Raise your hand if you got "the call" about SOLs
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Anonymous
Um, NO. The reading and math tests take about 4-6 hours total, divided between two days. But they are not time-limited, so a student could take longer. -- Elementary teacher |
Anonymous
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Here is my advice for elementary school-aged kids and parents:
Ask your child if he/she wants to retake them. If you think it would be a valuable growth experience for your child, and the child is interested in it, let him or her go for it. But don't put too much stock in one test. If he/she doesn't want to, don't force them. It's not worth the stress or anguish. Make it very clear to them, in your words and actions, that you love them and are proud of your kids regardless of any test score. - a teacher |
Anonymous
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Plug for springhill in FCPS with Vanderhye as principal
Our DC seemed to be doing great. School did preliminary testing for SOLs and then offered extra help to children before school for a couple months before the SOL tests. It was outstanding. Our DC would get an extra hour help in a subject for extended time, and then she did fine on all the SOLs I thought it was outstanding that a school would be able to give extra help to children that needed it. |
Anonymous
I agree. Each child is different. All of my students complete their tests under two hours, but for the child that takes that long he/she realizes that everyone else is finished. I spoke with a parent of a child that didn't pass. She was concerned that agreeing to a second retake would further frustrate her child. I said it was ultimately up to her, but if my own child didn't pass I wouldn't have her retake it. |
Anonymous
| Not in a million years would I have an elementary-school-aged child take a retest. It does the child no good. |
Anonymous
In what world? I'm a teacher. I've sat for 6 hours with kids taking the test. It's not common, but it happens. 1 hour is also not common. More typical is 2 hours, maybe 3. A lot of time is spent reading directions and getting everything ready, and so on. |
Anonymous
I teach 4th grade and honestly I have never had a student take 5-6 hours. So far this year for math and reading they have ranged from 25 minutes to just under 2 hours. |
Anonymous
My child has the math SOL today and is extremely worried about it. I told him to take as long as he wants. He can take all day if he needs to. |
Anonymous
| lol . . . no way!!! I didn't even allow my 3rd grader to take them in the first place. He's got 3s and 4s on his report card, I assume that means he's on track for his grade. |
Anonymous
| Opt Out and be done with the stress. Why put your 8 yo through these developmentally inappropriate tests in the first place? Parents can Opt Out and support teaching not teaching-to-the-test. |
Anonymous
| We got the call for 1 SOL last year. Didn't have her retake and didn't tell her about it until later in the summer. She actually failed both SOLs, but has all 3s and 4s in school, so I'm not worried. Wouldn't even bother me if she failed all of them this year. We help her with homework and prepare for regular tests, which she always does well on. She just doesn't test well on the SOLs. We will likely opt out for 5th and 6th grade |
Anonymous
| My child has never passed any of them but we have him tested for the practice and normalness of being with others. I'm sure he failed again this year as well. He doesn't know and I think that's the right thing for him. Retake? I wouldn't if the opportunity presented itself. The class grades will have to be validated in high school but we have some time. If your child is making 3s and 4s in a non modified curriculum but failing the SOLs, I'd have some questions and demands of the teacher and admin. I can explain what's going on with my son. Make sure you can with your child as well. Opt out of you like just protect those little feelings and confidence. |
Anonymous
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I look at it this way -- if my kid has been struggling in a particular subject and fails the SOL, the kid needs more instruction, not more testing. If my kid has gotten good grades in the subject and fails the test, I would find out if a lot of other kids also failed. This would indicate there is an issue with the instruction. I would get my kid a tutor to make up for the deficit in instruction.
Fix the problem. Don't just make the kid keep taking the test. |
Anonymous
| OP here. Yeah, I would only want a re-take if I hear DD didn't try and had an attitude, which is not like her. We don't opt out because it's practice for dealing with the eternity of testing and I heard if they don't pass, they get help. She is now getting some pull out help. |
Anonymous
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It seems like it's not a high bar to get 50% of the questions right (which is what you have to do to pass). If my child is not special needs and can't get 50% right, that is a problem that needs to be addressed. I think blaming the test for being "inappropriate" is misguided. You can hide your head in the sand or take the fail as notice that something is not right.
I'd think a child who gets more than half of the questions wrong is probably frustrated at the questions as well.... like he/she probably IS lost. Better to get that kid's confidence up by actually getting them up to speed rather than hiding the truth from them and giving them false confidence. Competence is the basis for real confidence. Maybe retesting right away isn't going to help -- although if they are close to the passing score, I think it would be a good lesson for them to see that just a little more effort pays off in a passing score. I am not a big fan of SOLs, but there is some value in knowing that you met some standard of competence. Don't blame the test -- use it to inform you of your child's needs. |