Richmond Public School students will be required to take a statewide growth assessment test starting this fall.

Students in third through eighth grades will be the first to take new “growth assessments” to determine baselines for measuring individual academic progress in reading and mathematics during the school year.

These new tests, which will be administered statewide, are in addition to the Standards of Learning tests students will take next spring and were mandated by legislation approved by the 2021 General Assembly.

“These new assessments are timely in that they will provide teachers and other educators with baseline data showing exactly where students are in reading and mathematics as they return to school after the disruptions to learning caused by the pandemic,” state Superintendent of Public Instruction James Lane stated in early September.

Richmond schools Superintendent Jason Kamras expressed excitement about Virginia’s new approach focusing on student growth over the course of the school year. He believes this is a much better measurement for schools, families and divisions to use to understand what is working and what is not.

For this year only, the fall growth assessments are based on content from the previous grade level to assist in identifying unfinished learning from 2020-21 due to the pandemic.

“The assessments will be very helpful coming out of the last year’s virtual learning and establishing a very strong baseline on where students are this fall,” Mr. Kamras told the Free Press.

Because the new tests are meant to be a baseline, there are no pass or fail grades, according to the state Department of Education. Student growth measurement from last year were not strong in part because only 3,000 of Richmond’s 24,000 students took the SOLs. Like Richmond, all area public school systems, including Henrico and Chesterfield counties, saw drops in student math and reading pass rates. They also did not do better than the state’s averages in either subject.

Spring’s reading and math SOL tests will capture student growth during this year, as well as providing data for use in calculating school accreditation ratings.

According to the administration, the new assessment will take the place of the traditional Measures of Academic Progress reading and math tests administered each year to elementary and middle school students.

Richmond School Board Chair Cheryl L. Burke, 7th District, has questions regarding the kind of support the state will provide as RPS responds to the academic assessment data.

“What about student trauma and mental health? What is in place to address those issues, after learning loss, that go hand in hand with increasing academic growth?” Mrs. Burke asked. “What will be the plan and who will fund it—the state or school divisions?”