The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) has developed a new type of test question for future Standards of Learning (SOL) Reading assessments in grades 5, 8, and high school. Before this new type of test item is administered to students as part of the SOL Reading tests in grades 5, 8, and high school, it is being tried out with students this spring during what is called a field test. Students in grades 5, 8, and 11 who are scheduled to take the online SOL Reading test in Spring 2023 will participate in this field test for the new item type.
During the field test, students will read a nonfiction passage online that may be about a history or science topic and then answer four to six questions about what they have read. One question is a writing prompt, or a question that asks students to write about what they have read. Students will complete this online in one session. Currently, the VDOE is only trying out this item type in an online format. In the future, this item type will be available in other formats for students needing an accommodation such as braille, large print, or audio.
It is important to know that individual test results from the field test will not be available to students, and students will receive no score. Results of the field test will only be used to make decisions about use of the new integrated reading and writing item type on state assessments in the future.
Each school division has selected a time for their students to complete the online field test. WCPS schools will be administering the field test April 17-28, 2023. Individual schools will notify students and families of their chosen test date within this window. Students may have as much time as they need to complete this test during the school day.
If you have questions about this field test, please contact your child’s School Counselor.