Increase In Failing Grades Seen During Virtual Start In Fairfax

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — Fairfax County Public Schools has shared an analysis showing an increase in failing grades among middle and high school students in the largely virtual school year compared to the prior year.

The analysis from the school district's Office of Research and Strategic Improvement looked at the 2020-2021 school year's first quarter, which began virtually on Sept. 8 and ended on Oct. 30. That was compared to the first quarter in the 2019-2020 school year.

Among all middle and high school students, the percentage of students with an "F" mark in two or more classes is 11 percent in the first quarter of the current year. That's an 83 percent increase from the 6 percent of students with these marks in the 2019-2020 first quarter.

There were greater changes among certain student groups. The highest increase was 111 percent among students with disabilities. The percentage of these students with two or more "F" grades was 19 percent in the first quarter, compared to 9 percent in last year's first quarter. Among English language learners, the percentage with failing grades changed from 17 percent to 35 percent, a 106 percent increase.

Here are the breakdowns for racial and ethnic groups:

• Black students: 8 percent last year to 13 percent this year
• White students: 3 percent last year to 5 percent this year
• Hispanic students: 13 percent last year to 25 percent this year
• Asian students: 2 percent last year to 4 percent this year

FCPS also analyzed the relation of grades between the 2020-2021/2019-2020 school years with the 2019-20/2018-19 school years; as well as extent of students underperforming or overperforming based on past performance and course rigor.

The report noted that the majority of middle and high school students received "strong grades" in the first quarter, comparable to levels in past years for English and math. But there was concern about an increasing gap between students who previously did well in classes and those who did not.

Here's what the report summary states, in part:

There is reason for concern about the performance of some middle and high school students based on their Q1 marks from this school year. Results indicate a widening gap between students who were previously performing satisfactorily and those performing unsatisfactorily. In other words, students who performed well previously primarily performed slightly better than expected during Q1 of this year. In contrast, students who were previously not performing well, performed considerably less well. A greater proportion of low-performing students received failing grades during Q1 than would have been expected based onpatterns of marks in prior years.

Superintendent Scott Brabrand shared a statement with the Washington Post saying FCPS is "identifying these students by name and by need and are working on specific interventions to support them right now and as we phase back in person."

FCPS has kept most students virtual while bringing back small cohorts of students. A large majority of the student population has remained in virtual schooling.

The school district has paused and scaled back some in-person instruction based on metrics it tracks on its pandemic dashboard. On Nov. 16, it announced the return of group 5 students would be delayed at least until Nov. 30. On Nov. 23, FCPS announced it was sending group 4 students back to virtual instruction.