Discussion of Virginia’s Assessment Program

1. Attachment B Discussion of Virginia’s Assessment Program Virginia Board of Education Committee on School and Division Accountability April 23, 2019

2. Standards of Quality: State Assessment Program § 22.1-253.13:3. Standard 3. Accreditation, other standards, assessments, and releases from state regulations. C C. With such funds as are available for this purpose,the Board of Education shall prescribe assessment methods to determine the level of achievement of the Standards of Learning objectives by all students. Such assessments shall evaluate knowledge, application of knowledge, critical thinking, and skills related to the Standards of Learning being assessed. …..The Board shall include in the student outcome measures that are required by the Standards for Accreditation end-of-course or end-of-grade assessments for various grade levels and classes, including the completion of the alternative assessments implemented by each local school board, in accordance with the Standards of Learning. These assessments shall include end-of-course or end-of-grade tests for English, mathematics, science, and history and social science and may be integrated to include multiple subject areas. ….The Standards of Learning assessments administered to students in grades three through eight shall not exceed (a) reading and mathematics in grades three and four; (b) reading, mathematics, and science in grade five; (c) reading and mathematics in grades six and seven; (d) reading, writing, and mathematics in grade eight; (e) science after the student receives instruction in the grade six science, life science, and physical science Standards of Learning and before the student completes grade eight; and (f) Virginia Studies and Civics and Economics once each at the grade levels deemed appropriate by each local school board.

3. Excerpt from Resolution Adopted by the Virginia Board of Education on April 25, 1996 • STATEWIDE Standards of Learning (SOL) ASSESSMENTS   The Department of Education will issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) to develop, administer, score, and report results of statewide standardized assessments and will include the following components: • Program Summary • Purpose: To measure students’ achievement in acquiring and directly applying the knowledge and academic skills defined in English, Mathematics, Science, History, and Technology Standards of Learning, and to measure students’ skills to analyze, reason, synthesize information, make comparisons, and draw inferences. • Grade Levels: 3, 5, 8, 11. • Testing Format: Primarily machine-scoreable test items which provide a breadth of content coverage and ensure reliable and valid results.. A writing sample may be included. • Scores: Scores will be reported at student, school, school division, and state levels.

4. Excerpt from Resolution Adopted by the Virginia Board of Education on April 25, 1996 (cont.) • Test Content • The SOL assessments will test the student's achievement in acquiring and applying the knowledge and academic skills of the English, Mathematics, History, Science, and Technology Standards of Learning. The skill expectations at each grade tested and in each content area will be presented to the Board for approval prior to test implementation. A document outlining these skill expectations will be available for public release. • The grade 3 SOL assessment will include K-3 SOLs in all four disciplines, with particular emphasis on reading skill and comprehension. • The grade 5 SOL assessment will includes grades 4 and 5 SOLs in English, Mathematics, Science and Technology, as well as History SOLs through Virginia Studies. • The grade 8 SOL assessment will include grades 6, 7, and 8 SOLs in English, Mathematics, Science and Technology, as well as the History SOLs covering U.  S. History, and Civics and Economics. • At the 11th grade level, the SOL assessment will: • report scores within disciplines (e.g. Biology within Science). • include content from the following areas within each discipline: • Mathematics: Algebra I and Geometry • Science: Earth Science and Biology • History: World History and World Geography • English: grades 9, 10, and 11

5. Changes to Testing Program • 2006: Mathematics and reading tests for grade 4, 6, and 7 added to meet the requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law. Mathematics and reading tests for grade 5 and 8 ceased to be cumulative and included the content for the current grade level only • 2007-2008: Last administration of the cumulative grade 8 history test • 2008-2009: All school divisions required to administer the United States History to 1877 test, the United States: 1877 to the Present test, and the Civics and Economics test • 2009: Board considered a proposal to eliminate Grade 3 history test • 2014: Legislation eliminated five Standards of Learning (SOL) tests and replaced them with local assessments: • Grade 3 History • Grade 3 Science • Grade 5 Writing • United States History to 1865 • United States History: 1865 to the Present

6. Tests Administered in Elementary Schools in 2018-2019 Shaded cells indicate tests required by Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

7. Tests Administered in Middle Schools in 2018-2019 Shaded cells indicate tests required by Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

8. End-of-Course (EOC) Tests Administered in 2018-2019 Shaded cells indicate tests required by Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

9. Requirements for Verified Credits Under 2017 Standards of Accreditation (SOA) • To earn a verified credit in mathematics, reading, science, and history, students must earn a standard credit and achieve one of the following: • Pass an SOL end-of-course test; OR • Earn a locally awarded verified credit; OR • Earn an acceptable score on a Board-approved substitute test • In addition to the options for earning a verified credit listed above, school divisions may verify credits in WRITING through a local performance assessment • Additional information regarding the use of local performance assessments to verify credits in writing is included in the Guidelines for the Use of Local Performance Assessments for Verifying Credits in Writingapproved by the Board of Education on September 20, 2018.

10. Graduation Requirements for Students Entering the 9th Grade for the First Time between 2010-2011 and 2017-2018:Standard Diploma Credit Requirements

11. Graduation Requirements for Students Entering the 9th Grade for the First Time between 2010-2011 and 2017-2018:Advanced Studies Diploma Credit Requirements

12. Graduation Requirements for Students Entering the 9th Grade for the First Time in 2018-2019 and Beyond:Standard Diploma Credit Requirements

13. Graduation Requirements for Students Entering the 9th Grade for the First Time in 2018-2019 and Beyond:Advanced Studies Diploma Credit Requirements

14. Future of Standards of Learning (SOL) End-of-Course History and Science Tests

15. Current SOL End-of-Course Science Tests • Available Tests • Earth Science • Biology • Chemistry • Uses • Verify credits for graduation • Included in Accreditation • Biology scores used for federal accountability

16. Current SOL History Tests • End-of-Course Tests Used to Verify History Credits • World History to 1500 • World History: 1500 to the Present • World Geography • Virginia and United States History • Pass Rates currently reported on the School Quality Profiles

17. Interest in Eliminating Certain SOL End-of-Course Tests • Science • Earth Science • Chemistry • History • World History to 1500 • World History: 1500 to the Present • World Geography

18. Next Steps Department staff will gather feedback from stakeholders Recommendation to Board in summer or early fall of 2019

19. Board Discussion