Prince William County Schools (PWCS) has announced that its administration has decided to postpone SOL testing for elementary and middle school students to later in the year.
“In order to provide schools and teachers with additional instructional time ahead of the Standards of Learning (SOL) tests, the Virginia Department of Education is allowing PWCS to move our spring non-writing testing window for elementary and middle school tests (grade 3-8) back one week,” wrote a spokesperson for PWCS. “The action follows the loss of substantial instructional time to weather-related closings and delays.”
According to the announcement, the new testing window will be between May 19 and June 13. This should allow teachers at schools around the state to have more time to prepare their students for the standardized exams as the state is allowing for schools to schedule tests at any point during that window.
Additionally, PWCS may request that high school and advanced level middle school exams also be pushed back.
“Should the Prince William County School Board approve the Superintendent's recommendation to extend the school year, the end-of-course window could be shifted as well,” a spokesperson said.
However, that has yet to be determined.
“At this point,” said PWCS, “there is no change to the end-of-course (high school tests plus Algebra I and Geometry at middle schools) testing windows.”
Since there are two windows planned for these end-of-course tests, the regular window and the expedited retake window, pushing back these exams becomes more difficult. Also, should they be pushed back, they would not likely be pushed back as far towards the end of the school year.
The regular testing windows for end-of-course tests is scheduled to fall between April 30 through May 23, and retakes are scheduled between May 28 and June 17.
PWCS also reminds parents that students in grades 5, 8 and 11 are currently taking the writing SOLs. That window was already extended as a result of weather related closing, and nothing further is changing with that test.
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