Welcome to the Independence Testing Page!
Here you will be able to find the testing calendar, High School remediation schedule, and other information that may be useful to preparing students for testing.
Testing the 2023-2024 School Year
Testing Plans and Calendars are updated on the Calendar page. Testing is mandatory for Graduation and any delay could delay graduation however, please contact your counselor or Ms Ridgeway-Goultrey if your students will not be testing the year.
High School Opt-In Optional Testing
Once you student has met the required verified credits for graduation in a content area, they will not test again in that area. This means that just because a student is in a class that has an SOL, does not mean they will take that SOL if they do not need it for graduation. However, parents can Opt-in their students to take any SOL that the student is enrolled in class for. There are no advantages to opting into additional testing since opt-in SOL tests cannot be used toward exam exemptions and does not affect college/university admissions. If you wish to Opt-in your student please fill in the Opt in Form below and bring it to the school.
High School Testing Calendar
Please use the Calendar link to the left to access the High School Testing Calendar
SOL End-of-Course Family Letter from County
Dear PWCS Family:
The Virginia Board of Education has adopted the Virginia Assessment Program to help track students' academic progress in the Standards of Learning (SOLs). The SOLs indicate Virginia's expectations for what students should know and be able to do in the subject areas of reading, writing, mathematics, science, and history/social science. Each year, students across the Commonwealth of Virginia at different grade levels participate in SOL tests or alternative assessments based on federal law, state regulations, and state graduation requirements.
The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) has notified school divisions that students are expected to participate in SOL testing or alternative assessments during the 2020-21 school year. This presents a unique challenge for PWCS and families of students that are receiving instruction virtually because SOL tests must be administered under secure, standardized testing conditions in the presence of school personnel.
SOL tests that offer students the opportunity to earn verified credit in math, reading, science and social studies are called End-of-Course (EOC) Non-Writing SOL tests. Non-Writing SOL tests will be administered at your student's school between April 26, 2021 and May 21, 2021. Retakes will be offered to eligible students May 26, 2021 through June 4, 2021. Because these tests are an opportunity for students to earn verified credit toward graduation, families are encouraged to allow their students to participate. During testing, all health and safety guidelines related to COVID-19 will be followed, including physical distancing, sanitizing workstations, and wearing a face-covering. Students that are receiving instruction in-person will be tested on days when they are physically present in schools. Families of students that are receiving instruction 100% virtually are asked to coordinate with their school to schedule a time for their student to participate. Please note that, if families elect to exclude their student from testing because of concerns related to COVID-19, then their student's score report will reflect that the test was refused due to COVID19, but there will be no impact on their final grade for the course. Although failure to participate may represent an impediment to a student's ability to earn verified credit toward graduation at this time, there will be additional opportunities for them to test over the summer and next school year.
If you have questions about SOL testing or graduation requirements, please contact your student's school directly.