COMMONWEALTH
OF VIRGINIA
DEPARTMENT
OF EDUCATION
P.O.
BOX 2120
SUPTS. MEMO NO. 245
November 16, 2007
INFORMATIONAL
|
TO: |
Division Superintendents |
|
FROM: |
Billy K. Cannaday, Jr. Superintendent of Public Instruction |
|
SUBJECT: |
State Standards of Learning Writing
and Grades 3 through 8 Testing Schedule for 2008-2009 |
The state testing program schedule for the Standards
of Learning (SOL) Writing tests for the 2008-2009 school year is available on
the Department of Education’s Web site http://www.doe.virginia.gov/VDOE/Assessment/home.shtml.
Please inform all personnel of these testing dates so that other activities may
be scheduled without conflicts. The following
information will assist you in preparing for the coming school year.
The grade 8
and end-of-course (EOC) SOL writing tests for the fall 2008 administration are
scheduled as follows. The
multiple-choice component of the writing tests will be administered on either Monday, October 20, or Tuesday, October 21,
2008. The direct writing component
of the tests must be administered statewide on Wednesday, October 22, 2008.
Students who are absent on the date of the statewide direct writing test
will respond to a different prompt during the make‑up period. Graduating seniors who are eligible for two
opportunities to take the EOC English: Writing test will be given the alternate
prompt on a later date, but not later than November 7, 2008. Answer documents for the writing tests must
be shipped for scoring by November
7, 2008.
The grades 5,
8, and EOC SOL writing tests for the spring 2009 administration are scheduled
as follows. The multiple-choice component of the writing tests will be
administered on either Monday, March 2, or Tuesday, March 3, 2009. The
direct writing component of the tests must be administered statewide on Wednesday, March 4, 2009. Students who are absent on the date of the
statewide writing test will respond to a different prompt during the make-up
period. Graduating seniors who are
eligible for two opportunities to take the EOC English: Writing test will be
given the alternate prompt on a later date, but not later than March 20, 2009. Answer documents for the writing tests must
be shipped for scoring by March 20, 2009.
Pearson and the Virginia Department of Education
will select divisions to administer the alternate prompts for equating purposes
using a multi-year rotation. School
divisions selected as alternate prompt divisions for fall 2008 and those
selected for spring 2009 will be notified under separate cover.
Fall
alternate prompt divisions will be asked to schedule the administration of the
direct writing component for EOC on Thursday,
October 23, 2008. Spring alternate
prompt divisions will be asked to schedule the administration of the direct
writing component for grades 5, 8, and EOC on Thursday, March 5, 2009.
While
school divisions will continue to have flexibility in setting their own testing
windows for EOC testing, superintendents must choose one of the three windows
listed below for division-wide testing in grades 3 through 8. Answer documents
for paper/pencil testing are to be shipped on the last day of the selected
schedule.
The following windows for SOL testing in grades 3 through 8 have been established for spring 2009.
2 May
4 – May 29, 2009
3 May 18 – June 12,
2009
Division Directors of
Testing will be contacted by Pearson to obtain the testing window selected by
the division.
The EOC SOL
writing test for the summer 2009 administration is scheduled as follows. The multiple-choice component of the English:
Writing test will be administered on either Monday, July 13, or Tuesday,
July 14, 2009. The direct writing
component of the EOC English: Writing test must be administered statewide on Wednesday, July 15, 2009. Graduating seniors who are eligible for two
opportunities to take the writing test will be given the alternate prompt on a
later date, but not later than July 24, 2009. Answer documents for the
EOC English: Writing test must be shipped for scoring by July 24, 2009.
Questions
concerning the state testing program schedule should be directed to the Office
of Test Administration, Scoring, and Reporting by e-mail at Student_Assessment@doe.virginia.gov
or by phone at (804) 225-2107.
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