INFORMATIONAL
 

TO:	Division Superintendents
FROM:	Jo Lynne DeMary Superintendent of Public Instruction
SUBJECT:	State Testing Schedule for 2001-2002

Attached is the State Testing Program schedule for the 2001-2002 school year. Please inform all personnel of these testing dates so that other activities can be scheduled without conflicts.
 
 

Summer 2001 Literacy Passport Test Administration

Dates for the summer LPT administration are July 16-20, 2001. The writing test is to be administered one day statewide on Wednesday, July 18, 2001. Divisions may administer the reading and/or the mathematics tests before or after the writing test. Students who will be classified as grade 11 students or above at the beginning of the 2001-2002 school year and students entering the ninth grade in 1999-2000 who have been retained are eligible to participate in the summer 2001 administration. There is no state requirement that these students participate in the summer 2001 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 done on Saturday, July 21, 2001.

Fall 2001 Literacy Passport Test Administration

The reading and mathematics tests for the LPT must be administered during the period October 1 through October 9, 2001, to (1) students in the eleventh and twelfth grades and unclassified students who have not passed one or more tests during the previous test opportunities, (2) students who entered the ninth grade in 1999-2000 and who have been retained, (3) students in the eleventh and twelfth grades who transferred into Virginia public schools after the February 2001 administration, and (4) adult education students who are pursuing standard or advanced studies diplomas. Local divisions may establish reading and mathematics test dates to meet their needs within the "window" of October 1 through 9.

The writing test must be administered one day statewide on Wednesday, October 10, 2001. Divisions are expected to schedule a full day of school on October 10, 2001, to assure that all students have sufficient time to finish the test. All students will respond to only one writing prompt on the fall 2001 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 19 so that answer documents may be shipped by October 26, 2001.

Adult education program personnel wishing to schedule the LPT administration on a single Saturday should plan for that to be done on Saturday, October 13, 2001. As in previous administrations involving adult students, a fee will be charged for the test.

Spring 2002 Literacy Passport Test Administration

The reading and mathematics tests for the LPT must be administered during the period from February 4 through February 12, 2002, to (1) students in the eleventh and twelfth grades and unclassified students who have not previously passed one or more tests, (2) students who entered the ninth grade in 1999-2000 and who have been retained, (3) students in the eleventh and twelfth grades who transferred into Virginia public schools after the fall 2001 administration, and (4) 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 "window" of February 4 through February 12. However, the writing test must be administered one day statewide on February 13, 2002. Divisions are expected to schedule a full day of school on February 13, 2002, to assure that all students have sufficient time to finish the test.

Students who are absent on February 13 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 20 so that answer documents can be shipped for scoring by February 28, 2002.

All students enrolled in Virginia public schools who anticipate having sufficient credits to graduate by August 31, 2002, 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 prompts.

All adult education students, regardless of whether they are scheduled to graduate in the class of 2002, will respond to both prompts in the spring 2002 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 16, 2002. As in previous administrations involving adult students, there will be a fee associated with their testing.

Spring 2002 Literacy Passport Test Graduating Senior Administration

The Department of Education will follow the same procedure used in the spring of 2001 to accommodate students entering Virginia public schools as seniors after the spring 2002 administration. The department will supply divisions with sufficient materials to test these students as needed. Request forms for these materials will be sent to school divisions in the spring of 2002 after the spring LPT administration has been completed.

Summer 2002 Literacy Passport Test Administration

Dates for the summer LPT administration are July 15-19, 2002. The writing test is to be administered one day statewide on Wednesday, July 17, 2002. Divisions may administer the reading and/or the mathematics tests before or after the writing test. Students who will be classified as grade 12 or above at the beginning of the 2002-2003 school year and students entering the ninth grade in 1999-2000 who have been retained are eligible to participate in the summer 2002 administration. There is no state requirement that these students participate in the summer 2002 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 done on Saturday, July 20, 2002.

All students who (1) have, or anticipate having, sufficient credits to graduate by August 31, 2002, (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 prompts. All adult education students, regardless of whether they are scheduled to graduate in the class of 2002, will also respond to both prompts in the summer 2002 administration. All other students will respond to only one writing prompt.

School Leavers and the LPT

Students in the classes of 1996-2002 who have completed all requirements for a high school diploma except passing the LPT (school leavers) may take the test or tests they have not passed in the summer of 2001, fall 2001, spring 2002, or summer 2002 LPT administrations.
 
 

The Stanford Achievement Test, Ninth Edition, Form TA, Abbreviated (Stanford 9, TA), will be administered to all students in grades 4, 6, and 9 and should be scheduled during the period from September 17 through October 15, 2001. Answer documents must be shipped for scoring by October 26, 2001.
 
 

Summer 2001 SOL Administration

Summer SOL administrations are designed to accommodate the following groups of students:

1. students enrolled in courses for which there are SOL tests; all enrolled students must be tested unless they have previously passed the SOL test.
2. students in the class of 2004 or beyond who desire to retake a SOL end-of-course test they failed and need an additional opportunity to retake the test to earn verified credit; these students do not have to be enrolled in a summer school course to take a test; participation by these students is optional.
3. students who have failed an end-of-course mathematics test (Algebra I, Geometry, or Algebra II) and who are enrolled in a remediation recovery program.
4. students who have met the criteria for expedited retakes following the spring 2001 SOL test administration. These students must:

1. need the test for verified credit,
2. have passed the course associated with the test, and fall into one of the following categories:

• failed the test by a narrow margin, or

• failed the test by any margin and have extenuating circumstances that would warrant retesting, or

• did not sit for the regularly scheduled test for legitimate reasons.

Fall Semester 2001 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. The following groups of students may also take the SOL tests.

1. students in the class of 2004 and beyond who want to retake an SOL end-of-course test that they failed. These students do not have to be enrolled in a course to take a test. Their participation is optional
2. special education students in grade 9 or 10 for the 2001-2002 school year who are pursuing a modified standard diploma may take the grade 8 Mathematics or English: Reading/Literature and Research test to meet the literacy and numeracy requirements for this diploma.
3. students who have participated in remediation recovery programs may retake the SOL tests as follows:

• grade 9 students may retake the grade 8 English: Reading/Literature and Research test and/or mathematics test

• high school students who have failed an end-of-course mathematics test may retake the failed test.

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 2002 SOL Administration

The spring SOL administrations are designed to accommodate several groups of students:

1. 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.
2. students in the class of 2004 and beyond who want to retake an SOL end-of-course test that they previously failed. These students do not have to be enrolled in a course to take a test. Their participation is optional.
3. special education students in grades 9-11 for the 2002-2003 school year who are pursuing a modified standard diploma may take the grade 8 Mathematics or English: Reading/Literature and Research test to meet the literacy and numeracy requirements for this diploma.
4. students who have participated in remediation recovery programs may retake the SOL tests as follows:

• grade 4 students may retake the grade 3 English test (reading and writing subtests) and mathematics test

• grade 6 students may retake the grade 5 English: Reading/Literature and Research test and/or mathematics test

• grade 9 students may retake the grade 8 English: Reading/Literature and Research test and/or mathematics test

• high school students who have failed an end-of-course mathematics test may retake the failed test.

The SOL English: Writing tests for the spring 2002 administration are scheduled as follows. The multiple-choice component of the English: Writing tests will be administered on either March 4 or 5. The direct writing component of the test must be administered statewide on Wednesday, March 6. 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 20, 2002.

All Other SOL Tests

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

Summer 2002 SOL Administration

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

1. students enrolled in courses for which there are SOL tests; all enrolled students must be tested unless they have previously passed the SOL test.
2. students in the class of 2004 or beyond who desire to retake an SOL end-of-course test previously failed and need an additional opportunity to retake the test to earn verified credit; these students do not have to be enrolled in a summer school course to take a test; participation by these students is optional.
3. students who have failed an end-of-course mathematics test (Algebra I, Geometry, or Algebra II) and who are enrolled in a remediation recovery program.
4. students who have met the criteria for expedited retakes following the spring 2001 SOL test administration. These students must:

1. need the test for verified credit,
2. have passed the course associated with the test, and fall into one of the following categories:

• failed the test by a narrow margin, or

• failed the test by any margin and have extenuating circumstances that would warrant retesting, or

• did not sit for the regularly scheduled test for legitimate reasons.

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

JLD/CMH/aw

Attachment

/administrators/superintendents_memos/2001/inf080a.pdf