41. Virginia SOL Information Educators may download the plans to assist them in teaching specific components of Virginia s standards of learning for particular school subjects http://www.rockingham.k12.va.us/vasol/sol.htm

"In June 1995, the Virginia Board of Education approved Standards of Learning (SOL) in four core content areas - mathematics, science, English, and history and the social sciences - and in computer technology. In September 1997, the Board of Education established new Standards for Accrediting Public Schools in Virginia (SOA) that link statewide accountability tests to the SOL and hold students, schools, and school divisions accountable for results." (excerpted from http://www.knowledge.state.va.us/frames/main/sol/sol.cfm Resources from the Virginia Department of Education Standards of Learning for Virginia Public Schools Scope and Sequence Guides Teacher Resource Guides/Curriculum Framework English Science Social Studies Mathematics ... Teaching Virginia's Standards of Learning (Correlated Web Site Resource) RCPS Online Practice SOL Questions Here, students can practice taking SOL-related questions in the areas of Mathematics, Science, English, Social Studies, and Computer Technology. Questions found in this database have been submitted by teachers in Rockingham County Public Schools. This online test generator was developed by Rob Lineweaver under the direction of Joe Hill. Jefferson Labs (Va SOL Science, Math, and Technology Practice Tests)

42. Teaching To The SOL Test (washingtonpost.com) Post had a front page story in July about Virginia teachers quitting the Ingerson must get his students ready for Virginia s Standard of learning (SOL) tests http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A7874-2001Aug28

thisNode = 'education/columns/classstruggles'; commercialNode =''; var SA_Message="SACategory=" + thisNode; PRINT EDITION Subscribe to NEWS OPINION ... REAL ESTATE SEARCH: Top 20 E-mailed Articles washingtonpost.com Education Columns ... Class Struggle Teaching to the SOL Test By Jay Mathews Washington Post Staff Writer 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.

43. Curriculumn And SOLS Specialists follow curriculum objectives outlined by the Virginia standards of learning. Classroom teachers and specialists are responsible for planning and http://lc.loudoun.k12.va.us/schools/roundhill/curriculumn.html

Your browser has JavaScript turned off. You will be able to view the contents of this web site if you turn JavaScript on. Open your browser preferences and enable JavaScript. You do not have to restart your browser or your computer after you enable JavaScript. Simply click the RELOAD button. LCPS Information LCPS School Directory Round Hill Elementary School Our School Contact Staff Policy Handbook Standards of Learning ... Email Webmaster Curriculum and Virginia Standards of Learning Virginia's Standards of Learning Round Hill Elementary School was fully accredited by the Commonwealth of Virginia. To be fully accredited a school must have a score of 70 on all four content area (English, mathematics, science, history) SOL Test. Round Hill exceeded all Standards of Accreditation, including passing all Standards of Learning (SOL) Tests for the previous year. Round Hill provides a challenging academic program based on Virginia Standards of Learning. The curriculum in grades K-5 includes Reading, English, Science, Social Sciences and History, Math and Technology. Specialists provide instruction in Art, Music, Physical Education, and Library to students in grades 1-5. The Kindergarten students receive library instruction once a week. The Specialists follow curriculum objectives outlined by the Virginia Standards of Learning. Students in grades K-5 visit a computer lab once a week for an integrated technology lesson. Classroom teachers and specialists are responsible for planning and implementing the instruction in each curriculum area. The teachers work in grade level teams to plan instruction based on the Virginia Standards of Learning and Loudoun County guidelines.

44. Teaching And Testing The VA SOL 6-12 Familiar with instructional strategies and resources that will facilitate the teaching of the standards. The Virginia standards of learning. http://members.tripod.com/cynthiasparks/teachtest612.htm

Sparks Fly Home PBS VideoDatabase Social Studies TSU ... UVA Teaching and Testing the Virginia Standards of Learning Grades 6-12 EDIF 589One Credit Course Description: In this course students will examine and unpack the History and Social Science Standards of Learning. Methods for effectively teaching and testing the standards will be explored. Participants will develop instructional and assessment strategies that will assist students to learn and teachers to evaluate student performance. A key concept of the course will be the integration of the History and Social Science standards with other content areas. Technology integration will also be a part of the course objectives. Prerequisites: None Course Goals: At the beginning of this course, participants should be: Familiar with the scope and sequence of the History and Social Science Standards of Learning. Able to analyze the standards to identify key concepts and generalizations. Familiar with instructional strategies and resources that will facilitate the teaching of the standards. Able to develop their own instructional and assessment strategies for use in classroom instruction.

45. Number 2 Pencil: One Teacher's Response To The SOLs A Virginia teacher blames the (sols) (standards of learning) exams for his decision to leave the public school system standards of learning were introduced http://www.kimberlyswygert.com/archives/001910.html

Number 2 Pencil Kimberly's take on testing and education reform Main February 23, 2004 One teacher's response to the SOLs 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."

46. VA SOLs View all of the standards of learning at this also provides a timetable for revisions of these standards. This site provides more resources for teachers to use http://teachereducation.wlu.edu/va_sols.htm

Academic Calendars Ball Education Award Career Fairs Courses ... Home Many of the documents on our Web Site are in PDF format and require Adobe's Acrobat Reader to be viewed and printed. To obtain a free version of Acrobat Reader click here Washington and Lee University Teacher Education Program Courses - Student Teaching Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs) The Virginia Standards of Learning describe the expectations for student learning and achievement in grades K-12 in English, mathematics, science, history/social science, technology, the fine arts, foreign language, health and physical education, and driver education. Short form of SOLs - View all of the standards of learning at this site. This site also provides a timetable for revisions of these standards. Examples of SOL Questions Spring 2002 Released Tests Spring 2001 Released Tests Spring 2000 Released Tests Blueprints for SOLs - A Blueprint is a guide for test construction and use. Several examples are provided. Blueprints2 for SOLs - This site provides the 2002 released test items.

47. Untitled Document a very visible, parentled campaign against the state standards of learning (SOL) exams five percent agreed, “Teachers spend too much time teaching to the http://www.fairtest.org/examarts/Summer 00/Survey.html

FairTest Examiner Summer 2000 - K-12 Testing Surveys Show Public Questions Testing Recent opinion surveys undermine the often-made claim that parents and the general public support high-stakes testing. Despite the enormous national push to use tests for high stakes purposesfrom President Clinton, both major presidential candidates, many governors, business groups, and much of the mediathe public remains skeptical. When AASA asked whether students who failed to pass a statewide standardized test should be kept back a grade, 49% disagreed and 45% agreed. Similarly, 48% disagreed that standardized tests accurately reflect what children know about the subject being tested, while 45% agreed. For both questions, the intensity of disagreement was stronger than the intensity of agreement.

48. Standards Of Learning and grammar are not substitutes for learning the rules following grade five and grade eight standards, respectively. The teaching of these skills should be the http://www.knowledge.state.va.us/main/sol/solview.cfm?curriculum_abb=E/W

49. VA-SOL Mansion Tour in all of Virginia’s 134 school districts each year with educational programs designed to teach Virginia’s standards of learning ((sols)). http://www.knowledge.state.va.us/main/mansion/man.htm

send us email Jamestown Settlement and Yorktown Victory Center Teachers Look to Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation Education Programs to Help Students Master Standards of Learning! Jamestown Settlement Programs Yorktown Victory Center Programs The Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation is an agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia which operates the Jamestown Settlement and Yorktown Victory Center "While we cannot give a direct correlation between the third-grade SOL test results and the third grade Jamestown Outreach Program, it is gratifying to know that the principals view it as an exemplary instructional resource. For example [one principal] attributes the increase in her SOL Social Science test results... to her students’ participation in the program." -Dr. Deborah Jewell-Sherman, Associate Superintendent for Instruction and Accountability, Richmond Public Schools

50. VEA : Articles Archives : Detail on the standards of learning including what Some 25 teachers and administrators volunteered to of special education students on these standardized tests. http://www.veaweteach.org/articles_archives_detail.asp?ContentID=343

51. ECED 510 Resource File While most teachers value high standards for education, they have had financial resources on the curriculum framework of the standards of learning ((sols)). http://coe.jmu.edu/martindm/ECED 510 Web Resource File/1 main page eced_510.htm

ECED 510 Resources Thematic Support Resources Native Americans Horses Verdi Water Processes ... Habitats Arts and Creativity Resources Music Songs Movement Drama ... Return to Doris' Home Page The Creative Arts in Early Childhood Education This website includes submissions from students in ECED 510, "The Creative Arts in Early Childhood Education," on how to incorporate creativity and the arts into the K-3 classroom. This site is updated each spring and summer, so come back often! Excerpts from “Don’t Forget the Arts” Lisa Whitescarver, 2002. Schools with strong arts programs regularly incur the benefits of increased student motivation to learn, better attendance among students and teachers, increased graduation rates, improved multicultural understanding, revitalized faculty, greater student engagement, growth in use of higher-order thinking and problem solving skills (Larson, 1997). Researchers at the National Center for the Gifted and Talented at the University of Connecticut found that students involved in the arts were motivated to learn for the learning experience itself, not just for test results or other performance outcomes (Smith, 2001). " Since 1997, in Virginia, the ability to show mastery of designated concepts has become more important than good grades on a progress report. The entire accreditation of a school and the future graduation of a student rest on the passing scores on the Standards of Learning tests. In many states across the country, similar standards and high stakes testing procedures have been in imposed on teachers and students.

52. T/TAC-W&M - Articles - VA SOLs And Students With Disabilities, Pretest Checklist with disabilities in the standards of learning (SOL) Assessment Special and general education teachers know that reading test is a nonstandard condition that http://web.wm.edu/ttac/articles/iep/pretestcheck.html

HOME ABOUT T/TAC: Services Staff ... SEARCH T/TAC Virginia Standards of Learning and Students with Disabilities: Pretest Checklist By Mary M. Mehaffey, Ed.D. f rom TTAC Link Lines February/March 2002 It is the intent of the Commonwealth of Virginia to include students with disabilities in the Standards of Learning (SOL) Assessment Program.  School leaders who communicate this message to their staff members clearly are more likely to see higher access rates.  To assist students with disabilities, the Virginia Department of Education provides certain testing accommodations that meet standard and non-standard conditions. Decisions about participation in the testing program and how a student with a disability is assessed should be made independently for each content area.  The IEP Team makes the decisions on the need for and the selection of accommodations for students with disabilities.  This checklist may be used by school division personnel long before the assessment dates arrive. Yes No 1. The IEP Teams are addressing assessment needs.

53. SPS | Driver Ginny Whitehead, Rookie Teacher of the Year • Carolyn Stevenson, Reading Teacher of the 2003 Test Scores The Virginia standards of learning ((sols)) are a http://www.sps.k12.va.us/schools/schools_des.htm

General Links Administration Calendar Departments Employment ... Directions Driver Elementary Select School High School - Lakeland - Nansemond River Middle School - Forest Glen - King's Fork - John F. Kennedy - John Yeates - Turlington Woods Elementary School - Booker T. Washington - Driver - Elephant's Fork - Florence Bowser - Kilby Shores - Mack Benn Jr. - Mount Zion - Nansemond Parkway - Northern Shores - Oakland - Robertson - Southwestern Highlights www.spsk12.net/schools/des/ Driver Elementary School nestled in the community of Driver, which is located in the northern part of the city. As a result of continued population growth, Driver and Florence Bowser Elementary were designed to serve the same attendance zones. Florence Bowser serves students in kindergarten and grade one, while Driver Elementary serves students in grades two through five. Driver Elementary School offers a rich academic program that revolves around the Standards of Learning (SOLs). The language arts program reflects a balance of literature skills and phonics while integrating themes from social studies and science. Problem-solving skills as well as computation are stressed in the mathematics curriculum. All students at Driver Elementary have benefited from grants received from the community. In 2003, t

54. State And International Assessment of science by administering the standards of learning (SOL) test Now, teachers teach to the standards. They even go as far as teaching the students test taking http://education.cortland.edu/teach/papers/vaassessment.html

State and International Assessment Assessment is the driving force behind every aspect of teaching today. There is an increasing focus on grades, as well as a growing concern for US performance, in schools compared to others abroad. As a result, standards of learning have not only been developed for each state, but are now being strictly enforced as well. This has caused much controversy over the effectiveness and legitimacy of the standards and over their consequences. By examining various educational resources, in addition to speaking with teachers and administrators, contrasting views become clearer. Speaking with various educators from the greater Charlottesville area paints a less than perfect picture of SOL assessment. "SOLs truly drive the curriculum. Now, teachers teach to the standards. They even go as far as teaching the students test taking skills," says a local administrator. This view is shared by all those interviewed. Educators assert that the SOLs are not age-appropriate and that they monopolize instruction as well. Knowledge and skills necessary in the real world take a back seat to preparing students for the end of the year assessment. When asked whether the science SOLs are traditional or innovative, one classroom teacher’s response was "SOLs are neither traditional nor innovative. They think they’re innovative, but they are a return to rote memorization. They test facts rather than concepts."

55. SOLs: The Latest In Testing just two points shy of passing on the geometry standards of learning test as a sophomore. I liked the (sols) because in the beginning, the teachers gave us a http://www.has.vcu.edu/mac/ujw02/sols.htm

SOLs: The latest in testing New standards apply statewide BY ELISABETH STEVENS UJW Reporter Timeline Related Web sites A s a freshman at Armstrong High School, Diondre Valentine's right hip was thrown out of place. Before he could get surgery, he fell down trying to reach his crutches and broke his left hip in the process. "I almost lost my legs," said Diondre, now a rising senior. "This happened during ninth- and 10th- grade year. It really affected my grades." Despite facing these physical challenges, Diondre scored a 398 just two points shy of passing on the geometry Standards of Learning test as a sophomore. "I liked the SOLs because in the beginning, the teachers gave us a lot of energy. Teachers would stay back as long as two hours and help kids who needed it," said Diondre. After retaking the class and test as a junior, he scored 421. Diondre's struggles show how tough it can be for students trying to meet Virginia's higher academic standards. T he state adopted rigorous standards in 1995 and a corresponding high-stakes testing program in 1998. Beginning with this year's rising juniors, high school students will have to pass at least six of 12 Standards of Learning tests or other state approved standardized tests.

56. NewsHour Extra: SOL Testing - September 12, 1999 the testThat s how many students feel about the standards of learning (SOL are designed to measure how well teachers are teaching and students are learning. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/july-dec99/sol.html

NewsHour Links: Are you ready for 12th grade? Take the SOL test Are the tests working? Should failing students be forced to repeat a grade The Clinton administration proposes requiring schools to meet tougher standards to receive federal funds. Pass or Fail Too tough a test. That's how many students feel about the Standards of Learning (SOL) program in Virginia. SOL tests are designed to measure how well teachers are teaching and students are learning. Students who don't pass, don't graduate. For some students, the possibility of having to repeat a grade is scary. "It's a really big test because if you fail you have to repeat the third grade," says nine-year-old Genny Miller. "I want to go on to the fourth grade with my friends and I just want to pass it so it will be over with." The pressure is so intense it's giving some students headaches, stomachaches and other stress-related illnesses.

57. Frontline: Testing Our Schools: Testing: In The Classroom | PBS me and for my team, and I think for many teachers, because there have to make sure that these children learn these (sols) standards of learning, that they http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/schools/testing/theme.html

var loc = "../../../"; In the course of making "Testing Our Schools," correspondent John Merrow and producer John Tulenko interviewed teachers and school administrators who are grappling with the realities of testing and its effects for better and worse on teaching and learning in the classroom. Here are excerpts from some of those interviews, with educators in Virginia and California, in March 2001. The Mood Inside the Schools Teaches kindergarten in Richmond, Va. ... This year has been the most stressful year for me and for my team, and I think for many teachers, because there has been so much pressure from on top, that you have to make sure that these children learn these SOLs [Standards of Learning], that they pass this test. And we're doing lesson plans, OK? Detailed lesson plans. We're making games, we're correcting all those papers that you see in my file. We're not only doing this during the day; ... we have to take work home. People forget that we have families and we have a life of our own. So on weekends, we're doing work. I'm up sometimes 'til 2 a.m. trying to do stuff that will help these children learn. ... I am not against assessment. ... I am against the methods they are using to test our children. I am against the pressure and the stress that is put on us for getting children to master these SOLs at the same rate of speed when everyone knows that all children do not [learn] the same way or at the same rate. ...

58. Food For Thought achievement than 12 years of formal evaluation by trained professional teachers. program in Virginia began with the SOL (standards of learning) tests. http://www.co-opliving.com/coopliving/issues/2003/July/food.htm

Food For Thought SOLs and Graduation-How High the Stakes? by John E. Bonfadini, Ed.D., Contributing Columnist Professor Emeritus, George Mason University John E. Bonfadini Public officials have chosen to put increased emphasis on high-stakes testing as one measure. Many educators, including myself, have opposed the use of these types of tests as the final determiner of educational achievement. No single test can be a better evaluator of student achievement than 12 years of formal evaluation by trained professional teachers. Those who have failed to listen to the educational community are suffering from “testing backlash.” Throughout the country large numbers of students have been denied graduation because they failed to pass the high-stakes test. Many of these students have good educational-achievement records. Using high-stakes testing as the sole final determiner for graduation lacks the element of common sense. Evaluate the Program, Not the Pupil I think this type of testing should be used to evaluate the curriculum and not the individual student. Sampling techniques that are a standard tool of any research could be used to determine the same student outcomes with a significantly smaller expenditure. We may not have the individual evaluations on every student, but we will obtain necessary data for identifying program strengths and weaknesses. Resources could then be directed to improve identified program weaknesses rather than wasted on testing schemes for everyone.

59. FETConnections - Winter 2000 The Strands indicate what standards of learning ((sols)) and additional This allows the teachers to be sure the students will be prepared for the rigorous http://www.fetc.org/fetcon/1101/badolato.htm

Project ECOLE - Virginia Computer Institute and Manassas Park City Schools, Jennifer K. Badolato Project ECOLE is an Electronic Community Of Learning and Education. It is Manassas Park City School System's curriculum in an automated format created by Virginia Computer Institute. Together, we have constructed a web page format for our curriculum and have linked the curriculum to the National Standards and the Virginia Standards of Learning. We have three different webs: a Kindergarten through fifth grade web, a sixth through eighth grade web, and a ninth through twelfth grade web. This project is unique in that it is the only automated curriculum in Virginia. An impressive tool in the project is the 1,500 teacher-created activities designed to teach the National Standards which are linked to the Virginia Standards of Learning. The activities are done in a lesson plan format complete with topic, description, a materials list, directions, scoring rubric, extended activities and resource list. If there are any necessary worksheets, they have been scanned in and are accessible through Adobe Acrobat. Project Partners Explore the Weather The Project Partners component allows the teachers in our school system to work collaboratively on a topic with teachers from other school systems. Through e-groups, the teachers and students can communicate over the Internet and simultaneously explore a topic. This is a very exciting component of Project ECOLE and expands the scope of learning for students and teachers all over the world.

60. Spring '99 -- Standards Of Learning: Beyond The Debate In an effort to address this trend, the Curry School of Education is preparing teachers to incorporate the standards of learning, or (sols), into http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/foundation/newsletter/sp99/sol.htm

SOL Standards of Learning: Beyond the Debate 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.

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