This is the second in a series of articles investigating the administration of the Standards of Learning assessment in Prince William 
County. You can read the first article here.
Parents of Prince William County Students can choose to have their children not take certain SOL (Standards of Learning) exams without needing justification.
While this practice would have little consequence to students in the elementary or middle school grades, high school students need the verified credits of core courses of English, math, science and history/social science, which the SOLs would provide, to graduate.
However, students can earn these verified credits from other assessments that they may have already taken.
The Virginia Board of Education states on its website: “The Board of Education has approved a number of tests that students may take to earn verified credits toward graduation. The Board also has approved a schedule of career and technical examinations for licensure or certification that may be substituted for SOL tests to earn student-selected verified units of credit.”
“It is possible for students to get these credits without taking the related SOL if they take approved equivalent tests (AP, ACT or SAT),” Prince William County Schools Director of Communications Services Phil Kavits said.
The VBOE provides a number of alternatives to earn verified credits. These include 24 alternatives to the reading and writing nnd-of-course tests; 33 alternatives to the mathematics tests; 17 alternatives to the earth science, biology and chemistry tests; and 15 alternatives to the history/social science tests.
The complete list of tests can be found here and include Advanced Placement exams, Cambridge International Exams and International Baccalaureate tests.
The Virginia Department of Education and the state Board of Education are in favor of using substitute testing when possible.
“It is an additional means for students to earn the verified credit and reduce what essentially is double testing,” VDOE Director of Communications Charles Pyle told Bristow Beat in a phone interview. “The Board wants students to have flexibility. The Board is concerned about unnecessary testing.”
He said the substitute exams are just as valid as SOL tests and are recognized by the state in that way since they are considered to be of “equal or greater rigor.”
“There’s really no good reason that the student would have to take the SOL tests [if they have taken one of the substitute exams],” Pyle said.
There is an expectation that students be informed annually of their options to utilize a substitute assessment.
An excerpt from the Standards of Accreditations reads:
Students who complete Advanced Placement courses, college-level courses, or courses required for an International Baccalaureate Diploma shall be deemed to have completed the requirements for graduation under these standards provided they have earned the standard units of credit and earned verified units of credit in accordance with the requirements for the Standard Diploma and the Advanced Studies Diploma, as specified in subsections B and C of this section.Students shall be counseled annually regarding the opportunities for using additional tests for earning verified credits as provided in accordance with the provisions of 8VAC20-131-110, and the consequences of failing to fulfill the obligations to complete the requirements for verified units of credit.
The caveat for students is that PWCS Regulation 661-4 grants an exemption from a course final exam if the student achieves a passing score on the corresponding SOL.
Students enrolled in courses that have an End of Course Standards of Learning (SOL) test may also earn an exam exemption based on their performance on the EOC SOL test. In order to earn an exam exemption the student must pass the EOC SOL test at the proficient level. If a student passes the SOL at the advanced level, the student will receive an automatic “A/100” for the final exam grade. However, if a student passes the EOC SOL test and elects to take the final exam, the final exam grade will be calculated into the student’s final grade for the class.
“Most choose to go with the SOL as these can be used to gain an exemption from taking the course final,” Kavits said.
These substitute assessments often become most relevant to special education and ELL (English Language Learners) students.
PWCS ESOL teacher Megan Lynch said she administers the ACT WorkKeys assessments to all of her students as a failsafe against those who do not pass the SOL.
“Any student who has not passed the End of Course Writing SOL has the option of taking the WorkKeys assessment,” Lynch said. “We administer the test so students can receive a verified English Writing credit which is a requirement for graduation. This credit acts as their English Writing SOL.”
In fact, she feels this assessment is better suited for her students than the SOLs.
“The assessment is supposed to mirror real world experience,” she said. “This type of assessment may better cater to students who have experience working full or part time or those who may want to join the work force directly after high school; I think it is a fair alternative to the writing SOL because it assesses a different type of skill that is necessary for written communication in the workforce.”
She said she didn’t know how many other schools in the county offer this assessment.
Over 100 Prince William County students told Bristow Beat they were not aware that they could substitute other assessments for the SOLs and none were offered the option by staff at their schools.
However, Kavits believes Prince William students are being informed of their options regarding substitute exams.
“Our goal is to basically inform students of what they need to succeed. These options are discussed where they are appropriate. Certainly, the counselors are aware of this," he said.
The accreditation policy is also included in the high school course catalog.
Kavits points out that AP and other college-level tests may not report their data by the end of the school year, as SOL tests do.
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