Parents of fifth graders

[Anonymous]

There was a pilot last year for some schools last year but for all intents and purposes it’s another pilot (although everybody will take it) this year. VDOE didn’t give ANY sort of specifics to districts until this week regarding rubrics, exemplars, etc, so we had zero idea of what they are going to look for.

We haven’t been prepping them for a one-session on-demand multi-paragraph piece all year. They’ve written memoir, persuasive pieces, etc., but we work through stages of the writing process over days/weeks. Getting kids to score high on this type of writing test requires a very different kind of teaching, and to be honest, lots and lots of drill in on-demand essay writing and very little else. (I taught in another state, and we had this type of test. Those kids could whip out a 5-paragraph expository essay in 45 minutes. They couldn’t write in any other format because our writing instruction was all test prep.)

I know there was formerly a 5th grade writing SOL, but it was replaced with a local writing assessment that we could do over 2 days.

[Anonymous]

This year the writing test will not be included in the reading SOL score and will be reported to parents separately. My interpretation is that this is a throwaway year and next year it will mean something.

[Anonymous]

Direct Link to 5th Grade Reading SOL Blueprint:

https://www.doe.virginia.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/20120/638427343071609123

Source VDOE Website:

https://www.doe.virginia.gov/teaching-learning-assessment/k-12-standards-instruction/english-reading-literacy/standards-of-learning

See February 22's 2024-08 Virginia Education Update Newsletter from Dr. Lisa Koons, Superintendent of Public Instruction (VDOE) for two articles of interest:

"Implementation of the End-of-Course Integrated Reading and Writing Component of the Standards of Learning Reading Test "

and

"Updates to the Understand Scoring Application"

https://www.doe.virginia.gov/about-vdoe/agency-leadership/superintendent
Scroll down to Virginia Education Update Newsletter
Find Articles under #2024-08 Virginia Education Update February 22, 2024

[Anonymous]

My 8th grader has one of these as well. It seems to be in addition to, not in lieu of the reading SOL. The IRW is in April; the other SOLs are all in May.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 8th grader has one of these as well. It seems to be in addition to, not in lieu of the reading SOL. The IRW is in April; the other SOLs are all in May.

Really? I've got a 5th grader and an 8th grader. This is the first I've heard about this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 8th grader has one of these as well. It seems to be in addition to, not in lieu of the reading SOL. The IRW is in April; the other SOLs are all in May.

Really? I've got a 5th grader and an 8th grader. This is the first I've heard about this.

https://www.fcps.edu/student-tests-and-assessments/student-assessment-details/sol-assessments

Our email came out on Feb 22nd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one else knows what you are talking about. Please explain your source of the information.

Not the OP, but it’s in the VDOE website, easy enough to Google

Please just post a link, I was not able to find this by googling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There was a pilot last year for some schools last year but for all intents and purposes it’s another pilot (although everybody will take it) this year. VDOE didn’t give ANY sort of specifics to districts until this week regarding rubrics, exemplars, etc, so we had zero idea of what they are going to look for.

We haven’t been prepping them for a one-session on-demand multi-paragraph piece all year. They’ve written memoir, persuasive pieces, etc., but we work through stages of the writing process over days/weeks. Getting kids to score high on this type of writing test requires a very different kind of teaching, and to be honest, lots and lots of drill in on-demand essay writing and very little else. (I taught in another state, and we had this type of test. Those kids could whip out a 5-paragraph expository essay in 45 minutes. They couldn’t write in any other format because our writing instruction was all test prep.)

I know there was formerly a 5th grade writing SOL, but it was replaced with a local writing assessment that we could do over 2 days.

I wish you would teach them how to write a five paragraph essay instead of just writing stupid stuff on Google slides. The writing instruction is horrendous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There was a pilot last year for some schools last year but for all intents and purposes it’s another pilot (although everybody will take it) this year. VDOE didn’t give ANY sort of specifics to districts until this week regarding rubrics, exemplars, etc, so we had zero idea of what they are going to look for.

We haven’t been prepping them for a one-session on-demand multi-paragraph piece all year. They’ve written memoir, persuasive pieces, etc., but we work through stages of the writing process over days/weeks. Getting kids to score high on this type of writing test requires a very different kind of teaching, and to be honest, lots and lots of drill in on-demand essay writing and very little else. (I taught in another state, and we had this type of test. Those kids could whip out a 5-paragraph expository essay in 45 minutes. They couldn’t write in any other format because our writing instruction was all test prep.)

I know there was formerly a 5th grade writing SOL, but it was replaced with a local writing assessment that we could do over 2 days.

I wish you would teach them how to write a five paragraph essay instead of just writing stupid stuff on Google slides. The writing instruction is horrendous.

+ a million!! Dropping writing from standardized testing was a horrible mistake, and not just in VA. It means students do not get taught to write properly, and this has long term effects. I am a professor and some of my students just cannot organize their thoughts in writing at all. I can only work with them so much when it’s clear they did not get the needed foundation. I credit my own writing ability to the solid foundation I got starting in late elementary. I hate the Google slides assignments my oldest gets. Completely worthless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There was a pilot last year for some schools last year but for all intents and purposes it’s another pilot (although everybody will take it) this year. VDOE didn’t give ANY sort of specifics to districts until this week regarding rubrics, exemplars, etc, so we had zero idea of what they are going to look for.

We haven’t been prepping them for a one-session on-demand multi-paragraph piece all year. They’ve written memoir, persuasive pieces, etc., but we work through stages of the writing process over days/weeks. Getting kids to score high on this type of writing test requires a very different kind of teaching, and to be honest, lots and lots of drill in on-demand essay writing and very little else. (I taught in another state, and we had this type of test. Those kids could whip out a 5-paragraph expository essay in 45 minutes. They couldn’t write in any other format because our writing instruction was all test prep.)

I know there was formerly a 5th grade writing SOL, but it was replaced with a local writing assessment that we could do over 2 days.

I wish you would teach them how to write a five paragraph essay instead of just writing stupid stuff on Google slides. The writing instruction is horrendous.

+ a million!! Dropping writing from standardized testing was a horrible mistake, and not just in VA. It means students do not get taught to write properly, and this has long term effects. I am a professor and some of my students just cannot organize their thoughts in writing at all. I can only work with them so much when it’s clear they did not get the needed foundation. I credit my own writing ability to the solid foundation I got starting in late elementary. I hate the Google slides assignments my oldest gets. Completely worthless.

+1 I have to agree. I used to teach 5th grade when the writing SOL was still given. As much as we hated it, it did force us to start prepping the kids with good solid paragraphs out of the gate and 5 paragraph essays all year long. We did at least one 5 paragraph essay a month. My kids were very well prepared by the time the test rolled around in March. They could get a prompt, come up with 3 supporting reasons, a thesis, and put it all together with an intro, 3 body paragraphs, and a conclusion restating the thesis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There was a pilot last year for some schools last year but for all intents and purposes it’s another pilot (although everybody will take it) this year. VDOE didn’t give ANY sort of specifics to districts until this week regarding rubrics, exemplars, etc, so we had zero idea of what they are going to look for.

We haven’t been prepping them for a one-session on-demand multi-paragraph piece all year. They’ve written memoir, persuasive pieces, etc., but we work through stages of the writing process over days/weeks. Getting kids to score high on this type of writing test requires a very different kind of teaching, and to be honest, lots and lots of drill in on-demand essay writing and very little else. (I taught in another state, and we had this type of test. Those kids could whip out a 5-paragraph expository essay in 45 minutes. They couldn’t write in any other format because our writing instruction was all test prep.)

I know there was formerly a 5th grade writing SOL, but it was replaced with a local writing assessment that we could do over 2 days.

I wish you would teach them how to write a five paragraph essay instead of just writing stupid stuff on Google slides. The writing instruction is horrendous.

+ a million!! Dropping writing from standardized testing was a horrible mistake, and not just in VA. It means students do not get taught to write properly, and this has long term effects. I am a professor and some of my students just cannot organize their thoughts in writing at all. I can only work with them so much when it’s clear they did not get the needed foundation. I credit my own writing ability to the solid foundation I got starting in late elementary. I hate the Google slides assignments my oldest gets. Completely worthless.

+1 I have to agree. I used to teach 5th grade when the writing SOL was still given. As much as we hated it, it did force us to start prepping the kids with good solid paragraphs out of the gate and 5 paragraph essays all year long. We did at least one 5 paragraph essay a month. My kids were very well prepared by the time the test rolled around in March. They could get a prompt, come up with 3 supporting reasons, a thesis, and put it all together with an intro, 3 body paragraphs, and a conclusion restating the thesis.

When my daughter was in fifth grade, I didn’t love all the essay writing for homework, but now she’s a junior in college. This girl can whip out an 1st draft of an essay in about 30 minutes.

[Anonymous]

Meanwhile my current fifth grader would have NO idea how to write a report.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Meanwhile my current fifth grader would have NO idea how to write a report.

+1 same with my 8th grader and he has a writing SOL coming up. I am worried. The teacher has done very little prep.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meanwhile my current fifth grader would have NO idea how to write a report.

+1 same with my 8th grader and he has a writing SOL coming up. I am worried. The teacher has done very little prep.

What are you worried about? I have an 8th grader. If he fails this SOL, oh well. It won't hurt anything.

[Anonymous]

I thought 8th grade always had a writhing SOL??it went away the Covid year(s) but it was back last year. There is also a writing component to a sol in HS .