Juniors prepare to pass SOL's

    Whether it is reviewing old worksheets, study guides, tests or anything else, students at AHS are preparing for the Standards of Learning at the end of this year. 

    The SOL has not been around forever. It was not until June 1995 that the Virginia Department of Education approved the test. At that time, students in grades K-12 were expected to take an SOL in only English and Science. Six years later, in 2001, the DOE added Mathematics, Science, and Social Science tests.

    There are several reasons why the SOL test was developed. One is that the SOL is a guiding factor in a teacher’s curriculum. Teachers are expected to teach the content that the DOE tests students on.  According to the DOE, once a student completes an SOL and the test is graded, it will show if the student has the essential understanding, skills and knowledge that are identified with the subject. Whatever the results of the student’s test, the student, the teacher and county are all responsible for the result.

    To prepare for his SOL, sophomore Semone Solomon’s says he, “participates in review games at the end of the year.”
It is vital that students prepare themselves as much as they possibly can because if they want to walk on graduation night and receive their diplomas, the student must pass at least six SOL tests for a Standard Diploma and at least nine SOL tests for an Advanced Diploma. “A student should not be able to get a high school diploma if they can not pass the same tests that students all over the state are required to pass.” said Solomon.

    After the make up SOLs in January AHS held its first SOL this month for English 11 students. Testing started March 3 and will continue through March 12. Students were first given a multiple choice section with 44 questions based on writing skills. Following the multiple choice section, students were given the writing prompt.    

    “I think the prompt was kind of lame because I had a hard time answering it directly,” said junior Amanda Krause. She also added that she felt over-prepared because, “on the test I was asked to spell ‘frustration,’ which I knew how to spell in fifth grade in class we spell much harder words.”

    The SOLs grading scale is between 0-600 points. When a student receives a score between 400 and 500 points, that is considered passing proficient but if a student receives a score between 500 and 600 points, that is considered passing advanced.

    “I think the SOL test are easy because I’ve never failed one,” said Krause. “I had so much time to finish [this year] that I fell asleep halfway through and then woke up and finished in enough time.”  sad Krause

    However, there are controversies over whether or not the results of the tests can truly determine if a student has obtained essential knowledge of the content or subject. Solomon has a firm belief that it does actually test your knowledge. “[SOLs] cover all the major things that we have learned in that particular subject.”

    To reassure oneself about passing the tests with flying colors, review the subjects that are most difficult on a daily basis. There are many resources that a student can go to for help. One of the most obvious resources is the students’ very own the AHS website under own text book. Another are online resources that can be found SOL Online Tools. Getting a full night of rest plays a huge factor on a student’s concentration during the SOLs. An average teen needs at least nine hours of sleep the night before to attain his or her highest possible score.

    “I got a good eight hours of sleep” before the English SOL, said Krause.

    An additional way to get instant energy is to eat a large breakfast filled with protein. A good example of a breakfast to eat on test day could include omelets or eggs and bacon with orange juice. A healthier breakfast will take longer to break down so you will be able to concentrate for a much longer time.

    Last year 90.5% of AHS students passed the English writing SOL and an average of 84.3% of students pass the broad spectrum of SOL tests administered at AHS.