Assessment

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Spring Standards of Learning (SOL) Parent Report

To help give families and teachers a more complete picture of student progress, VDOE has developed a new Spring SOL Parent Report designed to provide parents additional information in a clear and accessible format about their child's performance this year. The report is available to parents whose children have already completed the spring SOL assessments in school divisions around the Commonwealth. These reports may be obtained directly from your child's school.

The Spring SOL Parent Report informs parents if their child’s test scores show that the child needs additional support, is considered at-risk of falling behind, or if the child is performing on grade level or above. Sample parent reports are available for grades 3-8 reading and math, and all other SOL tests (except writing). These reports, combined with teacher input, classroom work, report cards, and the Student Detail by Question reports, give families and teachers a more complete picture of student progress. 

Designed to provide a year-long look of your child’s progress, the Parent Report ties together the Virginia Growth Assessment score(s) previously taken and the current spring SOL results to show the current trend in academic progress. These results, along with other student data, help to show which content areas and skills your child may need additional support and where more time with a teacher or tutor could be beneficial to your child's academic success.  

Below are additional resources to support conversations with your child's teacher(s) and learn new tips to support learning at home.

Resources for the Spring Parent Growth Report 

• Parent Letter
  Four things you should know to help you set your child up for success and ensure you have access to resources to support their academic growth.
• Highlights from the 2024 Spring Parent Score Report 
  Click on the Highlights video to learn about three key features which will help you understand your child's performance. 
• Parent Teacher Planning Tool 
  Click on the Planning Tool to help facilitate conversations with your child's teacher.

No one is more important in a child’s learning than their parents. At the Virginia Department of Education, we are eager to partner up and equip you with the information and resources you need to advocate for and support your child.  

An example of the new Parent Report, as well as additional resources for parents, can be found on the Parent Resources page of the VDOE website under the Assessment tab.

2024 en Espanol

Informe para los padres: el examen de los Estándares de Aprendizaje de Virginia.

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Sample Winter Virginia Growth Assessment Parent Report

The Sample Winter VGA Parent Report shows your child's performance on the Virginia Growth Assessments. This report, combined with teacher input,

 classroom work, report cards, and the Student Detail by Question reports, gives families and teachers a more complete picture of student progress. You can use these results to help identify where your child is doing well and where additional support may be needed. 

Resources for the Winter Parent Growth Report updated January 2024

Refer to these resources to support conversations with your child’s teacher(s) today and learn new tips for supporting reading and math at home.

Questions to Ask Your Child’s Teacher About Reading Whether your child is a book worm or needs more support, summer reading is essential to keep them on track. Here are questions to ask your child’s teacher as well as tips and resources to help you learn more.

Questions to Ask Your Child’s  Teacher About Math Math skills are essential for life– including daily tasks, problem-solving, creativity, career options and more. Here are questions to ask your child’s teacher as well as tips and resources to support math at home.

Growth Assessments

Growth Assessments are computer adaptive tests, shorter than the Standards of Learning tests, that were developed for grades 3-8 reading and mathematics as a result of legislation passed in the 2021 Virginia General Assembly. The growth assessments consist of test items that measure the Standards of Learning, have been reviewed by Virginia teachers, proven with Virginia students, and accepted for use on the growth assessments.  

Understanding Growth Assessment Scores

A growth assessment score, also called a Vertical Scaled Score, is one piece of information in the Parent Report and the Student Detail by Question (SDBQ) Reports for the Virginia Growth Assessments.

Resources for growth assessment scores from the 2023-2024 Virginia Growth Assessments in reading and mathematics have been developed for parents. These resources include: 

• Grade 3 Virginia Growth Assessment Parent Guide
• Grade 4 Virginia Growth Assessment Parent Guide
• Grade 5 Virginia Growth Assessment Parent Guide
• Grade 6 Virginia Growth Assessment Parent Guide
• Grade 7 Virginia Growth Assessment Parent Guide
• Grade 8 Virginia Growth Assessment Parent Guide

Interpreting the Student Detail by Question Report

The score report following a Virginia assessment is called the Student Detail by Question Report or SDBQ Report. School divisions can provide the SDBQ Report to families. Please contact your child’s school for access to these reports.

Two resources are available to assist with understanding these reports:

• The VDOE Standards of Learning (SOL) SDBQ Overview (YouTube) is a short video that explains the information contained in a student's SDBQ Report.
• The Overview of the SDBQ Report (PDF) is available to assist in the interpretation and use of the SDBQ Report.

Virginia SOL Assessment Program 

Standards of Learning (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. 

SOL Practice Items (All Subjects)

The Practice Items are test items grouped by content area and grade level or course available for use by teachers, parents, and students in Virginia. They serve as examples of the types of online test items, including technology-enhanced items (TEI) presented to students during an online state assessment.  

National Assessment of Educational Progress 

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as The Nation’s Report Card, is a national measure of student achievement that is taken by samplings of students in each state and nationwide.  

Virginia English Language Proficiency Assessments 

School divisions annually assess the English language proficiency of all English learner (EL) students K-12.  

Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT)

A CAT is an assessment customized for every student. How a student responds to questions determines the difficulty of the next question. Correct responses lead to more difficult test questions, while incorrect responses result in the selection of less difficult items for the student.