Government

Dept. of Education Opposes Revert to Virtual Learning, Pointing to Decline in Proficiency Scores and Over 1,000 Missing or Damaged Devices

Virtual learning's effectiveness on St. Croix is under scrutiny, according to Superintendent of Education Dr. Ericilda Ottley-Herman, who highlighted alarming statistics during a recent broadcast by the Department of Education. The figures revealed a sharp decline in proficiency scores, with only 5.6 percent of students showing proficiency in mathematics and 17.4 percent in English language arts post-pandemic. Additionally, hundreds of digital devices issued for virtual learning remain unreturned or damaged, adding to concerns about the feasibility of online education in the district. Ottley-Herman was responding to questions relating to the department’s seeming hesitation to revert to the virtual learning modality used during the heights of the pandemic despite abysmal conditions in schools across St. Croix. “Post-pandemic, 5.6 percent of our students in the St. Croix district scored proficient in the Smarter Balanced in mathematics; 17.4 percent scored proficient in English langu...