W-L Testing Office

Washington Liberty strives to provide multiple methods for monitoring and achieving student success. To ensure students have every opportunity to demonstrate the necessary knowledge and skills required for graduation and life outside the classroom, we have a variety of testing programs in place to support our students:

For full descriptions, students and families are encouraged to access our district Office of Assessment webpage.

Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) Exams

The Standards of Learning (SOL) for Virginia Public Schools establish minimum expectations for what students should know and be able to do at the end of each grade or course in English, Mathematics, Science, History, Social Science, and other subjects.SOL tests measure the success of students in meeting the Board of Education’s expectations for learning and achievement. All items on SOL tests are reviewed by Virginia classroom teachers for accuracy and fairness, and teachers also assist the Virginia Board of Education in setting proficiency standards for the tests. (Virginia Department of Education website)Students must earn 5 verified credits to graduate from a Virginia public school in the following subjects:

Math (Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II) All students must sit for their 9th grade math SOL.
Science (Biology, Earth Science, Chemistry) All students that take Biology must sit for the SOL in that course.
History (World History I. World History II, US History, World Geography) Students may pass a Project Based Assessment to earn this credit.
English (Reading and Writing)

SOL testing occurs at various times of the year, but a helpful outline is below:

September- Target number of seniors in need of a verified credit to graduate.
October- Writing SOL for seniors
January- Senior testing non writing SOL exams
March- Writing SOL for students in English 11
April- Seniors attempting to graduate and need a non writing SOL verified credit
May- underclassmen End of Course SOL testing

Study materials for students can be found in the WL Testing Canvas site

PSATs

PSAT testing is available for 10th and 11th grade students and takes place in October. The test is in a digital format and utilizes the Bluebook application, which is found on student laptops. More information on this test can be found on the College Board website and this link.

NWEA

Students in grades 9 and 10, as well as students in literacy courses, will be participating in the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) Reading and Math assessments throughout the 24-25 school year. This is a benchmark assessment that will provide valuable information on how to best support and monitor students’ individual needs. Students will also participate in mid-year and end-of-year NWEA MAP Growth assessments to monitor their progress throughout the year.

To help better understand the NWEA, please check out these Frequently Asked Questions

Work Keys

WorkKeys is an alternative method to obtain verified credit in Reading or Writing. Students must take their Reading and Writing SOLs and receive remediation on these topics before they can qualify for this assessment. WorkKeys is designed to be a challenging examination of a student’s reading and writing abilities. Unlike the SOLs, these tests are timed and accommodations are not the same as a traditional SOL exam.

ACCESS Testing (WIDA)

ACCESS for ELLs is an annual English language proficiency test for students in kindergarten through 12th grade who are identified as English language learners (ELLs). The test is administered by WIDA and is designed to measure students’ English language abilities in the areas of listening, reading, speaking, and writing.

This testing occurs from January- March at Washington Liberty.

WISE Test

The W!SE Financial Literacy Certification Test is a standardized test that measures students’ knowledge of personal finance and economics in Virginia. The test is given to students at the end of a personal finance course and is designed to help students graduate as financially capable young adults. The test is 50 items long and takes 50 minutes to complete.

CTE Workplace Readiness Exam

Virginia secondary (high school) students who are enrolled in or who have completed a state-approved career and technical education course may take the CTECS Workplace Readiness Skills Assessment© to satisfy the industry certification graduation requirement for the Standard Diploma.Workplace readiness skills have been a part of Virginia’s CTE curriculum since 1998, when the first 13 were introduced after research and feedback from employers. Today, there are 22 skills organized around three core areas:

personal qualities and abilities, like creativity, work ethic, and problem solving;
interpersonal skills, like conflict resolution, teamwork, and respect for diversity; and
professional competencies, like information security, professionalism, and career and life management.

Students can demonstrate their knowledge of these competencies — and their preparedness for employment — through the Workplace Readiness Skills for the Commonwealth Assessment, which was developed by the Career and Technical Education Consortium of States (CTECS). The assessment is created in coordination with the Virginia Department of Education Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education. Students who pass the assessment can earn the CTECS WRS Assessment Digital Badge, which proves that the student has passed the exam with a 75% or better score. (source: Virginia’s CTE Center)