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How can we insure that minority student are meeting teacher expectations and meeting state SOL's?

As you well know, the Board of Education adopted the Standards of Learning in an effort to raise academic expectations for all students in the public schools of Virginia. The board made it quite clear, in both written and verbal comments, that challenging educational programs should be provided in all our schools and communities. In developing a statewide accountability system, the Board revised the Standards of Accreditation (SOA) to make sure that all schools are held to the same standards for students and for school accreditation regardless of the demographics of their student bodies. As schools and school divisions examine their SOL test data, they are encouraged to break down the data so that they can look more closely at the performance of certain segments of their student population especially if there appears to be gaps in achievement. We will do the same at the state level. If you wish to discuss this matter further, please feel free to contact Jo Lynne DeMary, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction, (804) 225-3252.

Good information! In completion of my doctoral program, one of my research efforts is evaluating SOL preparatory programs, specifically for Prince George County. I am reviewing other programs of preparation offered throughout Virginia and would like very much to receive input from this site. Please include my site as a recipient of
SOL relative information.

If I might be of assistance, please email me.

Thanks,

Robert A. Jones III
nupe1@prodigy.net
(804) 732-2012

Dear Ms. Bowden:

The following is an excerpt from a letter I recently posted under another topic on this discussion forum. I thought it might help to answer your question.

There are schools with high numbers of disadvantaged students that have produced amazing levels of student academic performance.

Let me list three examples where disadvantaged students surpassed the required 70% pass rate on the SOL tests:

1. Barcroft Elementary school in Arlington has a 67% poverty rate and 47% of the students at this school speak a language other than English at home - and yet the fifth graders here earned an 82% passing rate in English and 71% in science.

2. At J.L Francis Elementary School in Richmond, 70% of the students are from low income families – and yet 67% of the fifth graders passed English, and 74% passed science.

3. Fifty-two percent of the children at Crestview Elementary School in Henrico are considered low-income, and one third of the students speak a language other than English at home. In fact, 25 different languages are spoken at this school. But these fifth graders had a 72% pass rate in English, a 71% pass rate in history and science, and a 68% pass rate in math.

All of this information is from an article published in the February 14 edition of the Richmond Times Dispatch, and can be viewed at: www.gatewayva.com/rtd/special/sol/sol14.shtml

In spite of these exciting results, there are still some who believe that certain students will never be able to reach the standards. This pessimism is unfortunate and unnecessary. The enthusiasm at the schools mentioned above, and others, is an amazing thing to see. Students are achieving, and this achievement is the key to bright and promising futures. Doors of opportunity will open to students whose skills are sharp and whose attitudes are positive.

If these schools can do it, then it can be done. There are lessons to be learned from the teachers and administrators of these schools, and we need to congratulate all of the educators who have worked so diligently to produce such positive results, as well as the students and parents who refuse to be held hostage to lower expectations and diminished hopes for the future.

Cheri Pierson Yecke
Deputy Secretary of Education

I was surprised to learn in a phone call to VDOE that information on the content of the various SOL tests - general information as well as sample test questions - was published only in English. The information we received was meant for both students and parents. Given the amount of tax money spent on the information campaign, it would be in the interest of the Commonwealth to offer, at a minimum, Spanish translation versions. ESL students are profoundly disadvantaged when their parents may not be able to understand the SOL program. Who do we have to blame but ourselves when we choose this path? Would you please reconsider this philosophy for the coming school year? Alexandria, Arlington and Fairfax school systems could undoubtedly provide some excellent suggestions about better informing ESL parents. The initial translations of each brochure are a small and worthwhile investment of our tax dollars.

Dear Ms. Lader:

Thank you for writing to us with your concerns that the materials of the Department of Education regarding the SOL program are not written in Spanish. All materials provided by the Department are written in English and not translated into other languages. There is no regulation requiring the provision of materials in a language other than English. Below is a citation from the Code of Virginia related to this:

§ 7.1-42 English designated the official language of the Commonwealth

English shall be designated as the official language of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Except as provided by law, no state agency or local government shall be required to provide and no state agency or local government shall be prohibited from providing any documents, information, literature or other written materials in any language other than English.

As you mentioned, many school divisions with significant populations of students for whom English is a second language translate documents into various languages. Staff members from these localities have been very helpful in providing us with suggestions on appropriate ways to work with these students and we will continue to draw upon their expertise.

Thank you for expressing your concerns about this. As we move through the refinements of the program we will consider them.

If you need further assistance please call Ms. Cameron Harris, assistant superintendent for assessment and reporting, at (804) 225-2102.