Subject:  Teacher Survey concerning Exam Exemptions for Students Who Pass SOL Tests

            In response to concerns expressed by students, teachers, administrators, and School Board members, Professional Association of Teachers (PAT) surveyed Virginia Beach High School Teachers, both PAT members and non-members. 

            Important results and recommendations are highlighted below.

Of all Virginia Beach High School Teacher Responses:

Ø      97% agree that students who pass the SOL tests should not be required to take the exam in that course;

Ø      95% agree that students will work harder to pass SOL tests, if they know it means they can be exempted from the exam;

Ø      83% agree that if this exam exemption is taken away; then city-wide SOL pass rates will decrease;

Ø      88% agree that it would be fair to grant exam exemptions only for those SOL scores that arrive before the exam.

Recommendations:

1. Students who pass the SOL (end-of-course) test should not be required to take the semester exam in that course.
2. The administration should not be overly concerned about exam exemption fairness.  Only a small percentage of teachers (7%) seem to be concerned that some teachers and students would not get SOL test results back before the exams, thus could not get the exam exemption.
3. Have the administration require that the all SOL tests be scored and returned before exams. Exam exemptions could then be granted to all students who pass the SOL tests.  This would satisfy the small percentage of teachers and those administrators who perceive exam exemption unfairness.  When compared to last year, there is only slightly less time to grade the SOL tests, between the SOL tests and the exams, and there is only a fraction of the “pencil and paper” SOL tests to be graded.

Summary of Responses (in percentages) to Survey Questions:

Responses:

SD Strongly Disagree,  D Disagree  N, Neutral,  A Agree,  SA Strongly Agree

Summary of Responses:

1.  Students who pass the SOL tests should not be required to take the exam in that course.

2. Students will work harder to pass SOL tests, if they know it means they can be exempt from the exam.

3. If the exam exemption incentive is taken away from students who pass the SOL tests, then city-wide SOL pass rates will decrease.

This note applies only to question 4 below. SOL test scores for certain courses and students might not be received before the exam date. An example would be math students who take their SOL tests in "pencil and paper", rather than "on-line".

4. If teachers and students were told ahead of time that this might happen, then it would be fair to grant exam exemptions only for those SOL scores that arrive prior to the exam.