Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction James Lane said last month that the focus of Standards of Learning testing this spring should be on collecting data to identify the academic needs of students and inform local and state efforts to help students recover from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Lane said that performance data from spring SOL testing will play a critical role as schools design instructional and remedial programs to help students catch up after a year of school closures and extended periods of virtual instruction. He said when schools review test results this spring and summer their focus should be on student needs, and not on accreditation or teacher evaluation.

Lane waived state accreditation for 2021-2022 last year. However, the U.S. Department of Education is still requiring states to administer federally required reading, mathematics and science tests this spring.

In carrying out the federal mandate, the Virginia Department of Education is taking advantage of the flexibility offered by the federal agency to protect the health of students and staff, and minimize stress during testing.

For example, the VDOE extended the spring SOL testing windows to allow for additional instruction before students take the assessments. The extended windows also provide additional flexibility for schools as they administer the tests, which students must take in-person within secure school settings.

In addition, the state Board of Education is allowing school divisions to administer local assessments in place of SOL tests in writing and history that are not required by federal law.

The testing window for spring SOLs is May 17 to June 16 for Gloucester County Public Schools.