Assessment Resources

Print

Font Size: + -

News & Announcements

Review of the 2018 Science Standards of Learning

At its February 2, 2023, meeting, the State Board of Education (Board) authorized the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) to proceed with the development and review process of the 2018 Science Standards of Learning. Please note that the timeline reviewed by the Board has changed.

The Proposed Draft 2025 Science Standards of Learning will be presented to the Board of Education for initial review in early spring 2025. The 2025 Science Standards of Learning are for the current Board-approved high school science courses that do not have existing standards (High School Level II courses and Environmental Science). Once adopted by the Board, divisions are expected to implement the science standards in the 2025-2026 academic year. The 2018 Science Standards of Learning for kindergarten through high school physics will remain unchanged in content and practices. Instructional guides, scheduled to be released in May 2025, will include structures to increase specificity and provide clarity about performance expectations of the Standards.

Science Assessment Resources

TestNav8 – Practice items that provide examples of the content, integrated science and engineering practices, and new question formats that reflect the expectations in the 2018 Science Standards of Learning (SOL).
Released SOL Tests – Released SOL tests in all subjects.
2018 Science SOL Test Blueprints – In preparation for implementation of the new assessments measuring the 2018 Science Standards of Learning, new science test blueprints have been developed for the grade 5 science, grade 8 science, and EOC Biology SOL tests. It is important to note that science assessments developed using the new blueprints will be administered for the first time in the spring 2023 SOL test administration.
2010 Science SOL Test Blueprints – Much like the blueprint for a building, a test blueprint serves as a guide for test construction. The blueprint indicates the content areas that will be addressed by the test and the number of items that will be included by content area and for the test as a whole. There is a blueprint for each test.
Test Manipulatives – Students are permitted to use a Periodic Table of Elements on the EOC Chemistry test. These test manipulatives are included with your secure shipments for paper/pencil testing. For online testing, the following manipulatives are available on the toolbar in TestNav™. Please be sure to refer to the paper/pencil manuals and/or the online testing manuals for more information on test manipulatives.

EOC Chemistry Periodic Table of Elements (PDF)

Performance Assessment

Performance assessment measures subject-matter proficiency, requires students to apply the content and skills they have learned, and should present opportunities for students to demonstrate acquisition of the “Five C’s” – critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration and citizenship – described in the Board of Education’s Profile of a Virginia Graduate.

As students learn new skills and content, they should be given multiple opportunities to demonstrate mastery through the use of performance tasks. Both summative and formative performance assessments allow teachers and students alike to identify content that has been mastered, misconceptions, and gaps in learning. The evidence gained through performance assessment may be used to guide future classroom instruction.

VDOE Sample Performance Assessments

The VDOE, in collaboration with division partners, have developed and implemented aligned performance assessments for third grade. In addition, sample performance assessments have also been developed to support other grade levels. These samples, aligned to the 2018 Science Standards of Learning, may be used by divisions to meet expectations outlined in the Guidelines for Local Alternative Assessments (Superintendent's Memo 214-21).

Lemonade Sample Performance Assessement (Grade 3)
Simple Machines Sample Performance Assessment (Grade 3)
Soil Sample Performance Assessment (Grade 3)
Meaningful Watershed Education Experience Unit with Performance Assessment (Grade 6)
Stoichiometry Performance Assessment (Chemistry)

Common Rubrics

The VDOE Common Rubrics serve as tools for teachers and divisions to utilize when tracking growth over time as students apply the scientific and engineering practices and build towards science conceptual understanding. These rubrics reflect grade level bands; divisions and teachers should consider appropriate milestones and goals for student performance as they progress within an academic year and over each rubrics grade span. In addition, teachers should consider the practices that are being addressed in any specific performance assessment to determine which rows of the rubric should be used in scoring student work.

No one performance assessment is expected to utilize every row of the VDOE common rubric; instead, multiple opportunities should be given for students to build and demonstrate mastery of each of the different scientific and engineering practices included in the VDOE Common Rubric.