Information for Families about Testing & Assessments

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) section 1112(e)(2) requires school divisions to make available to parents in a clear and accessible manner information about testing policies and practices within the state and school division. Tests are a part of the teaching and learning cycle. They provide information about a child's development of knowledge and skills that can help parents and teachers better plan for next steps in instruction. Starting in late May, caregivers receive reports for assessments their students completed during the spring. 

How Can Families Prepare for Assessments

You can help students perform their best with these actions. Schools set dates for each assessment and communicate schedules to students and families. It is important that students attend school on these dates. If you become aware of a conflict that could result in your student missing a test, please notify your student’s school as soon as possible.

• Remind your student to get a good night’s rest 
• Remind your student to have a healthy breakfast 
• Avoid scheduling appointments that would take your student out of school on a testing day

Purpose of Spring Assessments

As we approach the end of the school year, students will be participating in spring assessments based on their grade level and courses. A list of assessments for each grade level provides the spring dates for required tests. Spring assessments may come in many formats.

• Summative assessments like Standards of Learning (SOL), Advanced Placement (AP), and International Baccalaureate (IB) exams measure how students have learned content and skills from coursework.
• Progress assessments like Virginia Language and Literacy Screening System (VALLSS), Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program (VKRP), iReady, and Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) measure improvements in grade-level skills since the fall.
• Performance assessments allow students to demonstrate strengths and competencies, such as Portrait of a Graduate (POG) or Career and Technical Education (CTE).
• Classroom assessments are part of ongoing teaching and learning. Teachers may assign culminating projects or final exams for certain subjects or courses. 

How Are Test Results Reported to Families

Test scores are delivered in different ways, according to the assessment. In addition to the summary of reporting methods below, the webpages for each assessment have more details about what scores mean and how they are reported.  

Religious and Cultural Considerations for Assessments 

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is home to students, families, and staff from hundreds of cultures and dozens of religions, many of which have special days of observance throughout the year. A few of these days impacting a large portion of the FCPS community are recognized as Religious/Cultural Observance Days in the standard school year calendar. For other observance days that are not designated in the FCPS calendar, families and schools work together for students to successfully participate in schoolwork and activities.

School Board policy prohibits schools and teachers from giving tests, quizzes, or other assessments on a designated Religious/Cultural Observance Day. If a student is scheduled to take a required assessment on the day following a Religious/Cultural Observance Day, school staff must communicate the test schedule at least seven (7) calendar days in advance.

Other Observances Not Included in the FCPS Calendar

With the hundreds of cultures and dozens of religions represented in the FCPS community, it is certain that some observance days important to students and families are not included in the FCPS school year calendar. Sometimes, these additional observance days may coincide with scheduled tests for a student's grade level. In these cases, schools and families often need to work together to determine if schedule adjustments are needed and, if so, how best to meet students' needs, given testing guidelines and available school resources. Examples of adjustments that may be appropriate in some cases include:

• Arranging an alternative or make-up testing date if the student will need to be out of school on the scheduled date;
• When an observance involves fasting, scheduling test sessions in the morning when energy levels are likely to be highest.

When an observance is not on the FCPS calendar, parents and guardians are encouraged to:

1. Review the division testing dates for required assessments at each student's current grade level.
2. Contact school staff to let them know about any religious or cultural observance students will be observing this year that are within the division testing windows.
3. Talk with school staff about the specific schedule planned for each student's tests as the testing window approaches. Keep in mind schools may not have the full details until a few weeks before testing begins.
4. Share any concerns about each student's observance impacting test performance and work with school staff to determine the best option to address the student's needs. 

Right to Refuse Assessments

Parents and guardians have the option to refuse participation for their students in formal, standardized assessments within Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) .

Policies Related to Test Participation and Refusal

Policies and impacts differ by the source of the testing requirement.

State-Required Assessments

State and local assessment expectations impact opportunities to refuse testing. 

• Virginia regulations do not include what is sometimes referred to as an "opt out policy" for state assessments. However, state law allows parents and guardians to refuse SOL and VAAP testing for their children. FCPS provides a process for schools to use when caregivers wish to refuse these state assessments. Schools use this process to make sure caregivers understand what refusal means for the student, including any potential impact for on-time graduation. 
• Federal law does not provide for parents and guardians to "opt out" or "refuse" English language proficiency assessments, including WIDA ACCESS. However, parents and guardians may choose to decline participation for their children. FCPS provides a process for schools to use when caregivers wish to decline participation for these federal assessments. Schools use this process to make sure caregivers understand what declining participation means for the student. 

1. Standards of Learning (SOL) or Virginia Alternate Assessment Program (VAAP): According to the Code of Virginia, the state assessments are required for:
   • All students in grades 3-8 for all tested subjects at the grade level;
   • All high school students taking a course with an associated test and needing the test for federal participation or verified credit to graduate.  
2. WIDA ACCESS for ELLs 2.0: All multilingual learners in Virginia are expected to take the WIDA or another approved English language proficiency assessment. 

Division-Required Assessments

FCPS students are also expected to take certain standardized tests to provide schools with information for planning appropriate, high-quality learning experiences. Like with state assessments, parents and guardians may refuse division-required standardized testing for their children. Contact the child's school for additional information about refusal.

1. Screening, Growth, and Diagnostic Assessments: These tests are used for students in grades PreK-12 for reading, mathematics, and social-emotional learning skills. Some screening and growth tests fulfill state reporting requirements for the division. Examples of screening, growth, and diagnostic tests include the Virginia Language and Literacy Screening System (VALLSS), iReady tests, Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Growth tests, Cognitive Abiliities Test (CogAT), and Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener survey.
2. Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT): This test provides information to support course planning and student access to postsecondary education. 

Classroom Assessments

Other assessments are embedded as part of daily learning in the classroom. Refusal is not available for assessments that are embedded in the curriculum. This includes:

• Local alternative assessments used place of SOL tests in some grade levels
• Performance assessments used for locally awarded verified in some high school social studies courses
• Systemwide common assessments, such as unit assessments, used to monitor learning of content standards
• Quizzes and exit tickets designed by the teacher to check for understanding

What Caregivers Should Know Before Refusing a Test

A parent or guardian should consider the following important points before deciding to refuse any test:

• If the student is in high school, refusing certain SOL tests could impact on-time graduation. Virginia requires verified credits to earn a standard or advanced studies diploma, and SOL tests are the most common way credits are verified. 
• Refusing a SOL Reading test in grade 5, grade 8, or high school automatically includes refusal of the integrated reading and writing (IRW) component.
• Certain division-mandated tests (such as iReady, IAAT, CogAT, MAP Growth, etc.) are used to help a school identify appropriate placement for the student in advanced academic, enrichment, intervention, and other programs. While no single test is used in isolation to make such decisions, in some cases when the student does not test, his or her appropriate placement could be temporarily delayed.
• If a student does not test, the school will not have academic data from the assessment to inform plans for their classroom instruction and will rely on information from other assessments and data sources. 
• As more students do not participate in assessments, it can become more challenging for the school to gain a clear reflection of how it is meeting the instructional needs of its students as a whole.

A parent or guardian should consider the following additional implications before refusing SOL or VAAP tests:

• The student will be assigned a score of zero (0) for each SOL or VAAP test refused.   
• The student's score reports and academic records will display the score of zero (0), but will not directly impact their course grade or access to future coursework.

How to Refuse a Test

If caregivers choose to refuse testing for one or more tests administered in FCPS, they should first contact their student's school. The assessment coach, school test coordinator, or the student's teacher can address questions the caregivers may have about the test content, format, and purpose. The Office of Assessment and Reporting is another resource for caregivers to better understand FCPS assessment expectations for students. After speaking with school staff, caregivers that are choosing to refuse the testing will need to officially notify the school of this decision. For certain tests like SOL and WIDA, the school will need to document the family or caregiver decision for state reporting. A form, letter, email, or documented phone conversation may be accepted for the refusal. Family or caregiver refusal of testing must be updated annually.

Additional Diagnostic Assessment Scores

Based on results from academic screening assessments, some students may require additional testing to further identify specific learning areas that need support. The additional diagnostic assessment score report letter template is a resource for teachers to communicate to parents and guardians which additional assessments were given and notes describing important information learned from these tests.

This template is meant to be used across grades K-12 when student's screening results in reading or mathematics prompt teachers to further assess the student's strengths and areas of need. The academic screeners that may initiate additional testing are: 

• Virginia Language and Literacy Screening System (VALLSS) in grades K-3
• Early Mathematics Assessment System (EMAS) in grade K
• iReady tests in grades 1-8
• Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) tests in grades 6-12