The Standards of Learning (SOL) Innovation Committee was created in the 2014 legislative session. The purpose of the Committee is to provide the Board of Education and General Assembly with suggestions on changes to the SOL assessments, authentic individual student growth measures, alignment between the Standards of Learning and assessment, and ideas on innovative teaching in the classroom.

On November 6, 2014, the Committee voted unanimously to approve a set of 12 interim recommendations. For more information, you can read the Committee’s Executive Summary and full report.

This year, Albemarle County Public Schools students in grades 3-8 will take five fewer SOL tests. This important report published by the SOL Innovation Committee will be used to guide legislation and the Virginia Board of Education to make changes in SOL testing in Virginia. Comprised of teachers, administrators, parents, school board members, business community members, and bi-partisan legislative representatives, the Committee will continue its work for two more years. Many of the proposed changes support our own school board’s objective to use a balanced assessment system to sustain focus on student development of lifelong-learning competencies by graduation.