SOL tests are standardized tests given at the end of the school year to students in Virginia. The tests are required by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) to verify attainment of knowledge and skills in specific English, math, science, and social science courses. Additional information regarding student assessment can be found by visiting the Virginia SOL Assessment Program page on the VDOE website.
Under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), students must be tested in mathematics and reading annually in grades 3-8 and once in high school (grades 9-12). In science, students must be tested once in elementary school, once in middle school, and once in high school. Students can meet the ESSA testing requirements by taking SOL tests, or – in the case of students with significant cognitive disabilities – participating in the Virginia Alternate Assessment Program (VAAP).
The U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) has required Virginia to select one end-of-course SOL test in each subject area to be used for federal accountability. Virginia selected Algebra 1 as the high school mathematics test, Biology as the high school science test, and the end-of-course reading test for high school reading. USDOE has granted Virginia a waiver so that students who have passed the Algebra 1 SOL test in middle school can use a score from the Geometry or Algebra 2 SOL test in high school to meet the federal accountability requirement in mathematics. Additionally, Virginia has been granted a waiver so that students who pass the Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2 tests in middle school can use an SAT, ACT, Advanced Placement, or International Baccalaureate test score in mathematics in high school to meet the federal accountability requirement.
Alternative assessment information: The 2014 General Assembly eliminated Standards of Learning assessments in United States History to 1865, and United States History: 1865 to the Present. Additionally, the Assembly's action required local school divisions to continue to teach the content and measure student achievement with local alternative assessments, including authentic or performance assessments. School divisions must certify annually that they have provided instruction and administered an alternative assessment, consistent with Board of Education guidelines, to students in grades and subject areas that no longer have a corresponding SOL test. PWCS has Local Alternative Assessments (LAA) that are required to be completed by the end of the school year for United States History to 1865, and United States History: 1865 to the Present. Schools must administer and score one LAA per historical era (three per course).