Local Alternative Assessments and Performance Assessments

APS students participate in History, Science, and Writing performance assessments in place of the following Standards of Learning (SOL) tests, which were omitted in 2014 by the General Assembly:
Grade 3 History
Grade 3 Science
Grade 5 Writing
US History to 1865
US History 1865 to the Present

Performance assessments are tasks that measure subject-matter proficiency, require students to apply the content and skills they have learned to an authentic task, and should present opportunities for students to demonstrate acquisition of the “Five C’s” – critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration and citizenship – described in the Board of Education’s Profile of a Virginia Graduate. A performance task can be summative or formative.

Specific questions about performance assessments can be addressed by your student’s teacher.

Performance Assessment Schedule

Performance Assessment	Grade Levels	Dates
Social Studies and Science Local Alternative Performance Assessments	3	Q1: August 25 – November 3, 2025 Q2: November 5 – January 29, 2026 Q3: February 2 – April 10, 2026 Q4: April 14 – June 18, 2026
US History I and II Local Alternative Performance Assessments	6
World Geography Local Alternative Performance Assessment for Verified Credit	8
Social Studies Local Alternative Performance Assessments for Verified Credit (World Geography, World History I, World History II, VA/US History)	9-12
ELA: 9th Grade Performance Based Assessment for Writing	9	March 2 – 13, 2026
ELA: 10th Grade Performance Based Assessment for Writing	10	March 2 – 13, 2026

Information for Families about These Assessments

Specific information about Local Alternative Assessments (LAA) and Performance Based Assessments (PBA) will be communicated to families by your student’s school/teacher.
Grade-banded rubrics for performance assessment tasks are used to provide a clear, consistent, and developmentally appropriate framework for evaluating student performance.
Local Alternative Assessments (LAA) are used within classroom instruction throughout the school year to measure student learning of the grade level content standards.
A Performance Based Assessment (PBA) asks students to complete a task or produce a product, with their performance evaluated using a rubric. By undertaking the PBA, students go beyond simply demonstrating their knowledge to showing how they can apply that knowledge and skill in practical ways.

Additional Family Resources (including links)

More information about Performance Assessments and Local Alternative Assessments, include State Rubrics, can be found on the VDOE website.

Families can visit the following APS webpages for more information:

The APS Social Studies webpage for specific information related to Social Studies assessments.

The APS English Language Arts webpage for specific information related to ELA assessments.