It was a tough year for students and teachers, certainly, but even in a tough year, Waynesboro Public Schools underperformed.
The school system released its 2020-2021 SOL test results on Friday, and they weren’t good.
Fifty-seven percent passed their reading SOL, 34 percent passed in math, and 44 percent passed in science.
The state averages: 69 percent in reading, 54 percent in math and 54 percent in science.
“The scores reinforce what we already know. Students learn best from in-person instruction, five days each week,” said Dr. India Harris, director of secondary education and instruction for Waynesboro Public Schools.
That’s among the things that we learned from the pandemic year, certainly.
And we were almost back to normal, before a huge chunk of us decided to believe nonsense on social media about vaccines, and now, who knows where things are headed?
We can hope that for our kids, the coming school year will be more like what we knew as normal.
“As we strive to move forward, understanding the enormous toll the pandemic has had on our children is critical,” Harris said. “The impact is not only about learning, it is also about their social emotional well-being. Stress levels have been heightened to unprecedented levels across the globe, and Waynesboro is no exception.
“Our school staff is dedicated to supporting our students as we return to the new normal. This support will most certainly focus on learning, but establishing a sense of stability and normality is first and foremost as we begin the healing process,” Harris said.
Story by Chris Graham
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