General Testing Information

Contacts:

Assessment Coaches

Stacie Shaffer

Hannah Basl

Jordan Briar

Madeline Johnson

WIDA

Federal legislation requires that all students identified as English learners (ELs) participate annually in an English language proficiency assessment. In Virginia, all divisions use the WIDA ACCESS for ELLs to monitor students' progress in acquiring academic English. The WIDA ACCESS for ELLs is administered to all students in grades K-12 with an English language proficiency (ELP) level of 1-5 and 9. The WIDA ACCESS for ELLs is aligned with the WIDA English language development standards and assesses English in the four language domains of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The assessment will: 

•       Determine students’ English language proficiency level and eligibility for English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) services and testing accommodations.  

•       Help students and families understand students’ current level of English language proficiency along a developmental continuum.  

•       Provide teachers with information they can use to plan for and support student learning.  

•       Determine whether ELs have met English language proficiency criteria and will be designated former ELs.

All ELs, including those who have opted out of ESOL services, participate annually in the ELP assessment until they reach English language proficiency criteria (ELP level 6). Alternate assessment formats are available for certain students with disabilities.

If you have questions about the annual ELP assessment, please contact the school’s test coordinator, Mariam Suqi, for more information at @email

For more information on WIDA: 

Amharic |Arabic | Chinese | English | Farsi | Korean | Spanish | Urdu | Vietnamese | English Microsoft Word

 

SOL Testing

This spring, students in Virginia high schools will take fewer Standards of Learning (SOL) tests than in the past as a result in changes from the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE). Students who are enrolled in a high school SOL course are now only required to take the SOL test if they need the assessment to fulfill:

  • Federal participation requirements (one SOL test for mathematics, reading, and biology taken during grades 9-12); and/or

  • Content area verified credit requirements for graduation, based on the student’s ninth grade entry year and the diploma type the student is pursuing.

Because your student entered ninth grade for the first time in 2017-18 or prior, an additional change applies to SOL testing this spring. All students who entered high school in 2017-18 or prior are required to earn one (1) “student-selected” verified credit beyond those needed for specific content areas. The number of assessments students have available as options for student-selected tests each year depends on their current course enrollment and what verified credits they have already earned from previous courses. Some students may not have any student-selected tests available for the year. Other students may have one (1), two (2), three (3), or more tests that could fulfill the student-selected verified credit graduation requirement. Please view FCPS website regarding requirement.

SOLs fulfill Verified Credit requirements for Graduation. For details visit FCPS site regarding graduation requirements

PSAT Testing

The PSAT will be offered to Sophomores and Juniors in October of the current school year.

SAT Testing

The College Board and the nonprofit Khan Academy® have teamed up to provide free, personalized SAT study resources for all students. Students who take any test in the SAT Suite of Assessments (SAT, PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT 10, or PSAT 8/9) have access to video lessons and will receive personalized SAT study resources based on their test results. Khan Academy's world-class practice tools are free for all students and include:  

  • Thousands of practice questions, reviewed and approved by the College Board

  • Four official SAT Practice Tests written by the College Board

  • Personalized recommendations for instruction and practice to help students fill their knowledge gaps

SAT Information & Helpful Tips

  • The registration fee for the two SAT and/or two SAT Subject Tests covers the costs of up to three individual SAT Subject Tests taken on a single test day
  • Four additional score reports can be ordered at no charge at any time after registering for the tests.
  • If ordering, Question-and-Answer Service (QAS) or Student Answer Service (SAS), it provides more information about types of questions and how you answered them.
  • $40 discount off the regular price of the official SAT online course when registering online using fee waiver.
  • Students who register for the SAT using a fee waiver can receive up to 4 college application fee waivers electronically with their test results.
  • Students can use fee waiver to register for SAT during the late registration period.

Visit the SAT website for more information

Other Test Resources: