Extractions: Search Rethinking Schools Help Home Archive Volume 14, No.3 - Spring 2000 High-Stakes Testing Slights Multiculturalism By Makani Themba-Nixon As a parent active on a local school council, I've watched with apprehension as Virginia's high-stakes testing program has unfolded. But it was not until the day my third grade son, usually an enthusiastic student, came home sad and dejected that I realized my worst fears about the test were true. My son's class was studying explorers - his favorite subject - and he wanted to write a report on Matthew Henson, his favorite explorer. Henson, an African American, was the first man to set foot on the North Pole. He was a self-taught sailor and astronome rwho rose above the racism and prejudice of his day to become one of the most important explorers of the 20th century. Imagine my thrill as my son, without any urging on my part, went to the computer to do research on Henson. I was particularly pleased because after a tough first grade and difficulty reading throughout second grade, in third grade my son was at last learning that school could be fun.
The Tartan Online - Strict Standards Of Learning also narrow what teachers can teach to students. to about.com s article on Standardized Testing and Assessment Will learning be more productive in a stressful 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.
Nelson County Public Schools the National standards and Virginia standards of learning to activities plans, and projects designed to teach the standards. Developed by teachers and students http://www.nelson.k12.va.us/Instruction/techresources.htm
Extractions: NCPS NEWS! 2004-2005 School Calendar Approved! New DOE K-3 History and Social Science Online Resource Spring 2003 SOL Test Release Items Available Here ! No Child Left Behind Information ... NCPS email on the Web (for registered users only) Internet Resources and Materials for Classroom Instruction Nelson County Public Schools offers teachers and students additional curriculum and instructional resources to meet the varying needs of our student population. Focused on the Virginia Standards of Learning as minimum competencies, we strive to allow instructors and students the opportunity to explore the vast array of resources available to them via the Internet. Two of these teacher-friendly resources include the Marco Polo Project http://marcopolo.worldcom.com and Project ECOLE. http://www.vciconnectandlearn.com/ The MarcoPolo project was launched in 1997 as a partnership between the WorldCom Foundation and some of the nation's leading educational organizations. With WorldCom funding and support, each of these organizations has created its own, independent, discipline-specific web site to provide teachers with standards-based Internet Content for the Classroom. In addition, they have joined with the WorldCom Foundation to provide teachers with professional development support through online training materials and on-site training programs.
Standards Of Learning of students from lowincome families, according to Asa Hilliard, a teacher, psychologist and Fishburn Park Elementary standards of learning Pass Rates in http://www.roanoke.k12.va.us/schools/fishburn/sol2.html
Extractions: The Roanoke Times No longer will Superintendent Wayne Harris have to point to schools outside Roanoke to support his contention that children from low-income families can score high on Virginia's Standards of Learning tests. He can turn to Fishburn Park Elementary. About four out of every 10 pupils at the school qualify for free or reduced-price lunches because of family income. It is also racially diverse with Asians, blacks, Hispanics and other minorities making up more than a third of the enrollment. Yet, Fishburn Park is one of only five Roanoke schools that became fully accredited this year by reaching the benchmark 70 percent pass rate on SOL tests. "It dispels the myth" that schools with large numbers of poor students can't score high on standardized tests, Harris said. Fishburn Park fell below the 70 percent pass benchmark on only one test - third grade English. But it met the standard for full accreditation because a recent change by the state Board of Education permits elementary schools to combine third and fifth grade English. Because of a high pass rate in fifth grade English (88 percent), Fishburn Park met the 70 percent rate for the combined score for third and fifth grade English.
Appomattox County Public Schools and Social Science standards of learning Teacher Resource Guide; Science standards of learning Teacher Resource Guide. The standards of learning (SOL) test http://www.appomattox.k12.va.us/acps/acps_secondarypage_template.aspx?pn=Curricu
SchoolZone - SOL Questions Answered Q Where can I find more information on the standards of learning? Talk to your child s teacher and discuss any questions or concerns you may have about the http://home.hamptonroads.com/schoolzone/schoolsol/solQuestions.cfm
Extractions: Channels SchoolZone Scholastic Achievement Student Gallery Black History Month ... Weather Guides Ask an Expert Best of HR City Guides Contests ... Web Guide Site Tools Archives E-mail Newsletter Free E-mail Accounts Multimedia Plug-ins ... SOL Center : Questions and Answers There have been many questions concerning the Standards of Learning (SOL) since the first test results were released throughout the state in the spring of 1999. This guide is intended to answer questions you may have regarding the SOLs. Adopted in June 1995, the SOLs outline expectations for students in the four core areas of English, mathematics, science, and history and social science. Computer technology standards are also included. The SOL tests are designed to show how well a student has mastered the SOLs in the four content areas. The SOL do not measure one student against anther, but against a specific body of skills and knowledge. Q: When are the Standards of Learning tests administered?
Extractions: Studying the Sciences at Sweet Briar Women in Chemistry Consortium Two Sweet Briar College professors will work with central Virginia schools this summer to help teachers meet Virginia's science Standards of Learning (SOL) requirements. Jill Granger, assistant professor of chemistry, and Robin Davies, associate professor of biology, are introducing teachers to a series of laboratory experiments designed to give students hands-on experience in scientific inquiry using themes from everyday life. In conjunction with 10 central Virginia schools, Sweet Briar College will offer an intensive two-week course for 30 teachers to discuss, test and implement the new laboratory experiences that support the science SOLs for students in grades 6-12. "You have to DO science to learn science," said Granger. "Lab experiments take advantage of students' inherent and intense curiosity to promote learning." The project, "Achieving Science SOLs with a Hands-On Approach," is made possible by a grant from the Dwight D. Eisenhower Professional Development Program of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. Students in a majority of Virginia schools came up short in science SOL scores, much of it attributable to an environment of teacher-dominated lectures, question/answer formats in textbooks, and low levels of student involvement. The SOLs require more "inquiry-based" learning. Many teachers are uncomfortable teaching that sort of experimentation because they often don't have experience. Granger and Davies hope that this program will take steps towards remedying these issues.
Patrick Welsh paintby-numbers view of learning, says 17 are usually not told the teacher s objectives nor officials talked tough about raising standards, threatening to 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
Richmond.com for local school divisions to incorporate the standards of learning before students Teachers are given test blueprints guidelines for test construction. http://www.richmond.com/output.cfm?ID=773910
SOLpass - Virginia SOL Test Practice And Review Parents and Teachers Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) SOL Resources standards of learning (short form) by subject and grade Social Studies http://www.solpass.org/
Atrocities (Susan Ohanian Speaks Out) paintby-numbers view of learning, says 17 The fact that teachers tailor their plans to these officials talked tough about raising standards, threatening to http://www.susanohanian.org/show_atrocities.html?id=642
Fairfax County (VA) Council Of PTAs Teachers tell us they are concerned because they stop important classroom discussions and learning experiences, just move on to one more benchmark or standard. http://www.fccpta.org/speeches/sp_sol.htm
Extractions: President, Fairfax County Council of PTAs Good Evening. I am Rosemary Lynch, President of Fairfax County Council of PTAs (FCCPTA). Tonight our guests are Kirk Schroder, President of the State BOE, Suzy Noble and Sen. John Russell, members of the BOE. In the audience are Linda McGinn and Dr. Margaret Roberts from the Department of Education. Mr. Schroder, Ms Noble and Ms. McGinn thank you for joining us tonight. We are pleased that you accepted our invitation to our community meeting. We are excited because we view this event as an opportunity for our community to have an open dialogue with the State Board of Education. The FCCPTA appreciates the adjustments that the State BOE made to the SOLs. Parents and education professionals presented recommendations at public hearings across the state. The Board listened to these concerns and as a result the scores of limited English proficient students will not be reported with school scores for two years. The Board changed the timing of the History SOL tests for grades 5 and 8 so that it more closely matches the time of the instruction. Finally, the Board moved the tests closer to the end of the year. Despite these adjustments, we feel there are fundamental concerns that still need to be addressed. The FCCPTA supports high academic standards and accountability, however, we believe that a solitary assessment is not the best way to get a true picture of the accomplishments of students, teacher, and schools. We advocate a balanced assessment package. With such high stakes we need more than multiple choice questions to determine a child's mastery of the curriculum or the overall quality of a school.
