July 14, 2003
STANDARDS OF LEARNING (SOL) ASSESSMENT INFORMATION
Fall Semester 2003 SOL Administration
The grade 8 and end-of-course tests will be administered to students
who will complete the associated grade 8 classes or high school courses
at the end of the fall semester. The following groups of students
may also take
the SOL tests:
1. students in the ninth-grade class of 2000-2001 and below who want to retake an end-of-course SOL test that they failed. These students do not have to be enrolled in a course to take a test. Their participation is optional.
2. special education students in grades 9-12 for the 2003-2004 school year who are pursuing a modified standard diploma may take the grade 8 Mathematics or English: Reading/Literature and Research test to meet the literacy and numeracy requirements for this diploma.
3. students who have participated in remediation recovery programs may retake the SOL tests as follows:
· grade 9 students may retake the grade 8 English: Reading/Literature and Research test and/or mathematics test
· students who have failed
an end-of-course mathematics test may retake the failed test.
SOL English: Writing Tests
The SOL English: Writing tests for the fall 2003 administration are
scheduled as follows. The multiple-choice component of the English:
Writing tests will be administered on either Tuesday, October 14 or Wednesday,
October 15, 2003. The direct writing component of the English:
Writing tests will be administered statewide on Thursday, October 16, 2003.
Students who are absent on the date of the statewide writing test will
respond to a different prompt during the make?up period. Answer
documents for the English: Writing tests must be shipped for scoring by
October 30, 2003.
All Other SOL Tests
Testing schedules for other SOL tests will be determined based on the date the fall semester ends.
Spring Semester 2003 SOL Administration
The spring SOL administrations are designed to accommodate several
groups of
students:
1. students in grades 3, 5, and 8, and those enrolled in high school courses for which there is an end-of-course SOL test will participate in the spring semester SOL administration.
2. students in the ninth-grade class of 2000-2001 and below who want to retake an end-of-course SOL test that they previously failed. These students do not have to be enrolled in a course to take a test. Their participation is optional.
3. special education students in grades 9-12 for the 2003-2004 school year who are pursuing a modified standard diploma may take the grade 8 Mathematics or English: Reading/Literature and Research test to meet the literacy and numeracy requirements for this diploma.
4. students who have participated in remediation recovery programs may retake the SOL tests as follows:
· grade 4 students may retake the grade 3 English test (reading and writing subtests) and/or mathematics test
· grade 6 students may retake the grade 5 English: Reading/Literature and Research test and/or mathematics test
· grade 9 students may retake the grade 8 English: Reading/Literature and Research test and/or mathematics test
· students who have failed an end-of-course mathematics test may retake the failed test.
SOL English: Writing Tests
The SOL English: Writing tests for the spring 2004 administration
are scheduled as follows. The multiple-choice component of the English:
Writing tests will be administered on either March 8 or 9. The direct writing
component of the test must be administered statewide on Wednesday,
March 10. Students who are absent on the date of the statewide writing
test will respond to a different prompt during the make-up period.
Answer documents
for the English: Writing tests must be shipped for scoring by March
24, 2004.
All Other SOL Tests
Testing schedules for other SOL tests will be determined by the date
schools
are closed.
Summer 2004 SOL Administration
Summer SOL administrations are designed to accommodate several groups
of
students:
1. students enrolled in courses for which there are SOL tests; all enrolled students must be tested unless they have previously passed the SOL test.
2. students in the ninth-grade class of 2000-2001 or
below who desire to retake an end-of-course SOL test previously failed
and need an additional opportunity to retake the test to earn verified
credit;
these students do not have to be enrolled in a summer school course
to take a test; participation by these students is optional.
3. students who have failed an end-of-course mathematics
test (Algebra I, Geometry, or Algebra II) and who are enrolled in a remediation
recovery program.
SOL English: Writing Tests
The SOL writing test is to be administered statewide July 19-21,
2004. The multiple-choice component of the English: Writing test
should be administered either on Monday, July 19, or Tuesday, July 20,
2004. The
direct writing component of the English: Writing test will be administered
statewide on Wednesday, July 21, 2004. Answer documents for the English:
Writing tests must be shipped for scoring by July 30, 2004.
All Other SOL Tests
Testing schedules for other SOL tests will be determined by local
school divisions based on the date the school division ends the summer
school.
July 8, 2003
Released Items for SOL Tests
1998 SOL test released items have been removed from the test site. These items are no longer relevant due to revisions in the SOL tests.
No complete history tests are available, however ten released items
for each of the following will be posted on June 27, 2003:
Grade 3 history, grade 5 history, grade 8 history,
World History I, World History II, World Geography, and Virginia and United
States History.
No released items are availalble for the elementary and middle school breakout tests - U. S. History to 1877, U. S. History: 1877 to present and Civics and Economics
COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
P.O. BOX 2120
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA 23218-2120
SUPTS. MEMO NO. 112
June 27, 2003
INFORMATIONAL
TO: Division Superintendents
FROM: Jo Lynne DeMary
Superintendent of Public Instruction
SUBJECT: Calculator Use on the Standards of Learning Assessments
As you are aware, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 requires each
stateto administer mathematics assessments in each grade 3 through 8.
The field-testing of the grade- level assessments for each grade 4, 5,
6, 7, 8 will begin in the spring of 2004. The purpose of this memo is to
establish the guidelines for the use of calculators on each grade-level
assessment.
The four-function calculator will continue to be allowed on each of
the grade-level assessments. In addition, a scientific calculator that
does not have a fraction capability will be allowed on grades 6, 7, and
8 assessments. The Department of Education has identified two calculators
that meet the specifications for the scientific calculators. They are the
TI-30Xa Solar and the SHARP EL-501V. School divisions may use
funding from Title V, Part A, and Title II, Part D, formula funds from
the No Child Left Behind funds to purchase calculators. The scientific
calculator will be allowed for students participating in the field test
of the grade 6 and 7 mathematics tests in 2004 and 2005. For the
grade 8 cumulative test that
will continue to be given in 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 school years only
the four-function calculator can be used.
If you have questions about the field test of the assessments for grades
4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, please contact Suzanne Trevvet ([email protected]),
associate director of assessment, at (804) 225-2917. For questions about
the
calculators, please contact Christa Southall ([email protected]),
middle school mathematics specialist, at (804) 786-8078.
JLD/MH
PALS Labels
Using Microsoft Word - Go to Tools
Click on Envelopes and labels
Click on labels
Select Avery and label number 5366 - this is for a standard size 2/3" x
3 - 7/16" label
Key in PALS and center
Click on Print
If you need help, please call.
The following questions were asked during testing. You might want to copy these and place them in your SOL Manual.
- If a Special Education student is enrolled in regular education classes, in which area do they test? According to Nate Sparks, Division of Assessment they are to follow their IEP. Basically, they follow the Special Education regulations. The question of an audit brings to light other problems, concerning the regular education component of this child's class load. To meet the audit requirements, we feel that the appropriate test to take would be the regular education class. Next year, with NCLB, all students will have to take reading and math. We must keep this in mind when writing their IEP.
- If a child is in the fourth grade and has been remediated in English, then they are to take the entire third grade English test over.
- Transfer students - Grade 3, 5, & 8 student enrolled after the 20th day of instruction from another division, another state, private school, or home instruction. EOC student enrolled from another state, private school, or home instruction after twenty instructional hours have elasped. Any student who has transferred out of then back into the division and have been on roll less than 50% of the school year.
- If the school master file sheet is not correct, please write in what corrections as necessary. Please notify the DDOT so that a corrected division master file sheet can be ordered from Harcourt. We cannot return our material without a corrected division master file document.
- Any student who has been remediated will be allowed to retest. Student scores are not relevant to this process.
- Writing appeals cannot be processed until the writing samples are
returned from Pearson. Then two teachers familiar with the rubric
for grading these writing samples must review and concur that these samples
should be rescored If they determine that the sample is to be rescored,
then please submit the appropriate paperwork(you should have a copy) and
the original sample to the DDOT for submission to Pearson Educational Measurement.