Tips help students, parents ready for SOLs
TERESA MULLINS / Staff Writer
With less than a month of school remaining, Dickenson County students and teachers are gearing up for Standards of Learning testing.
Although each school will set their own testing dates, all testing will be performed between May 12 and May 23.
WHO WILL BE TESTED?
The state mandated tests begin in third grade, and all students between grades three and eight are tested annually in reading and math. Some high school classes also require end-of-course testing.
In addition to reading and math, third, fifth and eighth grade students will be tested in science. Third through seventh grades will be tested in social studies.
High school students will take end-of-course tests in Earth Science, Biology, Chemistry, Algebra I and II, Geometry, World History I and II, World Geography, Virginia and U.S. History and English 11.
The No Child Left Behind Act mandates that students in grades three through eight be tested annually in reading and math, and at least once in high school, according to Mark Mullins, the school division’s testing director.
All high school SOL tests are administered online, a method that seems to be pleasing to both the students and teachers, Mullins said.
In addition, the majority of students in sixth, seventh and eighth grades will test online.
Online testing can also be used to help students who may require audio testing. Using headphones, the students can hear the test questions. Special education students are prepared in advance to use the audio system.
Students in grades three through five still test with pencil and paper. Online testing for middle school grades has increased since last year, and now incorporate grades six, seven and eight.
Elementary schools should send a SOL testing schedule home with students. Parents of elementary school children who have not received a schedule should contact their child’s school, Mullins said.
HELPING YOUR CHILDREN PREPARE
There are a few things parents can do to make the testing process easier for their children, Mullins said.
n Talk to your child about the tests — reassure and encourage them. Let them know you understand that tests can be hard, but taking them provides a chance to show how well he or she can do.
• Avoid bringing up issues you may have with your child the night before the test, such as failing to clean his or her room. Make sure your child is well rested and has a good night’s sleep. Make sure your child has eaten something before taking the test.
Mullins also offers the following test taking strategies for students:
• Read the question carefully.
• Look at the answer choices carefully.
• Eliminate answer choices you know are wrong.
• Skip difficult items and return to them later.
• Be sure you mark the correct space on the answer document that corresponds to the question you are working on.
• Answer all of the questions.
For more information and links to SOL resources, parents and students can access the Dickenson County school system web page at dickenson.k12.va.us or the Department of Education web site at www.pen.k12.va.us.
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