Surfing The Web learning Assessments Release of Spring 2000 tests; standards of learning; Virginia standards of learning National Center for learning Disabilities; The Resource http://www.deltakappagamma.org/VA-gammapsi/websurfing.htm
Testing In Virginia Testing in Virginia. The Virginia standards of learning (SOL) are intended to set reasonable targets and expectations for what teachers are expected to teach http://www.just4kids.org/jftk/index.cfm?st=Virginia&loc=Understanding Testing
Homeschool & Other Education Stuff: SEMI-GOOD NEWS IN VIRGINIA that my program of study includes the (sols) (state standards of learning) for language There s nothing holding us to the (sols); no testing, no checking up http://www.cobranchi.com/archives/002524.html
Extractions: "It's better than doing schoolwork."- Alex Haas Main Virginia has some onerous homeschooling laws. Currently, parents have to have a bachelor's degree in order to homeschool. Yesterday, the House voted to lower that requirement to a high school diploma . An improvement, sure. But, what kind of diploma? Will a homeschool grad be able to homeschool her own children? TrackBack Comments Actually, you don't need a college degree. With a college degree though, you can submit a one page letter stating your intention to homeschool and that you will cover the subjects in the state standards of learning, and that's all you have to do. Without the degree, you have to provide more detail about the education plan, curriculum you will use, etc. However, in VA the right to homeschool is assumed. We aren't asking for permission, just notifying the state of our intentions. Submitting standardized test scores once per year bugs me more than the notification requirements. Posted by: Chris at February 4, 2004 08:22 AM
Virginia Standards Of Learning - HamptonRoads.com SchoolZone SOL Center The standards of learning are the Hampton Roads school districts are applying these standards. Special Reports 2002 test results Region s schools http://home.hamptonroads.com/schoolzone/schoolsol/search.cfm
Mar 26 and social science standards of learning, adopted Friday not so much weight put on the test, you wouldn appointed committee that revised the standards, said Mali http://home.rica.net/airedale/easier.htm
Extractions: Mar 26, 2001 Were tests made easier? Some critics still saying exam's detail makes learning trivial BY JASON WERMERS TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Virginia's new history and social science Standards of Learning, adopted Friday, will make it easier for more students to understand the subject and pass the SOL tests, said state officials and some educators. Kirk T. Schroder, president of the Virginia Board of Education, said the 41-page document of revised standards was "significantly improved in many areas over the old document." "It already has wide acceptance from educators, curriculum specialists, scholars, parents and citizens," he said. The new standards are expected to be in place at all state public schools by this fall. On the other hand, the standards still are so detailed that they reduce the study of history to a trivialized list of names and events, said Roxanne Grossman, of the grassroots group Parents Across Virginia United to Reform the SOLs. "The basic problem is still the basic problem: There is still too much weight being put on the test," Grossman said. "If there was not so much weight put on the test, you wouldn't have people fearing, and rightly so, that every single item that is not in [the standards] will not get taught." Several educators have said they generally were satisfied with the new standards for kindergarten through third grade. The only major sticking point for some was the inclusion of the early West African empire of Mali in third grade. Several teachers, both black and white, questioned Mali and were concerned they would not be able to find textbooks that reference that civilization.
Paul Fleisher--standardized Testing Whatever doesn t fit within the standards gets eliminated. in a land of plenty; a state test shouldn t the very activities that excite students about learning. http://home.earthlink.net/~pfleishe/SOLessay.html
Extractions: Paul Fleisher What should we expect from our schools? Certainly we want children to read, write and compute. We want them to be able to think analytically and solve problems, to know basic information about our world, and become responsible citizens. They should learn to work together, and solve conflicts peacefully. We want them to develop an appreciation of the arts, and respect for cultures different from our own. We want children to learn skills that make them employable. We want to be sure they're healthy and well-fed, and want them to find life-long interests to make them happy. How do we in Virginia determine whether our schools are meeting these expectations? We give kids a multiple choice test. The Virginia Standards of Learning may be the most destructive thing politicians have done to public schools since "massive resistance." The problem is not so much the standards themselvesalthough they are written with far too much inflexible detail. (For example, one standard insists that students learn to use interactive video-discs, a technology that was obsolete five years ago.) It's the testing that is making the lives of Virginia educators and schoolchildren miserable, and robbing them of a first-rate education.
Mrs. Wilborne's SOL Testing Page master each. In the spring, all third grade students will be tested on K3 standards of learning. All fifth Test. Be A Test Buster! Login http://web.dps.k12.va.us/ParkAve/soltest.htm
Extractions: Start Your Own Homonyms List and Learn Homonym - One of two or more words spelled and pronounced alike but different in meaning Homophone - One of two or more words pronounced alike but different in meaning or spelling Homograph - One of two or more words spelled alike but different in meaning or pronunciation Our third grade curriculum is based completely on the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs). The SOLs are the curriculum. Please make yourself familiar with them and work to master each. In the spring, all third grade students will be tested on K-3 Standards of Learning. All fifth grade students will be tested on 4-5 SOLs.
The Truth About SOLs professional practice and the state s testing contract. is indisputably essential for all children to learn. the excessive number and content of the standards. http://www.fairtest.org/arn/The Truth About SOLs.htm
Extractions: The Virginia Board of Education says that: The SOL program will improve public education by holding everyone to high standards through high-stakes testing. TRUTH: It is a common, but untrue, assumption that high-stakes testing produces improved learning and student achievement. Test scores rise, in large part, because of more focus on expected test content and more familiarity with the tests. The SOL program will narrow instruction and undermine education quality as teachers are forced to teach to the tests and short-change the rest of the curriculum simply to raise test scores. Low-income, minority, limited English, and special needs students are especially subject to getting drill and test practice instead of rich and varied education programs. They are at higher risk of being denied diplomas or dropping out in frustration before reaching12th grade. High standards cannot be maintained and education improved for all simply by raising the stakes for students. SOL test scores are the single best measure of students' and schools'performance and should be the primary criteria for graduation and accreditation.
Number 2 Pencil: One Teacher's Response To The SOLs Just because a test is standardized doesn t mean that And why isn t learning to sit still for 90 testing, or too little instruction about testing in education http://www.kimberlyswygert.com/archives/001910.html
Extractions: Kimberly's take on testing and education reform Main A Virginia teacher blames the SOLs (Standards of Learning) exams for his decision to leave the public school system Standards of Learning were introduced to make education better. But in my experience, they had the opposite effect. The intense pressure to raise test scores eventually squeezed the life out of school, both for my kids and for me... The idea behind the SOLs is simple: Lay out what kids should know, test them on it and then hold the schools accountable for their scores...Beginning this June, students who do not pass the high school tests won't graduate; beginning in 2007, schools that do not have a 70 percent passing rate on the exams will risk losing state accreditation. From the start, the get-tough tests rubbed me the wrong way. Implicit in the notion of "accountability" are the assumptions that: (a) education is a product, the input and output of which can be standardized and measured; and (b) it's high time for teachers and schools to quit slacking and get to work. It's very hard for me to imagine what education is if there's no observable change in the student. Just because a test is standardized doesn't mean that something other than reading and math can be measured with it. And some teachers have been spending an awful lot of time slacking, though they call it "child-centered education" while others call it "the soft bigotry of low expectations."
Standards Of Learning and books that have withstood the test of time grammar are not substitutes for learning the rules Please note the Computer/Technology standards following grade http://www.knowledge.state.va.us/main/sol/solview.cfm?curriculum_abb=E/W
Spring '99 -- Standards Of Learning: Beyond The Debate schools, so that children who move suffer fewer gaps in learning. The standards provide direction need to spend all their time preparing students for the test. http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/foundation/newsletter/sp99/sol.htm
Extractions: A CROSS THE NATION, AT ANY GATHERING OF EDUCATORS, THE MOST pressing issue of the day concerns higher standards. One case in point is Virginia, where recently implemented and tested Standards of Learning have everyone buzzing with questions: Is testing students the best way to test schools? How do passing scores get set? What happens if a school loses its accreditation? How are teachers held accountable? The Commonwealth is part of a national trend toward standards-based education. More than half the states are using standardized tests to apportion rewards and penalties to students, schools, and teachers. In an effort to address this trend, the Curry School of Education is preparing teachers to incorporate the Standards of Learning, or SOLs, into their classes. "Colleges and universities have to be part of the solution to the problems in public education," Curry School's Dean David Breneman says. "We cannot afford to point fingers and say, 'Why don't they fix it?' Our faculty is committed to preparing pre-service teachers to apply the Standards." Background The standards movement began in Virginia in the face of alarmingly high failure rates. For example, nearly one in three sixth-graders in Virginia public schools failed to pass all parts of the most recent Literacy Passport Test, which measures the most rudimentary levels of reading, writing, and math skills. This failure rate has not improved at all in the 10 years it has been given.
The Tartan Online - Strict Standards Of Learning have to pass the standards of learning test in order now, lawmakers, concerned over the failing standards of students credits (meaning pass the SOL test in a http://www.thetartan.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/04/30/4092bf31d2915
Extractions: It is that time of year again. It is almost summer time, and that means students at all levels are studying for exams. For seniors in high school, freedom is weeks away. Maybe they already know what they are going to do after graduation (coming to RU, perhaps?) or maybe not. All that is left for them to do is pass those final exams and walk down the stage to grasp that diploma. At least, that's what last year's class did. This year's class has more to pass than just normal finals in order to get to college. Now, Virginia high school students have to pass the Standards of Learning test in order to graduate. The SOLs (as they are often called) started being given the 1995-96 year, but at the time, they were not required for students to pass. But now, lawmakers, concerned over the failing standards of students at all grade levels, have made the SOLs a prerequisite to leave high school. The tests are first given to third graders. The process is then repeated in the fifth grade, eighth grade and eleventh grade. If students do not pass them in the eleventh grade, they must get at least six verified credits (meaning pass the SOL test in a course) in the 12th grade, or they do not graduate.
NAESP : One Size Does Not Fit All simply gets pushed aside in the rush to meet state standards. schools are spending more time focusing on the test and not on active, engaged learning. http://www.naesp.org/ContentLoad.do?contentId=155&action=print
Fairfax County (VA) Council Of PTAs set passing scores last week on each of the 27 standards of learning exams. . Please remember that there were two forms of each SOL test administered in the http://www.fccpta.org/positions/pos_holding_state_board.htm
Extractions: State Board of Education Accountable The one thing we all share in common is that we have gone to school and had the experience of taking tests, and receiving scores such as 45 of 50, 82% or 1200. Therefore, when the Virginia Board of Education reports cut scores "proficiency" and "advanced," this method of reporting a students academic achievement level doesnt conflict with our own personal experiences. However, each one of us must stop for a moment and consider our goals for our children and the quality of education we expect them to receive. In doing so, we must also think about our beliefs and theories about schooling that reflect our experiences with teachers, schools, and administrators; and, recall the grades, percentages and points we achieved on tests and in courses. We then must determine if we remember if those scores accurately or specifically addressed what we did and did not know or, did they assess just what we memorized for the test? Did the scores appropriately reflect what we could or could not do; or, if we were receiving an excellent education; or, if we really understood, remembered, or could use the information or concept over time; or, if the test questions were understandable or relative to what we had learned? In a more recent context, we could consider if our current employment has specific standards, by which we are measured on a yearly basis. For example, does someone determine your performance assessment outside your office or employment? Could taking a multiple-choice assessment indisputably and appropriately assess the quality of your work or expertise? How would you feel if the performance questions were poorly stated, didnt appropriately measure your skills or the quality of your work; and yet, the security of your employment potentially rests on this type of assessment? What if you were interested in improving your work performance, would it be useful to quickly memorize lots of facts and concepts and then have your abilities (your strengths and weaknesses) stated in a final report by combining and reporting the results in: percentages, grades or points?
Teaching To The SOL Test (washingtonpost.com) Ingerson must get his students ready for Virginia s Standard of learning (SOL) tests. because I knew they actually expected students to learn something. http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A7874-2001Aug28
Extractions: Tuesday, August 28, 2001; 11:43 AM I exchange e-mails with many teachers. Some have more sense than others. Take, for instance, Mark Ingerson, who teaches history at Salem High School in Salem, Va. Ingerson has strange ideas about the new state achievement tests that are being used to assess most public schools in America and may soon keep many students from getting their high school diplomas. The Washington Post had a front page story in July about Virginia teachers quitting the profession or leaving the state because of what they considered the harmful overemphasis on preparing students to pass these examinations. Ingerson must get his students ready for Virginia's Standard of Learning (SOL) tests. Yet he does not seem to mind. In fact, he likes the SOLs. Read what he told me in a recent e-mail: "I came to Virginia because I knew they actually expected students to learn something. I think it is sad to see how many teachers complain and whine about not having the freedom to teach what they want in their classrooms. There are so many things wrong with such thinking. First, if you want to control what you teach in your classroom, start your own private school. But we are paid by taxpayers who have a right to dictate what material we teach. That seems so basic to me.
Weekly E-mail Updates, September 22, 2003 DRP) ON WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8. STANDARD OF learning window to complete the (sols); testing does fall Beth Reese, Tuckahoe Outdoor learning Coordinator (breese218 http://tuckahoe.cs.net/weekly/091503.html
Extractions: September 15, 2003 Mission Membership Officers Committees ... Budget Be sure to read your VOLUNTEER HANDBOOK and RETURN YOUR RESPONSE FORM RIGHT AWAY! OUR DEADLINE IS TODAY, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15. We have lots of opportunities for you to participate in school activities. It's a great way to meet other Tuckahoe parents while helping to enhance our school life. Contact: Karen Menichelli, PTA Volunteer Coordinator ( karenm@benton.org or 703.532.2516). TODAY, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, IS THE DEADLINE FOR OUR SEPTEMBER ISSUE OF THE TUCKAHOE TIMES. If you have information that you would like us to include, please contact us by the end of the school day. The Tuckahoe Times will be distributed, via backpack mail, on Friday, September 26. Contact: Meg House, PTA Tuckahoe Times Co-Editor ( meg.house@verizon.net BACK-TO-SCHOOL NIGHT IS THIS WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 AT 7:00 P.M. We begin in the MULTI-PURPOSE ROOM and then visit the classrooms (there will be two sessions). Meet the parents of your child's new classmates! Get to know your child's teacher! Find out everything that will be happening in the classroom! Contact: Front Office Staff (703.228.5288).
Patrick Welsh t they know they are setting such a low standard? . blame schools for the socalled learning gap and in this dilemma after ballyhooing their tests for thelst http://www.lessonplans.com/readwelsh2.htm
Extractions: Sunday, October 22, 2003 Christina Walker is a senior at T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Va., who will be attending Virginia Commonwealth University in the fall. Like all her classmates, she took Virginia's Standards of Learning (SOL) exams in the spring semester every year of her high school careear. When she received an "advanced proficiency" rating in chemistry last year, she coundn't help being pleased - and highly amused. After all, she had gotten a "C" in her chemistry class, hardly a mark of "advanced" proficience. But in fact, Walker says whe knows lots of kids who actually failed certain courses, yet passed the SOLs in those same courses " with flying colors." If that's true, those's something seriously amiss here. The SOLs are supposed to measure student achievement and raise school standards. Yet there's clearly a discrepancy between actual achievement and the scores students are getting on these state exams. Nevertheless, over the past five years, Alexandria school officials have joined the state Department of Education in trying to convince the public that an academic revolution is taking place because more and more students are passing Virginia's SOLs. No one sees through the charade more clearly than many of the seniors who are graduating from T.C. Williams
VA Gov Defends Standards Of Learning (NBS#419) But a Washington Post poll of voters showed that half of them believe the testing program is not working. The standards are the essential learning, and we http://notes.nassmc.org/NBSfile00.nsf/0/39e3e209fbab6b02852569bd007d0c5b?OpenDoc
T.H.E. Journal Online: Print Article In Virginia ;s case they are embodied in the standards of learning Sudley used the new STAR Math computerized test developed by Advantage learning Systems. http://www.thejournal.com/magazine/vault/articleprintversion.cfm?aid=2255
Extractions: Take a moment to explore these education internet sites and this list of recommended books . Know of a great resource that isn't listed here? Tell us about it! A to Z Teacher Stuff - A to Z Thematic Units Index ASCD Education Bulletin - Subscribe to this newsletter for short items of interest to people who care about K-12 education (including early childhood). Athena - This site covers earth and science topics such as oceans, weather, earth, space and more. Great teaching ideas for K-12. Some links have interactive online programs. Big Chalk - Sign up for one of their newsletters for the latest in education resources. Brainpop - This site contains tons of animation on science and health issues. Great for students, even have mini movies Center for the 4th and 5th R's - A 12 point comprehensive approach to character education Classroom Connect - Find out how other teachers are making their classromms work A Commonwealth of Knowlegde - Virginia's site for educators with information on SOL's, news and lesson plans.
