2011-2012 SOL Results Drop - FOX 21/27 WFXR Roanoke/WWCW Lynchburg News, Weather

2011-2012 SOL Results Drop

Many say your child took the hardest public school math test in the country: the algebra one SOL. The numbers show some may have seen it as a challenge.

The state's average passing rate is 75 percent, so how did schools in our area do?

Schools including Roanoke City, Lynchburg, Bedford, and Montgomery County didn't hit the state's average, and saw drops from the 2010-2011 school year.

Others like Roanoke County, Salem, Danville, and Franklin County schools hit the 75 percent mark or above, but still saw rates drop. Roanoke County Superintendent Dr. Lorraine Lange says the numbers aren't as bad as they may appear on paper; they were 11 points above the state average.

"Whenever there is a new test it goes down, that is statistically the way it goes," Lange says. "We knew it was going to be down, but our schools did very well. Our teachers worked very hard, and I was pleased to see how our results compared to other school divisions across Virginia."

Two school districts did have 100 percent passing rates: Lexington and Galax City schools. Galax went up seven percentage points. The assistant superintendent says over the last few years they have put emphasis on algebra and attribute that to their success.

In addition to algebra one, Dr. Patricia Wright with the State Board of Education says there have been tougher standards in mathematics across the board since 2006.

"We have had an all-out effort at our middle schools grades to reinforce the more rigorous mathematics content," Wright says.

However, schools we talked to say they hope to get their numbers up next school year.

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Results of school results from 2010-2011 to 2011-2012 school year.

- Alleghany: 90% down to 69%

- Appomattox: 93% down to 83%

- Bath: 86% down to 74%

- Bedford: 92% down to 60%

- Botetourt: 98% down to 87%

- Buena Vista: 91% down to 61%

- Campbell: 94% down to 66%

- Carroll: 95% down to 71%

- Covington: 94% down to 63%

- Craig: 88% down to 75%

- Danville: 92% down to 75%

- Floyd: 94% down to 67%

- Franklin: 95% down to 79%

- Galax: 93% up to 100%

- Giles: 94% down to 66%

- Grayson: 89% down to 66%

- Halifax: 96% down to 72%

- Henry: 97% down to 81%

- Lexington: 100% stayed at 100%

- Lynchburg: 85% down to 59%

- Martinsville: 90% down to 72%

- Montgomery: 88% down to 63%

- Patrick: 98% down to 86%

- Pittsylvania: 96% down to 77%

- Pulaski: 93% down to 62%

- Radford: 94% down to 81%

- Roanoke City: 80% down to 59%

- Roanoke.: 97% down to 86%

- Rockbridge: 88% down to 61%

- Salem: 98% down to 81%

- Wythe: 89% down to 59%