INFORMATIONAL

Attached is the State Testing Program schedule for the 
1999-2000 school year.  Please inform all personnel of 
these testing dates so that other activities can be 
scheduled without conflicts.

LITERACY TESTING PROGRAM (LTP) INFORMATION

Summer 1999 Literacy Passport Test Administration

Information about the Summer 1999 administration was 
conveyed in Superintendent?s Memo. No. 31 and Testing 
Memo. No. 305, dated February 12, 1999.

Fall 1999 Literacy Passport Test Administration

The reading and mathematics tests for the LPT must be 
administered during the period October 4 through October 
12, 1999, to (1) students in the ninth through twelfth 
grades and unclassified students who have not passed one 
or more tests during the previous test opportunities, (2) 
students in the ninth through twelfth grades who 
transferred into Virginia public schools after the 
February 1999 administration and (3) adult education 
students who are pursuing standard or advanced studies 
diplomas.  Local divisions may establish reading and 
mathematics test dates to meet their local needs within 
the stated "window" of October 4 through 12. 

However, the writing test must be initially administered 
one day statewide, Wednesday, October 13, 1999.  
Divisions are expected to schedule a full day of school 
on October 13, 1999, to accommodate this testing.  All 
students will respond to only one writing prompt on fall 
1999 LPT.  This prompt will be the same statewide.  
Students who are absent on the day of the statewide 
writing test will take a different prompt during the 
make-up period.  Make-up testing for all three tests 
(reading, mathematics, and writing) must be completed by 
October 18 so that answer documents may be shipped by 
October 25, 1999.

Adult education program personnel wishing to schedule the 
LPT administration on a single Saturday should plan for 
that to be Saturday, October 16, 1999.  As in previous 
administrations involving adult students, a fee will be 
charged for the test.

Spring 2000 Literacy Passport Test Administration

The reading and mathematics tests for the LPT must be 
administered during the period February 1 through 
February 8, 2000, to (1) students in the ninth through 
twelfth grades and unclassified students who have not 
previously passed one or more tests, (2) students in the 
ninth through twelfth grades who transferred into 
Virginia public schools after the fall 1999 
administration, and (3) adult education students pursuing 
a standard or advanced studies diploma.  School divisions 
may establish reading and mathematics test dates to meet 
their needs within the stated "window" of February 1 
through February 8.  However, the writing test must be 
administered one day statewide, February 9, 2000. 
Divisions are expected to schedule a full day of school 
on February 9, 2000, to accommodate this testing.

Students who are absent on February 9 will respond to a 
different prompt during the make-up period.  Make-up 
testing for all three tests (reading, mathematics, and 
writing) must be completed by February 21 so that answer 
documents can be shipped for scoring by February 24, 
2000.

All students enrolled in Virginia public schools who 
anticipate having sufficient credits to graduate by 
August 31, 2000, who are required to pass the LPT and 
have not yet passed the writing test, will respond to 
both the regular and the make-up prompt.

All adult education students, regardless of whether they 
are slated to graduate in the class of 2000, will respond 
to both prompts in the spring 2000 administration.  All 
other students will respond to only one writing prompt.  
Adult education programs wishing to schedule their LPT 
administration on a single Saturday should plan for that
to be Saturday, February 12, 2000. As in previous administrations 
involving adult students, there will be a fee associated 
with their testing.

Spring 2000 Literacy Passport Test Graduating Senior 
Administration


The Department will follow the same procedure used in spring 1999 
to accommodate students entering Virginia public schools as 
seniors after the spring 2000 administration.  The Department 
will supply divisions with sufficient materials to test these 
students on an as-needed basis.  Request forms for these 
materials will be sent to school divisions in the spring of 2000 
after the spring LPT administration has been completed.

Summer 2000 Literacy Passport Test Administration

Dates for the summer LPT administration are July 17-21, 2000.  
The writing test is to be administered one day statewide, 
Wednesday, July 19, 2000.  Divisions may administer the reading 
and/or the mathematics tests before or after the writing test.  
Students who will be classified as grade 10 or above at the 
beginning of the 2000-01 school year, are eligible to participate 
in the summer 2000 administration.  There is no state requirement 
that these students participate in the summer administration; 
rather, the summer administration is intended to provide an 
additional opportunity to take the LPT for those students who 
choose to participate.  With the exception of adult education 
students, there will be no charge to students choosing to take 
the LPT during the summer administration.  Adult education 
program personnel wishing to schedule this LPT administration on 
a Saturday should plan for that to be Saturday, July 22, 2000.

Students in grades 10-11 will respond to one writing prompt.  
These students will respond to a different prompt as a make-up if 
they are absent on the statewide writing day.  All students who 
(1) have, or anticipate having, sufficient credits to graduate by
August 31, 2000, (2) are required to pass the LPT, and (3) have 
not yet passed the writing test, will respond to both the regular 
and the make-up prompt.  All adult education students, regardless 
of whether they are slated to graduate in the class of 2000, will 
also respond to both prompts in the summer 2000 administration.

Preliminary LPT Testing--Writing and Reading

Administration of the preliminary LPT in reading and writing is a 
local school division option.  For school divisions that choose 
to administer the pre-LPT, the scoring of the fourth-grade 
writing assessment can be performed by locally trained teachers 
or may be contracted at local expense.  Divisions planning to 
score the LPT locally may schedule the writing assessment at 
their convenience.  Divisions contracting for scoring must follow 
the schedule set by the contractor.  School divisions wishing to 
utilize the fourth-grade Degrees of Reading Power? (DRP) as a 
preliminary literacy test in reading at grade 4 must arrange for 
scoring and be prepared to pay for the scoring from local funds. 
The Department will continue to supply divisions with the fourth-
grade DRP booklets.

Directions for administering the grade 4 writing assignment and a 
writing prompt to be used for this assessment will be sent to 
division directors of testing in the early fall along with an 
order form for those who need additional fourth-grade DRP 
booklets.


School Leavers and the LPT

Students in the classes of 1996-2000 who have completed all 
requirements for a high school diploma except for passing the LPT 
(school leavers) may take the test(s) they have not passed in the 
summer 1999, fall 1999, spring 2000, or summer 2000 LPT 
administrations.

VIRGINIA STATE ASSESSMENT PROGRAM (VSAP) INFORMATION

The Stanford Achievement Test, Ninth Edition, Form TA, 
Abbreviated (Stanford 9, TA), will be administered to students in 
grades 4, 6, and 9 and should be scheduled during the period 
September 13 through October 15, 1999.


STANDARDS OF LEARNING (SOL) ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

Summer 1999 SOL Administration

Summer administrations of the SOL test will commence in the 
summer of 1999.  Summer SOL administrations are designed to 
accommodate two groups of students:

1. students enrolled in courses for which there are SOL 
tests; all enrolled students must be tested; and

2. students in the class of 2004 who desire to re-take a 
SOL test previously failed; these students do not have 
to be enrolled in a course to take a test; 
participation by these students is optional.

Fall Semester 1999 SOL Administration

The grade 8 and end-of-course tests will be administered to 
students who will complete the associated grade 8 classes or high 
school courses at the end of the fall semester.  School divisions 
that have no students who will complete grade 8 classes or high 
school courses with SOL tests at the end of the fall semester 
will not participate in the 1999 fall semester SOL 
administration.

SOL English: Writing Tests

Students who will complete grade 8 English or high school English 
courses covering the English Standards of Learning for grades 9-
11 at the end of the fall semester will be administered the 
multiple-choice component of the English: Writing Tests on either 
Monday, October 18 or Tuesday, October 19, 1999. The direct 
writing component of the English: Writing Tests will be 
administered statewide to these students on Wednesday, 
October 20, 1999. Students who are absent on the date of the 
statewide writing test will respond to a different prompt during 
the make-up period. Answer documents for the English: Writing 
Tests must be shipped for scoring by October 29, 1999.

All Other SOL Tests

Testing schedules for other SOL tests will be based on the date 
the school division ends the fall semester. Testing schedules 
will be communicated directly to school divisions at a later 
date.

Spring Semester 2000 SOL Administration

Students in grades 3, 5, and 8 and those enrolled in high school 
courses for which there is an end-of-course SOL test will 
participate in the spring semester SOL administration.

SOL English: Writing Tests

Students in grades 5 and 8 and those students enrolled in high 
school English courses covering the English Standards 
of Learning for grades 9-11 will take the multiple-choice 
component of the English: Writing Tests on either March 6 or 7. 
The direct writing component of the test must be administered 
statewide on Wednesday, March 8. Students who are absent on the 
date of the statewide writing test will respond to a different 
prompt during the make-up period. Answer documents for the 
English: Writing Tests must be shipped for scoring by March 21, 
2000.

All Other SOL Tests

Testing schedules for other SOL tests will be based on the date 
the school division closes school. Testing schedules will be 
communicated directly to school divisions at a later date.

Summer 2000 SOL Administration

Summer SOL administrations are designed to accommodate two groups 
of students:

1. students enrolled in courses for which there are SOL 
tests; all enrolled students must be tested; and

2. students in the class of 2004 who desire to re-take a SOL 
test previously failed; these students do not have to be 
enrolled in a course to take a test; participation by 
these students is optional.



INFORMATIONAL SUPTS. MEMO. 84
April 23, 1999
Page 7



MINIMUM COMPETENCY TEST INFORMATION

The Department of Education will no longer offer the opportunity 
to take the Minimum Competency Test to members of the classes of 
1981 through 1988.  According to Regulatory Superintendent?s 
Memo. No. 20, July 28, 1982, "School leavers may take the current 
tests only as long as the present program is in effect and the 
tests are being administered to regularly enrolled students. If 
or when the competency program is modified, school leavers will 
be expected to meet the standards of the new program." This means 
that students in the classes of 1981-88 who left school without 
receiving a high school diploma will need to pass the Literacy 
Passport Tests, beginning with the 1998-99 school year.


QUESTIONS

Questions concerning the state testing program schedule should be 
directed to the staff of the Divisions of Assessment and 
Reporting at (804) 225-2102.



PDS/CMH/atb

Attachment:     A hard copy of this memo and its attachment 
                Will be sent to the superintendent's office.