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The Standards of Learning (SOL) for Virginia Public Schools establish minimum expectations for what students should know and be able to do at the end of each grade or course in English, Mathematics, Science, History, Social Science, and other subjects.
SOL tests measure the success of students in meeting the Board of Education’s expectations for learning and achievement. All items on SOL tests are reviewed by Virginia classroom teachers for accuracy and fairness, and teachers also assist the Virginia Board of Education in setting proficiency standards for the tests.
New! View this year’s letter to parents about the 2024 SOLs from the VDOE.
General Questions about the SOLs
Who takes the SOLs?
Most students starting in grade 3 will take SOL assessments.
All students in tested grade levels and courses are expected to participate in Virginia’s assessment program, unless specifically exempted by state or federal law or by Board of Education regulations. Virginia’s assessment system includes students with disabilities and students who are English Learners (ELs). Students with disabilities and ELs may take Standards of Learning tests with or without accommodations or they may be assessed through the alternate assessment. The tests that comprise the Virginia Assessment Program are offered in English only; administration of the tests in other languages is not permitted.
Which SOLs will my student take?
Below is a table of each assessment by grade level. Some students may take an end-of-course (EOC) math assessment in grades 7 or 8.
| Grade 3 | Reading | Math | ||
| Grade 4 | Reading | Math | Virginia Studies | |
| Grade 5 | Integrated Reading & Writing | Math | Science | |
| Grade 6 | Reading | Math | ||
| Grade 7 | Reading | Math | Civics & Economics | |
| Grade 8 | Integrated Reading & Writing | Math | World Geography Performance Assessment | Science |
| End of Course | Integrated Reading & Writing | Algebra I
Geometry Algebra II |
World History I
World History II VA & US History Performance Assessments |
Biology
Earth Science Chemistry |
What is the testing format?
The SOL tests are completed by students in Virginia’s public schools using the online testing application, TestNav™. This application allows SOL tests to be administered securely to students using a wide variety of devices including desktop computers, laptop computers, and tablets.
Reading and Math assessments for grades 3-8 are computer adaptive meaning the test is customized for every student based on how the student responds to the test questions.
What does my student's score mean?
Standards of Learning assessments in English reading, mathematics, science and history/social science are made up of multiple-choice and technology-enhanced items or questions that measure content knowledge, scientific and mathematical processes, reasoning and critical thinking skills. English writing skills are measured with a two-part assessment that includes multiple-choice items and an essay.
Student performance is graded on a scale of 0-600 with 400 representing the minimum level of acceptable proficiency and 500 representing advanced proficiency. On English reading and mathematics tests, the Board of Education has defined levels of student achievement: below basic, basic, proficient, and advanced, with basic describing progress towards proficiency.
Performance level descriptors are available for SOL tests in reading, history and social science, mathematics and science. These descriptors convey the knowledge and skills associated with each performance (achievement) level.
The achievement levels for grades 3-8 reading and mathematics tests are: Pass/Advanced, Pass/Proficient, Fail/Basic, and Fail/Below Basic.