Stop Virginia from Making the SOL 10% of EVERY student's final grade!
Stop Virginia from Making the SOL 10% of EVERY student's final grade!
The Issue
In a rare occurrence of agreement between legislators, Virginia passed a bill to make the Standards of Learning (SOL) test worth 10% of Virginia students' final grade. The SOL used to be a valuable assessment of data on teachers and how their students performed, with no effect on students' grades. Students who did not want to be scrutinized could opt-out. Such tests have proven to be paramount in improving education. In terms of graded assessments, students have finals that assess them on what the teacher has taught all year, and APs assessed by the College Board. These tests are already sources of stress for many students, but at least they have a point, with APs determining college credit given by colleges and finals being an accurate determinant of whether students had done what they needed to in class by the class.
The SOL is a test given by the government to assess students' classes. Making the SOL a part of students' final grades grants the Virginia government significant power over education, taking advantage of the disbanding of the Department of Education. These new graded SOLs are a power grab, taking over teachers' classes, increasing pressure on students, and making teachers and students alike more stressed and under government control (that means less freedom). Students who would opt-out of the SOL may end up being given a 0 for 10% of their grade. Teachers are unlikely to stop giving finals, for good reason, as finals are the assessment of what is taught in class. With grade weighting centering around heavy finals and SOLs and some classes having APs as well, students will be under intense duress, furthering the already significant competitiveness and mental health problems in schools.
Please help Virginia's students and teachers out of this situation. Your signature counts.
Image citation: Nikki. (n.d.). What an SOL Test Opt Out Means for You and Your School. Virginia
is for Teachers. Retrieved May 16, 2025, from
https://www.virginiaisforteachers.com/2016/06/
what-sol-test-opt-out-means-for-you-and.html
1
The Issue
In a rare occurrence of agreement between legislators, Virginia passed a bill to make the Standards of Learning (SOL) test worth 10% of Virginia students' final grade. The SOL used to be a valuable assessment of data on teachers and how their students performed, with no effect on students' grades. Students who did not want to be scrutinized could opt-out. Such tests have proven to be paramount in improving education. In terms of graded assessments, students have finals that assess them on what the teacher has taught all year, and APs assessed by the College Board. These tests are already sources of stress for many students, but at least they have a point, with APs determining college credit given by colleges and finals being an accurate determinant of whether students had done what they needed to in class by the class.
The SOL is a test given by the government to assess students' classes. Making the SOL a part of students' final grades grants the Virginia government significant power over education, taking advantage of the disbanding of the Department of Education. These new graded SOLs are a power grab, taking over teachers' classes, increasing pressure on students, and making teachers and students alike more stressed and under government control (that means less freedom). Students who would opt-out of the SOL may end up being given a 0 for 10% of their grade. Teachers are unlikely to stop giving finals, for good reason, as finals are the assessment of what is taught in class. With grade weighting centering around heavy finals and SOLs and some classes having APs as well, students will be under intense duress, furthering the already significant competitiveness and mental health problems in schools.
Please help Virginia's students and teachers out of this situation. Your signature counts.
Image citation: Nikki. (n.d.). What an SOL Test Opt Out Means for You and Your School. Virginia
is for Teachers. Retrieved May 16, 2025, from
https://www.virginiaisforteachers.com/2016/06/
what-sol-test-opt-out-means-for-you-and.html
1
Petition created on May 16, 2025