About that 93% Graduation Rate…

This just in… Despite the travails of the COVID-19 epidemic and distance learning last year, 93% of Virginia students who entered the 9th grade in 2017-18 earned their diplomas and graduated within four years, the Virginia Department of Education announced today.

Actions by the State Board of Education and “the emergency waivers I issued last year,” said Superintendent of Education James Lane, “ensured that students were not prevented from graduating by pandemic-related factors beyond their control.”

Question: What percentage of students actually mastered the subject matter required to earn a diploma? Is a Virginia high school diploma worth the paper it’s printed on? Will students enter the workforce with unrealistic expectations regarding their capabilities? How many college-bound students will require remedial education? Is Virginia, in its striving for “equity,” achieving its goal by abandoning all standards?

— JAB