announced earlier this month, state leaders said the numbers showed student achievement was up compared to earlier in the pandemic but continued to lag behind where it was prior to the pandemic.
In the seven cities, Chesapeake and Virginia Beach were above state averages in every subject. Hampton was above average in one subject. Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Suffolk were below state averages in all subjects.
Still, Norfolk did see some jumps in scores, like a 20-point increase in math, and the chair of the School Board is optimistic test scores will improve again this year. On the History SOL, the percentage of students passing rose from 37-percent to 49-percent.
"We're not where we want to be, but it's not the end of the store. We know that we're going in the right direction and we're going to continue to support that and those things are going to get us to where we need to be," said Carlos Clanton, school board chair.
Other local divisions also faced challenges. In Portsmouth, 49-percent of students passed in math and 45-percent passed in science.
"No doubt studies show that students learn best when they're in-person and they receive instruction in-person, so we're looking forward to our students returning back in-person this year fully," said Dr. Cardell Patillo, the chair of the Portsmouth School Board. "Being back in-person, having our tutors back in-person this year, after school programs back in-person this year - we expected to have a greater impact on instruction."
Virginia has eased quarantining guidelines for students, which state leaders say will keep more kids in the classroom.
Clanton said the school division is using a tier system to help students learn in groups, which he says is having an impact and will be used again this year.
Both Norfolk and Portsmouth have offered summer instructional options. In Norfolk, the school board budgeted to accommodate 10,000 students.
"We're keeping students engaged through these programs," said Clanton.
