Virginia Growth Assessment

[Anonymous]

Did your child take the assessment? When will the results be shared? If they take as long as the SOL results to be shared, doesn’t that make the entire process sort of moot?

[Anonymous]

As soon as the VDOE tells the schools what the scores mean. They're moving away from the traditional 0-600 scale and moving to something different. The assessment will be administered twice this year and in future years three times (with the SOL being the third). The scores should increase each time. They're looking for growth every year rather than a set "pass/fail" score.

[Anonymous]

I hope this will replace the iReady, then, because it sounds similar and that would be a lot of testing!

[Anonymous]

But what's the point of this assessment if we don't get the results? Personally I want to address holes in my child's education and was hoping this would help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As soon as the VDOE tells the schools what the scores mean. They're moving away from the traditional 0-600 scale and moving to something different. The assessment will be administered twice this year and in future years three times (with the SOL being the third). The scores should increase each time. They're looking for growth every year rather than a set "pass/fail" score.

Twice this year? 3 times next year? Really? Hope they get rid of the iReady tests then! On the days that my ES kid took the 4 tests (iReady+VGA), the rest of the day after finishing the tests was spent on busywork and ST Math while waiting for all the kids to finish their tests. 4 days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As soon as the VDOE tells the schools what the scores mean. They're moving away from the traditional 0-600 scale and moving to something different. The assessment will be administered twice this year and in future years three times (with the SOL being the third). The scores should increase each time. They're looking for growth every year rather than a set "pass/fail" score.

Twice this year? 3 times next year? Really? Hope they get rid of the iReady tests then! On the days that my ES kid took the 4 tests (iReady+VGA), the rest of the day after finishing the tests was spent on busywork and ST Math while waiting for all the kids to finish their tests. 4 days.

PP above. I just realized that the SOL is the second test for this year. I still hope they get rid of the iReady tests. Are the VGA tests adaptive?

[Anonymous]

Yeah I've been wondering if we will still make students take iReady if there is now VGA. That's 12 days dedicated to testing at the lower grades that don't have SOL testing. Coupled with the O days that's a month of no actual teaching going on. How are the kids supposed to learn anything if there are constantly days where nothing can be taught and then a test on what these kids haven't had a chance to learn.

[Anonymous]

When will parents get the results?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When will parents get the results?

My teacher said end of October/ beginning of November for results. They have to test all the kids who missed one of the test days. My child missed the LA Test and they have yet to reschedule her to take it.

[Anonymous]

Fox Mill lost power during one of the VGA days so the kids need to take it again.

[Anonymous]

This amount of testing is insane.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yeah I've been wondering if we will still make students take iReady if there is now VGA. That's 12 days dedicated to testing at the lower grades that don't have SOL testing. Coupled with the O days that's a month of no actual teaching going on. How are the kids supposed to learn anything if there are constantly days where nothing can be taught and then a test on what these kids haven't had a chance to learn.

Yes its already October and no reading groups assigned yet in third grade. How many different ways are they accessing reading? DRA, VGA, Iready, just pick one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah I've been wondering if we will still make students take iReady if there is now VGA. That's 12 days dedicated to testing at the lower grades that don't have SOL testing. Coupled with the O days that's a month of no actual teaching going on. How are the kids supposed to learn anything if there are constantly days where nothing can be taught and then a test on what these kids haven't had a chance to learn.

Yes its already October and no reading groups assigned yet in third grade. How many different ways are they accessing reading? DRA, VGA, Iready, just pick one.

I know they are spending so much time assessing and no time teaching. They already lost 1.3 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This amount of testing is insane.

That's true but unfortunately, the primary way in which I have been able to get an IEP for my child with slow processing speed and ADHD (lots of executive functioning deficits) is show that she fails or tests below grade level on all these tests. Otherwise, the school makes a cause that her slow process speed and executive functioning deficits do not have an academic impact. They are not supposed to wait until the child fails but sadly, that seems to be the criteria to be eligible for help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This amount of testing is insane.

That's true but unfortunately, the primary way in which I have been able to get an IEP for my child with slow processing speed and ADHD (lots of executive functioning deficits) is show that she fails or tests below grade level on all these tests. Otherwise, the school makes a cause that her slow process speed and executive functioning deficits do not have an academic impact. They are not supposed to wait until the child fails but sadly, that seems to be the criteria to be eligible for help.

+1, I also hate the testing but like you said this data is really looked at when I need to put up a kid for MTSS or evaluate for an IEP. They just won’t take my 20 years of teaching experience and copies of work on its own.