Permission to retake SOLs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You have to sign the form and turn it in. They seem to have a new requirement to have them on file. I just checked NO and signed. My kids never came close to failing, but even if they did, I wouldn't want them wasting time taking them again.

We never received this form and I'm wondering why. I wouldn't check YES even if we had received it, but apparently we're required to sign and return it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I haven't decided whether to sign it. I've got 3 kids in elementary school who came home with them - 2 of the kids have IEPs and one is a 6th grader that has never passed a math SOL. One of the kids has high level of anxiety, particular test anxiety, and I just don't see the value of him taking it again.

+1
My DD came home saying she "failed" the practice reading SOL they took on Friday, and now she's super-anxious about taking the real one next week (5th grade). I've been looking at last year's SOL online to get an idea of the questions, and some of them are almost like trick questions where there could be two plausible correct answers, but they're only looking for one. It seems like it's not straightforward at all and they almost look for ways to trip the kids up. Now I'm getting overly anxious about her SOLs. Hate this time of year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have to sign the form and turn it in. They seem to have a new requirement to have them on file. I just checked NO and signed. My kids never came close to failing, but even if they did, I wouldn't want them wasting time taking them again.

We never received this form and I'm wondering why. I wouldn't check YES even if we had received it, but apparently we're required to sign and return it?

The school where I work hasn't sent any home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven't decided whether to sign it. I've got 3 kids in elementary school who came home with them - 2 of the kids have IEPs and one is a 6th grader that has never passed a math SOL. One of the kids has high level of anxiety, particular test anxiety, and I just don't see the value of him taking it again.

+1
My DD came home saying she "failed" the practice reading SOL they took on Friday, and now she's super-anxious about taking the real one next week (5th grade). I've been looking at last year's SOL online to get an idea of the questions, and some of them are almost like trick questions where there could be two plausible correct answers, but they're only looking for one. It seems like it's not straightforward at all and they almost look for ways to trip the kids up. Now I'm getting overly anxious about her SOLs. Hate this time of year.

That's the increased "rigor".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven't decided whether to sign it. I've got 3 kids in elementary school who came home with them - 2 of the kids have IEPs and one is a 6th grader that has never passed a math SOL. One of the kids has high level of anxiety, particular test anxiety, and I just don't see the value of him taking it again.

+1
My DD came home saying she "failed" the practice reading SOL they took on Friday, and now she's super-anxious about taking the real one next week (5th grade). I've been looking at last year's SOL online to get an idea of the questions, and some of them are almost like trick questions where there could be two plausible correct answers, but they're only looking for one. It seems like it's not straightforward at all and they almost look for ways to trip the kids up. Now I'm getting overly anxious about her SOLs. Hate this time of year.

That's the increased "rigor".

Ugh - they've mistaken "rigor" for complete and unnecessary uncertainty.

[Anonymous]

Why do they need these forms signed by everyone prior to testing even occuring?

Why not send these forms home after testing and contact only the narrow group of students this applies to?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why do they need these forms signed by everyone prior to testing even occuring?

Why not send these forms home after testing and contact only the narrow group of students this applies to?

They are on an EXTREMELY tight schedule to complete the retakes. From what my admin has told me, it takes up to 7 days after the list of names is submitted for an alternate version of the test to be assigned to the student (why it takes so long, I have no idea--that's a question for Richmond). The SOL window for the state ends exactly 7 days from the last SOL given at my school (and this is after moving testing up 3 days to accommodate the retakes).

The school is trying to cover their bases so that if Larla falls in the retake window, they don't have to play phone tag for 2 days trying to get parental consent, and then miss the deadline.

I am a teacher, and I am turning the form back in refusing the retake. It does not benefit my child in any way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why do they need these forms signed by everyone prior to testing even occuring?

Why not send these forms home after testing and contact only the narrow group of students this applies to?

Probably so they can get the forms in a timely manner and log in the responses. The makeup dates are probably very close to the when the test is originally administered. It also avoids everyone knowing who fails based on which kids get a form sent home. Waiting for the weekly folder may not be quick enough if, for example, the test is administered on a Thursday and the folders are sent home on Wednesdays. It also gives schools time to harass parents who don't return them in a timely manner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do they need these forms signed by everyone prior to testing even occuring?

Why not send these forms home after testing and contact only the narrow group of students this applies to?

They are on an EXTREMELY tight schedule to complete the retakes. From what my admin has told me, it takes up to 7 days after the list of names is submitted for an alternate version of the test to be assigned to the student (why it takes so long, I have no idea--that's a question for Richmond). The SOL window for the state ends exactly 7 days from the last SOL given at my school (and this is after moving testing up 3 days to accommodate the retakes).

The school is trying to cover their bases so that if Larla falls in the retake window, they don't have to play phone tag for 2 days trying to get parental consent, and then miss the deadline.

I am a teacher, and I am turning the form back in refusing the retake. It does not benefit my child in any way.

I'm so glad to hear from a teacher regarding this issue. I am completely stressed out for my child to take the SOLs - she's anxious every night about it and scared to death for the actual day of testing since she failed two SOLs last year. She's an average/above avg. student and gets all 3s and 4s on her report card - we didn't understand why she failed the SOLs until we took a good look at the released versions online. Then it all became clear. The questions are ridiculously confusing, and as a PP noted, many have more than one probable answer. So how do the kids know which answer to choose? It's absurd. The math was so far above what she had actually been taught in class (by an ineffective teacher) that we wondered how she was supposed to do well. Even now, right before SOLs start, her math class is cramming in new material that they hadn't previously learned. How on earth are they supposed to remember material they spend about one day covering? I seriously lay awake at night worrying about this. I feel terrible for my daughter, who is now calling herself "dumb". I'm giving serious thought to homeschooling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do they need these forms signed by everyone prior to testing even occuring?

Why not send these forms home after testing and contact only the narrow group of students this applies to?

They are on an EXTREMELY tight schedule to complete the retakes. From what my admin has told me, it takes up to 7 days after the list of names is submitted for an alternate version of the test to be assigned to the student (why it takes so long, I have no idea--that's a question for Richmond). The SOL window for the state ends exactly 7 days from the last SOL given at my school (and this is after moving testing up 3 days to accommodate the retakes).

The school is trying to cover their bases so that if Larla falls in the retake window, they don't have to play phone tag for 2 days trying to get parental consent, and then miss the deadline.

I am a teacher, and I am turning the form back in refusing the retake. It does not benefit my child in any way.

I'm so glad to hear from a teacher regarding this issue. I am completely stressed out for my child to take the SOLs - she's anxious every night about it and scared to death for the actual day of testing since she failed two SOLs last year. She's an average/above avg. student and gets all 3s and 4s on her report card - we didn't understand why she failed the SOLs until we took a good look at the released versions online. Then it all became clear. The questions are ridiculously confusing, and as a PP noted, many have more than one probable answer. So how do the kids know which answer to choose? It's absurd. The math was so far above what she had actually been taught in class (by an ineffective teacher) that we wondered how she was supposed to do well. Even now, right before SOLs start, her math class is cramming in new material that they hadn't previously learned. How on earth are they supposed to remember material they spend about one day covering? I seriously lay awake at night worrying about this. I feel terrible for my daughter, who is now calling herself "dumb". I'm giving serious thought to homeschooling.

Email this to your state legislators.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have to sign the form and turn it in. They seem to have a new requirement to have them on file. I just checked NO and signed. My kids never came close to failing, but even if they did, I wouldn't want them wasting time taking them again.

We never received this form and I'm wondering why. I wouldn't check YES even if we had received it, but apparently we're required to sign and return it?

The school where I work hasn't sent any home.

Our current principal is obsessed with SOLs, having gone so far as to cut out most of the enriching educational activities that teachers and students had loved, because "they take away time from preparing for SOLs." You'd better believe we're pressured to get every signature on those forms ahead of time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do they need these forms signed by everyone prior to testing even occuring?

Why not send these forms home after testing and contact only the narrow group of students this applies to?

They are on an EXTREMELY tight schedule to complete the retakes. From what my admin has told me, it takes up to 7 days after the list of names is submitted for an alternate version of the test to be assigned to the student (why it takes so long, I have no idea--that's a question for Richmond). The SOL window for the state ends exactly 7 days from the last SOL given at my school (and this is after moving testing up 3 days to accommodate the retakes).

The school is trying to cover their bases so that if Larla falls in the retake window, they don't have to play phone tag for 2 days trying to get parental consent, and then miss the deadline.

I am a teacher, and I am turning the form back in refusing the retake. It does not benefit my child in any way.

I'm so glad to hear from a teacher regarding this issue. I am completely stressed out for my child to take the SOLs - she's anxious every night about it and scared to death for the actual day of testing since she failed two SOLs last year. She's an average/above avg. student and gets all 3s and 4s on her report card - we didn't understand why she failed the SOLs until we took a good look at the released versions online. Then it all became clear. The questions are ridiculously confusing, and as a PP noted, many have more than one probable answer. So how do the kids know which answer to choose? It's absurd. The math was so far above what she had actually been taught in class (by an ineffective teacher) that we wondered how she was supposed to do well. Even now, right before SOLs start, her math class is cramming in new material that they hadn't previously learned. How on earth are they supposed to remember material they spend about one day covering? I seriously lay awake at night worrying about this. I feel terrible for my daughter, who is now calling herself "dumb". I'm giving serious thought to homeschooling.

NP. What grade is your DD in? If it's elementary, I really would just tell her they don't matter, and what's on her report card is really what counts. Being stressed won't help. Just tell her not to worry or opt her out if you think is causing too much damage to her self esteem.