More parents opting out of SOL tests
Update: This article has been updated to reflect a correction in information. The article stated that every opt-out counts as a failure for the school division. The Department of Education no longer counts parent refusals as failures.
Ever since Standards of Learning tests were introduced in Virginia in 1995, there have been strong opinions on whether the tests are helpful or hurtful, especially when it comes to public schools' youngest testers — third, fourth and fifth graders. But there is one aspect of the tests that still remains largely unspoken about.
Despite the polarizing opinions on the topic, many parents still don't know that they have options. For students in elementary and middle school, parents can choose to opt their children out of taking any or all SOL tests with no consequence to the students' academic standing or whether they advance to the next grade level. SOL tests don't start having consequences until high school when students must pass a certain number of tests in order to graduate.
Many parents are still in the dark about opt-ing out, which is known as "parent refusal" by the Department of Education, but the movement is catching on in Virginia and slowly in the Valley. The Virginia Department of Education didn't begin tracking opt-outs on SOL tests until the 2013-2014 school year. Across the state there were only 681 SOL tests opted out of by students and parents. That number grew in 2014-2015 to 2,154.
The state Department of Education has not released numbers for the 2015-2016 school year yet.
Locally, the numbers have mostly grown as well, but by smaller increments compared with Northern Virginia and the Richmond areas. Last year 23 Staunton students were opted out of SOL tests, up from three in 2013-2014. Waynesboro opt-outs went down, from 27 in 2013-2014 to 17 the next year. Augusta County has the lowest number of opt-outs in the area, with only 11 during the 2014-2015 school year.
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The process for opting out of SOL tests is easier than most parents know. A parent just needs to write a letter to the school saying their child will not be taking SOL tests and the school has to honor that.
And given the increase in rigor of SOL tests and the pressure it puts on students to perform well, parents are making the choice more often.
"I refused to have my son retested when he didn't pass an SOL," said parent Allison Dawn on Facebook. "The school started retesting him anyway, then called to try to get my permission."
Dawn said that even at the high school level, where SOLs are required, the emphasis on scores over what students are actually learning is misguided.
"If they get a 'B' in class but test poorly on the SOL, they'll fail and it will affect graduation? That doesn't make sense to me," she said.
Other parents say that SOL tests are just another part of the public school experience.
"My step-daughter took her SOL's last year with no problems. She mastered all but one," said parent Kimberley Brown. "She studied for her tests and we taught her how not to stress about the tests. I do not see an issue but as for the higher grades, my oldest always took her and did great as well."
