Performance Tasks and Local Alternative Assessments

News & Announcements

Using State-Developed Performance Tasks to Verify Credits in History and Social Science

Please visit the Assessment Resources section of the History and Social Science Instruction web page for resources to be used in school divisions exercising the option to use state-developed performance tasks, in conjunction with local assessments, to confer locally awarded verified credits in history and social science. 

Using Local Performance Assessments to Verify Credits in Writing

Please visit the English, Reading, & Literacy Assessment Resources: Local Performance Assessments to Verify Credit in Writing for support materials to be used in school divisions exercising the option to use local performance assessments to verify credits in writing.

Local Alternative Assessments

The 2014 Virginia General Assembly eliminated Standards of Learning (SOL) assessments in Grade 3 History, Grade 3 Science, Grade 5 Writing, United States History to 1865, and United States History: 1865 to the Present. Additionally, the General Assembly’s action required local school divisions to continue to teach the content and to measure student achievement with local alternative assessments, including authentic performance assessments. School divisions must certify annually that they have provided instruction and administered an alternative assessment, consistent with Virginia Board of Education guidelines, to students in grades and subject areas that no longer have a corresponding SOL test.

Current guidance for continued implementation of local alternative assessments, approved by the Virginia Board of Education on July 27, 2023, is provided in the Guidelines for Local Alternative Assessments: 2023-2024 and Beyond. These guidelines recommend that school divisions use the integrated reading and writing component, which will be administered to all students as part of the Grade 5 SOL Reading test beginning in spring 2024, to fulfill the requirement that school divisions administer local alternative assessments for Grade 5 Writing. School divisions are to continue using the common rubrics, linked below in each content-specific section, when scoring student responses to performance tasks included among the local alternative assessments in these courses. Continued use of the Virginia Quality Criteria Tool for Performance Assessments is also encouraged.

Balanced Assessment Plans

School divisions are required to develop Balanced Assessment Plans for the content areas and courses requiring local alternative assessments. Implementation Support for Balanced Assessment Plans (Attachment B, Superintendent's Memo #214-21) clarifies the requirements for these plans and offers suggestions for consideration when developing these plans.

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Content-Specific Information and Resources

English: Writing

Grade 5 Writing

Beginning in spring 2024, all students participating in the Grade 5 Reading SOL test will be administered an integrated reading and writing component. Please note that it is not permitted to administer local alternative assessments for Grade 5 Writing in lieu of the Grade 5 Reading SOL test integrated reading and writing component.

Supports for Grade 5 Writing include:

• Grade 5 Writing (Word) –  Rubrics aligned to the 2017 and 2024 English SOL for use during instruction. 
• Upper Elementary Writing Scoring Rubrics (Word) - Scoring rubrics aligned to the 2017 and 2024 English SOL to be used when scoring local alternative assessments. (Note: This document was previously named “Grade 5 Writing Scoring Rubric.” The name has been changed but other information in the document remains the same.) Beginning in spring 2024, this rubric will be used to score writing responses for the Grade 5 Reading SOL test integrated reading and writing component.
• Menu of Grade 5 Writing Options (Word) - Sample tasks aligned to the 2017 and 2024 English SOL for use by school divisions when creating local alternative assessments.
• Understand Scoring - Available for use during local training for focused holistic scoring. This online application provides information about scoring the integrated reading and writing component of the Reading SOL assessments, which can be used to meet requirements for local alternative assessments in Grade 5 Writing. Scoring rubrics and anchor papers that illustrate each score point for Composing/Written Expression and Usage and Mechanics domains are provided to assist teachers in preparing students for Virginia's writing assessments.
• Understand Scoring Presentation- PowerPoint presentation that may be used by divisions to assist with local training for scoring using Virginia's writing rubrics (August 2024).

End-of-Course Writing

Support materials for the use of local performance assessments to verify credit in writing can be found on the English, Reading, & Literacy Assessment Resources web page for Local Performance Assessments to Verify Credit in Writing.

History and Social Science

The resources provided are for use with the 2015 History and Social Science SOL.  Visit the Assessment Resources web page for History & Social Science for additional  resources, including those for school divisions using state-developed performance tasks to verify credits in history and social science.

Grade 3 History, U.S. History to 1865, and U.S. History: 1865 to the Present

Local alternative assessments, including performance tasks, are to be administered in place of the eliminated SOL tests. A Balanced Assessment Plan is required. Appropriate testing conditions for the administration of local alternative assessments in Grade 3 History are determined by the local school division. Supports for these content courses include:

• Common rubrics: The common rubrics for history and social science are not grade or course specific. School divisions have the opportunity and autonomy to select the common rubric that best suits the needs of their students when scoring local alternative assessments in Grade 3. Common rubrics aligned to the 2015 History and Social Science SOL include:
  • HSS State Developed Common Rubric-Early Elementary (2020) (Word)
  • HSS State Developed Common Rubric-Upper Elementary (2020) (Word)
  • HSS State Developed Common Rubric-Middle School (2020) (Word)
• History and Social Science Scoring Supports (PPT) - These slides from the webinar hosted on March 31, 2021, by the VDOE Office of Assessment and Office of Humanities provide an overview of resources to support scoring performance tasks using the state common rubrics.

End-of-Course History and Social Science Courses

• Support materials for school divisions using state-developed performance tasks in conjunction with other local assessments to confer locally awarded verified credits in high school courses eligible for verified credit are located on the History and Social Science Instruction web page for Assessment Resources.

Science

The resources provided are aligned to the 2018 Science SOL. Visit the Performance Assessment section of the Science Assessment Resources web page for additional resources, including common rubrics for Scientific Investigation (K-2, 6-8, and 9-12) and sample performance assessments for Grade 6 (Meaningful Watershed Education Experience) and Chemistry (Stoichiometry).

Grade 3 Science

Local alternative assessments, including performance tasks, are to be administered in place of the eliminated SOL test. A Balanced Assessment Plan is required. Appropriate testing conditions for the administration of local alternative assessments in Grade 3 Science are determined by the local school division. Supports for Grade 3 Science aligned to the 2018 Science SOL include:

• Common rubrics
  • Science Investigation Common Rubric (Grades 3-5) (Word) 
  • Design Challenge Common Rubric (Grades 3-5) (Word)
  • Sample Scientific Investigation Student Rubric (Grades 3-5)(Word)
  • Teacher Guide to Using the Grade 3-5 Scientific Investigation Rubric (Word)
• Sample Third Grade Performance Assessments
  • Lemonade Stand (Word)
  • Simple Machines (Word)
  • Soil Investigation (Word)

Resources from VDOE for Any Content Area

• Assessment Inventory Tool (Word) – Sample tool for use by schools and school divisions. Use of this Assessment Inventory tool is not required; however, schools and school divisions are encouraged to use an assessment review process to support the development of Balanced Assessment Plans.
• Assessment Literacy Glossary (Word) – A list of terms and definitions related to Local Alternative Assessments (updated January 2025).
• Local Alternative Assessment Desk Review Form (Word)– Form to be completed and submitted by school divisions selected for desk review of the local alternative assessments in one or more content areas (revised February 2024).
• Local Alternative Assessments: Desk Reviews for 2023, Moving Forward in 2023-2024 - Presentation slides (PPT) and YouTube recording, from the webinar recorded in December 2023.
• Local Alternative Assessments and Balanced Assessment Plans in 2022-2023 and Beyond - The presentation slides (PPT) and YouTube recording, from the webinar recorded on October 24, 2022, share results and findings from desk reviews conducted in 2021-2022 and recommendations for 2022-2023 and beyond.
• Local Alternative Assessments: Reporting to Parents and Reminders for Scoring (PPT) - Provides expectations and examples for reporting a student's results on local alternative assessments to parents and reminders for scoring local performance tasks (February 2021).
• Overview of Balanced Assessment Plans (Superintendent's Memo 181-19-A) (Word) – Provides guidance and considerations to assist school divisions as they develop Balanced Assessment Plans. School divisions should also reference the Implementation Support for Balanced Assessment Plans (Superintendent's Memo 214-21B) (Word) in the Balanced Assessment Plan section above for additional clarification in 2021-2022 and beyond.
• Performance Task Development Cycle (PDF) – A flow chart for the development of performance tasks.
• Principles of Scoring Student Work (Word) – Principles of Scoring Student Work was authored by Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning, & Equity (SCALE). This document provides guidance for using a rubric to score performance tasks and performance assessments.    
• Virginia Quality Criteria Tool for Performance Assessments (Word) – Details a set of criteria for the development of performance tasks that measure the application of content knowledge and skills (updated June 2019).

Professional Development

• Supporting Instruction and Deeper Learning through Balanced Assessment – Preliminary conference materials from sessions offered in May and June of 2019.