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 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.