@EdWorkingPaper{ai26-1557,
title = "Remediation or Roadblock? The Effects of Failing Virginia's Accountability Exams",
author = "Arnav Dharmagadda",
number = "1557",
year = "2026",
month = "August",
URL = "http://www.edworkingpapers.com/ai26-1557",
abstract = {Virginia’s Standards of Learning (SOL) system requires students to pass end-of-course exams to earn verified credits needed for high school graduation. Scoring below the passing cutoff may create a barrier to completing a high school degree, but it also triggers state-mandated remediation, which may include additional instruction and tutoring. Because these channels push in opposite directions, the net effect on student outcomes is theoretically ambiguous. This paper estimates causal effects using detailed data from the Virginia Longitudinal Data System (VLDS) and a regression discontinuity design, comparing students who score just below the passing cutoff to those just above. Whether students marginally pass or fail course-level exams has no detectable effects on high school graduation. For Algebra I, scoring below the cutoff raises first-attempt pass rates on subsequent Geometry and Algebra II exams by approximately 2 percentage points (around a 5 percent increase) and increases postsecondary enrollment within 16 months of high school graduation. These gains are consistent with remediation producing meaningful skill improvement. For English Reading, which is generally taken later in high school, scoring below the cutoff produces no detectable effects on subsequent attainment. There is no evidence that marginally failing reduces attendance, narrows course-taking, or discourages college preparation — the patterns one would expect from stigma or disengagement. Yet, scoring below the expedited retake cutoff in Algebra I, causing students to face a mandatory delay before retaking the exam, reduces high school graduation.},
}