The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) requires school divisions to give a special Integrated Reading/Writing (IRW) Field Test in spring 2023. Divisions must offer this field test to all students who are scheduled to take an online Standards of Learning (SOL) Reading test for grade 5, grade 8, or end-of-course (EOC) this spring. 

The field test at our school is scheduled for Wednesday, April 17, 2024 & Thursday, April 18, 2024 through Middle School Civics classes. We will have a modified bell schedule on this day (see below). The field test will consist of one non-fiction reading passage followed by a series of multiple-choice/technology-enhanced questions and an “invitation to write” based on the passage. IRW Field Test outcomes are solely for use by the VDOE and will not be reported. Divisions and families will not receive any information about how students perform on the field test. 

The IRW field test is available in an online format only. Therefore, students with medical needs, disabilities, or testing accommodations that require a special test format (e.g., Audio, Paper, Braille Test, Large-Print Test) will not participate in this field test. Term graduates (students in Grade 12) will not participate. Additionally, parents/guardians may choose for their students not to participate. The decision to not participate will have no impact on the student’s academic record. Parents/guardians who wish to refuse participation for their student should contact the MS STC or HS AC (see below).

If you have any questions about the IRW field test, please contact our MS school test coordinator Kim Longworth (@email) or HS assessment coach Gina Lee (@email). 

Additional information from the county about the IRW field test (including FAQ) can be found online at https://www.fcps.edu/node/47193.

MS Non-Writing SOL Testing

Across Virginia, middle school students take Standards of Learning (SOL) Grade Level and End-of-Course (EOC) tests.

All SOL tests are taken in-person at school.  Our staff will schedule specific SOL testing dates for your student.

For the Spring 2024 Non-Writing SOL window, most students will test on April 29 (Reading SOLs), May 9 (Science SOLs), and May 14 (Math SOLs). There will be a modified bell schedule on those days.

• State law requires students to verify credit for high school courses to fulfill graduation requirements for a standard or advanced studies diploma. For additional information regarding graduation requirements see the Graduation Requirements and Course Planning webpage (https://www.fcps.edu/academics/graduation-requirements-and-course-planning). SOL tests are the most common way students earn the verified credits they need. SOL tests are designed to measure what students have learned of the content and skills detailed in the Virginia Standards of Learning. 
• Additionally, federal law requires schools to offer students one SOL test in reading, mathematics, and science while they are in grades 9-12. The tests provide information about student achievement to the parent, school, school division, and state.
• Scores are available for families in ParentVUE no later than the start of the next school year. 
• Students are reminded that they should be regularly restarting their FCPSOn laptops at school while connected to the network to make sure their devices are updated and ready for testing. Please take your device to the Tech Office (E108) if you are having difficulty. A testing device will be provided only for students whose families have opted them out of the FCPSOn program.