Virginia SOL Assessment Program
Virginia Standards of Learning
The Standards of Learning (SOL) for Virginia Public Schools establish minimum expectations for what students should know and be able to do at the end of each grade or course in English, Mathematics, Science, History, Social Science, and other subjects.
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.
Improving the Assessment Experience
The Virginia Department of Education is a national leader in the use of technology to develop and administer the Standards of Learning (SOL) tests. Virginia’s school divisions have been administering online tests to students for over a decade. Innovations include a new test delivery system, a computer adaptive format for most mathematics and reading tests, and the use of various technology-enhanced items. Virginia has also added an online calculator from Desmos to improve the testing experience of students while taking online mathematics tests.
Online Test Delivery Software
The SOL tests are completed by students in Virginia’s public schools using the online testing application, TestNav™. This application allows SOL tests to be administered securely to students using a wide variety of devices including desktop computers, laptop computers, and tablets.
As a resource to school divisions and families, the VDOE provides Practice Items in TestNav. The Practice Items serve as an introduction to online test navigation, online tools, item formatting, and overall functionality and appearance of SOL tests within TestNav.
Computer Adaptive Testing
A computer adaptive test (CAT) is an assessment that is customized for every student based on how the student responds to the test questions. Students who take online grades 3-8 Mathematics and Reading tests will be given a computer adaptive version of the Standards of Learning tests.