VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Changes are coming for the Virginia Standard of Learning (SOL) tests, and the move is getting mixed reactions. Beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, SOL tests will count for 10% of the final grade for students in grades 7 through 12. Currently, these assessments do not impact student grades. Parents, including Harley Columbus-Boyd of Virginia Beach, are expressing concerns about this significant change. Her 7th grade daughter has ADHD and has an Individualized Education Program (IEP) designed for those with unique learning needs. The mother said the expectations have changed over the years. “It almost seems they’re prepping the entire school year for a test that didn’t count, but now it’s going to count 10% of their grade, and I’m like, ‘Ya’ll are doing a lot of back and forth, shuffle, shuffle.’” She added, “I’m not saying it’s an easy problem to solve, but I don’t think making it 10% of their grade is going to make them more likely to actually want to try and do it.” The shift to incorporate SOL scores into final grades is part of a bipartisan effort aimed at improving test results across the Commonwealth. In addition to the grading change, adjustments will include the introduction of a 100-point scoring system, replacing the current 600-point system. Also, the SOLs will be administered during the final two weeks of the school year, rather than over a span of 5 to 6 weeks. According to the Virginia Department of Education, SOL tests measure students' success in meeting the Board of Education’s expectations for learning and achievement. Heather Sipe is the president of the Virginia Beach Education Association. She has mixed feelings about the changes, but isn’t a fan of having 10% of the SOL score go toward the student’s final grade in that class. Sipe stated, “It’s a standardized test, and we don’t have standardized students. We are taught to differentiate to our students needs and throughout the entire year to offer different learning experiences… Many of us give free response in ways that the kids can actually show what they know outside of straight multiple choice or standardized type tests.” Online, some parents expressed concerns about opting out and retakes. Sipe said she’s glad teachers have time to decipher the changes and inform students. “It’s going to take us the summer to digest and process, and then that’s when we’ll probably really get the thoughts and feelings of the impact of this,” she said. Christy McAnally is a former Virginia Beach City Public Schools teacher, now working in North Carolina schools. She sent News 3 the following statement. “Not every student is a good test taker, and there are other ways students show mastery of the standards. It would penalize those students to attach SOL scores to their grade. Re-testing students just places added stress on children who were feeling anxious to the SOL to begin with. In my opinion, teachers feel the pressure and end up teaching to the test. We need to do away with all this unnecessary testing, especially for elementary children.” "I see both sides on this issue. While I wish we could go back to traditional exams as measures of student knowledge--will school leaders actually enforce these? If we are going to have SOLs, then maybe they should actually mean something. Right now, it seems the system is flawed with requiring students to retake tests to memorize the material so the school gets credit. It seems the new model will at least prohibit or severely limit retakes and possibly take up less instructional time. I do like the scoring change to 100." For more information on the legislation, click here .
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