Elementary and Middle School State Assessments - Parent Notification

Understand the state assessments that students in grades 3-8 will take this school year

State and federal law require school divisions to test students in the core academic content areas of reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies. The assessments used to fulfill this requirement look differently based on the grade level and content area. This webpage provides the letter notifying families about the state assessments for students take at each grade level 3-8.

Standards of Learning (SOL) assessments in reading, math, and science.
Virginia Growth Assessments (VGA) in reading and math.
Local Alternative Assessments (LAA) in social studies.

Note: This notification letter for grade 3-8 state assessments was revised in October 2023 to reflect changes communicated from the Virginia Department of Education.

Full Text LETTER: Grade 3-8 State Assessment Notification of Testing (Top of Printed Letter)

Full Text of Letter (Grades 3-8)

The following provides content from the division's state assessment notification of testing and SOL retest permission form for families of students in grades 3-8. Links to printable PDF translations are also included below.

NOTIFICATION OF TESTING AND RETEST PERMISSION FORM

UPDATE OCTOBER 2023 - State Assessments, Grades 3-8

Dear Parents and Guardians:

State assessments measure the extent to which students have learned the content and skills reflected in state standards and may also be used to measure growth in learning state standards. The format and timing of state assessments vary by grade level and content area, as noted in the table below. These include:

Fall and winter Virginia Growth Assessments (VGA) standardized tests in reading and mathematics. More information is available on the VGA webpage (https://www.fcps.edu/node/43932);
Spring Standards of Learning (SOL) standardized tests in reading, mathematics, and science. For certain grade levels, the reading SOL tests includes an integrated reading/writing (IRW) component. More information is available on the SOL assessments webpage (https://www.fcps.edu/node/35021);
Ongoing local alternative assessments (LAAs) including performance-based assessments (PBAs) completed as part of classroom instruction in science, and social studies; More information is available on the LAA and PBA webpage (https://www.fcps.edu/node/45043).

Grade	VGA Content Areas Tested (Fall and Winter)	SOL Content Areas Tested (Spring)	LAA Content Areas Tested (Ongoing)
3	Reading, Mathematics	Reading, Mathematics	Science, Social Studies
4	Reading, Mathematics	Reading, Mathematics	Social Studies
5	Reading, Mathematics	Science, Reading with IRW, Mathematics	Not applicable
6	Reading, Mathematics*	Reading, Mathematics	Social Studies
7	Reading, Mathematics*	Reading, Mathematics	Social Studies
8	Reading, Mathematics*	Science, Reading with IRW, Mathematics	Social Studies

* VGA tests are not available for students enrolled in a high school credit-bearing math course, such as Algebra 1.

The Grade Level Tests webpage (https://www.fcps.edu/student-assessment/grade-level-tests) provides information by grade level about the general assessment schedule and reporting method for each required assessment type in Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS). School staff will contact you with the specific dates your student is scheduled to take the standardized VGA and SOL assessments. If you have questions about state assessments, contact your student’s teacher or the school test coordinator.

Full Text FORM: SOL Permission to Retest Form (Bottom of Printed Letter)

SOL Parent/Guardian Permission to Retest Form

The Virginia Board of Education allows elementary and middle school students who fail their spring Standards of Learning (SOL) tests by a narrow margin to retake the test before the end of the school year. Retesting is available when a student fails their first SOL attempt with a score of 375-399. (A score of 400 is considered passing for SOL tests.) Note that retests are not offered for fall or winter Virginia Growth Assessment (VGA) tests or for the integrated reading/writing (IRW) component of the grade 5 and grade 8 SOL reading tests.

Parent/guardian permission is required for the school to retest any student in grades 3-8. If you believe that your student would benefit from a second opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and skills on the spring SOL test, please complete this permission form and return it to the school. A decision not to allow retesting will not impact your student’s course grade or academic record.

Directions: Return this permission form to your student’s teacher or the school test coordinator no later than ________________________. A form must be returned for each student in grades 3-8.

Student’s Name _____________ FCPS ID #_____ Grade Level _____

Parent’s/Guardian’s Name (Printed) ___________________________

Parent’s/Guardian’s Signature ___________________ Date __________

_____ No, do not retest my student if their spring SOL score is between 375 and 399. I understand that this decision will not impact my student’s course grade or academic record.

_____ Yes, provide my student with the opportunity to retake any spring SOL tests if they score between 375 and 399.

_____ Yes, provide my student with the opportunity to retake only the following spring SOL tests if they score between 375 and 399 (see table above for the available SOL content areas at the student’s grade level):

___________________________________________________________