VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — As students move further away from the remote learning stage of the coronavirus pandemic, a new report revealed that learning loss still persists.
According to the Virginia Board of Education’s 2023 report, the learning loss Virginia students experienced during the pandemic is complex and pervasive.
The report also highlighted students in grades 3-8, saying that they are struggling the most with that loss.
Testing data from the 2022 to 2023 school year revealed more than 50% of students in that grade range are at-risk or below proficiency in reading, and two-thirds are at risk or non-proficient in math, the report said.
17% of all grade 3 through 8 students were also reported as chronically absent last school year. Those students showed a 25% decrease in math performance, and 18% in reading.
Virginia’s 2023 teacher vacancy rate also hit slightly below the national average of 4%, according to the report.
The shortage is critical for elementary school teachers. The paperwork pointed to 1,205 vacancies on the first day of the 2023-24 school year.
In special education, there were 1,049 vacancies. Virginia Beach Education Association President Kathleen Slinde said she sees the trend reflected in Hampton Roads.
“Special education is very hard to fill right now,” Slinde said. “It’s a very specific kind of work. Right now, it has a lot of stress associated with it. Teachers are actually being attacked physically and hurt in the classroom.”
The report said state lawmakers are working to address staffing challenges with pay raises. They added three teacher pay raises: 5% in 2022, another 5% raise this past July and a 2% raise in January 2024.
The Virginia Board of Education is cracking down on learning loss by focusing on increasing the rigor of learning standards and revising the accreditation and accountability system, according to the report.
In September, the Virginia Department of Education also launched "All In": a high intensity tutoring model. It calls on school divisions to provide tutoring with small tutor to student ratios, about three to five hours a week.