News Release, March 27, 2015 – Board of Education Approves Expedited Retakes of Elementary & Middle School SOLs
Mathematics SOL & Curriculum Framework Review – March 2015, the Virginia Board of Education was authorized to proceed with the review and revision process of the Mathematics Standards of Learning and Mathematics Standards of Learning Curriculum Framework. For more information, see Superintendent's Memo 071-15.
Changes to the Standards of Learning Assessment Program – see Superintendent’s Memo 282-14.
Implementation of computer adaptive testing for the Grade 6 Mathematics SOL Test in 2014-2015 – see Superintendent’s Memo 189-14.
The Standards of Learning (SOL) for Virginia Public Schools establish minimum expectations for what students should know and be able to do at the end of each grade or course in English, mathematics, science, history/social science and other subjects.
SOL tests in reading, writing, mathematics, science and history/social science measure the success of students in meeting the Board of Education’s expectations for learning and achievement. All items on SOL tests are reviewed by Virginia classroom teachers for accuracy and fairness and teachers also assist the state Board of Education in setting proficiency standards for the tests.
Innovation in Student Assessment
The Virginia Department of Education is a national leader in the use of technology to develop and administer the Standards of Learning (SOL) tests. Virginia’s school divisions have been administering online tests to students for over a decade. The current online tests for mathematics, science, reading, and writing contain technology-enhanced items (TEI). Technology-enhanced Items require students to indicate their responses in ways other than a multiple-choice format. As part of the continuing effort to provide students with the best possible testing experience, Virginia is adding Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT) to the Virginia Standards of Learning Assessment Program.
Computer Adaptive Testing – New for 2014-2015 School Year
A computer adaptive test (CAT) is an assessment that is customized for every student based on how the student responds to the test questions. In 2014-2015, most students taking the grade 6 mathematics test will be administered a computer adaptive version of the Standards of Learning (SOL) test. Watch the videos to learn how computer adaptive testing provides students with a customized assessment experience.