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Virginia Alternate Assessment Program

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Overview

The Virginia Alternate Assessment Program (VAAP) is designed to evaluate the performance of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities in Grades 3-8 and high school. 

The VAAP assessments are based on academic content standards derived from the Standards of Learning in reading, mathematics, and science which have been reduced in depth, breadth, and complexity through a process called “essentialization”. These content standards are referred to as the Virginia Essentialized Standards of Learning (VESOL). As the Virginia Standards of Learning are updated, new VESOL are revised to reflect the changes in these standards.

The VESOL in mathematics and reading were updated following the Board of Education approval and adoption of the 2023 Mathematics Standards of Learning and the 2024 English Standards of Learning. Currently, the VESOL in science remain the same.

The 2021 VESOL in reading, mathematics, and science will be used to provide classroom instruction during the 2025-2026 school year. The VAAP tests will assess students in these standards during the spring 2026 test administration. During the 2026-2027 school year, students will be instructed and assessed in science using the 2021 VESOL and in reading and mathematics using the 2025 VESOL.

  • 2021 Virginia Essentialized Standards of Learning (reading, mathematics, and science) (PDF)
  • 2025 Mathematics Virginia Essentialized Standards of Learning (Word, PDF)
  • 2025 Reading Virginia Essentialized Standards of Learning (Word, PDF)

To assist with the transition in instruction and assessment during 2025-2026 and 2026-2027, instructional crosswalk documents were created for mathematics and reading. These crosswalk documents are posted on the Teacher Resources and Training web page, which is accessed using the button below.

Introductory Recording for 2025 Mathematics and Reading VESOL 

  • Overview of the 2025 Virginia Essentialized Standards of Learning - This webinar recording provides details regarding the revisions to the mathematics and reading instructional standards. 

Parent Resources for VAAP

VAAP Test Administration Materials

  • Spring 2026 Test Implementation Manual (PDF) - The Test Implementation Manual describes procedures that the Division Director of Testing (DDOT) and School Test Coordinator (STC) should follow before, during, and after test administration. This manual will include a section about the VAAP test administration in addition to sections about Standards of Learning test administrations.
  • VAAP 2025-2026 Examiner’s Manual (PDF) - The Examiner’s Manual contains the information, guidance, procedures, and responsibilities that the Test Examiners and Proctors are required to follow to administer the VAAP tests.
  • VAAP Test Plan Template (Word)

VAAP Test Blueprints

Much like the blueprint for a building, a test blueprint serves as a guide for test construction. The blueprint indicates the content areas that will be addressed by the test and the number of items that will be included by content area and for the test as a whole. The blueprints provided below pertain to the VAAP assessments based on the 2021 VESOL. New blueprints will be developed and posted for the VAAP assessments in reading and mathematics based on the 2025 VESOL during the 2026-2027 school year.

Reading

Mathematics

Science

VAAP Performance Level Descriptors

The performance level descriptors (PLD) for the VAAP tests convey the knowledge and skills associated with each performance (achievement) level. The PLD indicates the content-area knowledge and skills that students achieving at a certain level are expected to demonstrate based upon the VESOL. These descriptors may guide educators and parents in understanding the type of student performance required for each achievement level. The PLD for each grade and content area provided below pertain to the VAAP assessments based on the 2021 VESOL. New PLD will be developed and posted for the VAAP assessments in reading and mathematics based on the 2025 VESOL during the 2026-2027 school year.

Reading

Mathematics

Science

Resources for Assessing History and Writing

For eligible elementary and middle school students participating in VAAP, school divisions will collect student work to compile collections of evidence, score the collections of evidence using the existing VAAP scoring rubric and addendum, and report student performance to parents in elementary and middle school history/social science and grade 8 writing. The collections of evidence are to be based on the Aligned Standards of Learning (ASOL) for these content areas and levels. The ASOL are the content standards in history/social science and writing that have been reduced in depth, breadth, and complexity. Resources for assessing history/social science and writing are provided below:

Local Alternative Assessment for Students with the Most Significant Cognitive Disabilities

Superintendent’s Memo #216-14, dated August 15, 2014, details the requirements that local school divisions administer local alternative assessments to students in content previously assessed by Standards of Learning assessments. In the case of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities, these content areas were assessed by the VAAP. When the state assessments (SOL tests and VAAP assessments) were eliminated, school divisions became responsible for administering local alternative assessments in these content areas.

School divisions may choose to base the local alternative assessments for students with significant cognitive disabilities on the existing ASOL. These ASOL are provided below for use by school divisions if desired:

VAAP One Percent Waiver

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires states to ensure that the total number of students assessed in each subject using the alternate assessment based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAAS) does not exceed one percent of the total number of all students in the state who were assessed. States that anticipate exceeding one percent in alternate assessment participation may submit a waiver request to the United States Department of Education 90 days before the beginning of the alternate assessment testing window. In addition, ESSA requires each school division to submit a justification when it anticipates testing more than one percent of students using the AA-AAAS. In Virginia, the AA-AAAS is known as the Virginia Alternate Assessment Program.

School divisions' justification statements to exceed one percent participation in the VAAP are available upon request by email at spedinstruction@doe.virginia.gov.