Virginia Administrative Code › Title 8 - EDUCATION › Agency 20 - STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION › Chapter 131 - REGULATIONS ESTABLISHING STANDARDS FOR ACCREDITING PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN VIRGINIA › Part III - Student Achievement › Section 8VAC20-131-30 - Student achievement expectations

Current through Register Vol. 40, No. 24, July 15, 2024
A. Each student should learn the relevant
				  grade level/course subject matter before promotion to the next grade. The
				  division superintendent shall certify to the Department of Education that the
				  division's promotion and retention policy does not exclude students from
				  membership in a grade, or participation in a course, in which SOL tests are to
				  be administered. Each school shall have a process, as appropriate, to identify
				  and recommend strategies to address the learning, behavior, communication, or
				  development of individual children who are having difficulty in the educational
				  setting.
B. In kindergarten through
				  eighth grade, where the administration of Virginia Assessment Program tests are
				  required by the board, each student shall be expected to take the tests
				  following instruction. Students who are accelerated shall take the test aligned
				  with the highest grade level, following instruction in the content. No student
				  shall take more than one test in any content area in each year, except in the
				  case of expedited retakes as provided for in this section. Schools shall use
				  the Virginia Assessment Program test results in kindergarten through eighth
				  grade as part of a set of multiple criteria for determining the promotion or
				  retention of students. Students promoted to high school from eighth grade
				  should have attained basic mastery of the Standards of Learning in English,
				  history and social science, mathematics, and science and should be prepared for
				  high school work. Students shall not be required to retake the Virginia
				  Assessment Program tests unless they are retained in grade and have not
				  previously passed the related tests.
The board shall provide the same criteria for eligibility
					 for an expedited retake of any SOL test, with the exception of the writing SOL
					 tests, to each student regardless of grade level or course.
C. In kindergarten through grade 12, students
				  may participate in a remediation recovery program as established by the board
				  in English (reading) or mathematics or both.
D. The board recommends that students in
				  kindergarten through grade 8 not be required to attend summer school or weekend
				  remediation classes solely based on failing a SOL test in science or history
				  and social science. However, any student who fails to achieve a passing score
				  on all Standard of Learning assessments for the relevant grade level in grades
				  3 through 8 shall be required to attend a remediation program or to participate
				  in another form of remediation. Further, any student who fails an end-of-course
				  test required for the award of a verified unit of credit shall be required to
				  attend a remediation program or to participate in another form of
				  remediation.
E. Each student in
				  middle and secondary schools shall take all applicable end-of-course SOL tests
				  following course instruction. The division superintendent shall certify to the
				  Department of Education that the division's policy for dropping courses ensures
				  that students' course schedules are not changed to avoid end-of-course SOL
				  tests. Students who achieve a passing score on an end-of-course SOL test shall
				  be awarded a verified unit of credit in that course in accordance with the
				  provisions of
				  8VAC20-131-110. Students may earn
				  verified units of credit in any courses for which end-of-course SOL tests are
				  available. Students shall not be required to take an end-of-course SOL test in
				  an academic subject after they have earned the number of verified credits
				  required for that academic content area for graduation, unless such test is
				  necessary in order for the school to meet federal accountability requirements.
				  Middle and secondary schools may consider the student's end-of-course SOL test
				  score in determining the student's final course grade. However, no student who
				  has failed an end-of-course SOL test but passed the related course shall be
				  prevented from taking any other course in a content area and from taking the
				  applicable end-of-course SOL test. The board may approve additional tests to
				  verify student achievement in accordance with guidelines adopted for verified
				  units of credit described in
				  8VAC20-131-110.
F. Participation in the Virginia Assessment
				  Program by students with disabilities shall be prescribed by provisions of
				  their Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 Plan. All students with
				  disabilities shall be assessed with appropriate accommodations and alternate
				  assessments where necessary.
G. Any
				  student identified as an English Learner (EL) shall participate in the Virginia
				  Assessment Program. A school-based committee shall convene and make
				  determinations regarding the participation level of EL students in the Virginia
				  Assessment Program. In kindergarten through eighth grade, EL students may be
				  granted a one-time exemption from SOL testing in the areas of writing and
				  history and social science.
H.
				  Students identified as foreign exchange students taking courses for credit
				  shall be required to take the relevant Virginia Assessment Program tests, as
				  specified in subsection E of this section. Foreign exchange students who are
				  auditing courses are not eligible for academic credit for those courses and
				  shall not be required to take the SOL tests for those courses.
Statutory Authority: §§
												22.1-16 and
						22.1-253.13:3 of the Code of
						Virginia.