Virginia SOL Assessment Program
News & Announcements
Nominations for the 2023 Standards of Learning Item Review Committees
The Office of Student Assessment is seeking nominations for the 2023 Standards of Learning Item Review Committees. Approximately 10-15 members are needed for each committee. Please refer to Superintendent's Memo #045-23 for the list of committees to be convened, meeting dates, criteria, and application deadlines.
Spring 2023 Field Test Information: New Assessment Item Type for Reading
The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) is developing a new assessment item type for the grades 5, 8, and end-of-course (EOC) Standards of Learning (SOL) reading tests to support the focus on integrating reading and writing instruction to build student literacy. Information about the spring 2023 field test for this new item type is provided in Superintendent’s Memo #177-22 (PDF), published on August 12, 2022. Resources to support preparation for this field test are provided on the SOL Practice Items page and the English, Reading, & Literacy: Assessment Resources page of the VDOE website.
Virginia Standards of Learning
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 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 Virginia Board of Education in setting proficiency standards for the tests.
Improving the Assessment Experience
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. Innovations include a new test delivery system, a computer adaptive format for most mathematics and reading tests, and the use of various technology-enhanced items. Virginia has also added an online calculator from Desmos to improve the testing experience of students while taking online mathematics tests.
Online Test Delivery Software
The SOL tests are completed by students in Virginia’s public schools using the online testing application, TestNav™. This application allows SOL tests to be administered securely to students using a wide variety of devices including desktop computers, laptop computers, and tablets.
As a resource to school divisions and families, the VDOE provides Practice Items in TestNav. The Practice Items serve as an introduction to online test navigation, online tools, item formatting, and overall functionality and appearance of SOL tests within TestNav.
Computer Adaptive Testing
A computer adaptive test (CAT) is an assessment that is customized for every student based on how the student responds to the test questions. Students who take online grades 3-8 Mathematics and Reading tests will be given a computer adaptive version of the Standards of Learning tests.