Statewide increases in “cut scores,” or minimum scores required for demonstrating proficiency in math and reading Standards of Learning tests, was a topic of discussion during last Thursday night’s meeting of the Mathews County School Board.
The meeting, which was held in the Brooks Auditorium at Thomas Hunter Middle School, was held on the same day that the Virginia Board of Education met in Richmond and voted to increase the cut scores.
SOL tests are graded on a scale of 0 to 600, with 400 the current threshold for proficiency, or passing, and 500 for advanced. That basic grading system has been in effect for about a quarter century, since the SOLs were first implemented. Changes were made by individual grade levels, with reading performance proficient cut levels now ranging from 444 to 479 for reading, and 430 to 453 for math.
The new cut scores will be phased in over several years, with current high school seniors exempted from the change. The VBOE is expected to come up with an im...