A neighbor mentions her son is taking the SOL next week and you nod politely, then quietly Google what those three letters stand for. You are not alone. Across Virginia, parents, transfer students, and out-of-state teachers run into this acronym every spring and wonder whether it is a national exam, a state graduation requirement, or just another standardized testing label. SOL stands for Standards of Learning, and it is the annual K-12 testing program run by the Virginia Department of Education to measure whether students have mastered the academic content the state expects at each grade level.
The tests are taken by roughly 1.2 million Virginia public school students each year, from third graders sitting their first reading SOL to high school juniors finishing the last end-of-course exam they need for a Standard or Advanced Studies Diploma. Schools use the results for accreditation, teachers use them for instructional planning, and families use them as one signal among many about how their child is progressing.
This guide breaks down what SOL means, which subjects and grades are tested, how scoring works, when the testing window opens, and how SOL fits into accreditation and diploma requirements. You will also see how Virginia's exam compares with neighboring states' assessments — useful if you are moving in or out of the state and trying to make sense of the differences.
If you want to practice with question sets that mirror the actual format, the SOL Virginia and US History Exam page is a good starting point for the social-studies side of things, and the broader SOL practice test video answers library covers multiple subjects with worked explanations.
The phrase has two halves. The Standards half refers to the curriculum frameworks adopted by the Virginia Board of Education — documents that spell out, subject by subject and grade by grade, what every public school student in the commonwealth is expected to know. The Learning half points to the assessments that measure whether students got there. People use "SOL" for both, but in education circles the standards and tests are sometimes distinguished as the "SOL framework" and the "SOL assessments."
The program launched in 1995 under Governor George Allen, with the first tests administered in 1998. It predates No Child Left Behind by several years, which is one reason Virginia kept its homegrown system rather than switching to a Common Core-aligned test like PARCC or Smarter Balanced. Virginia is one of only a small handful of states that rejected Common Core outright; the SOL standards were rewritten in 2010 and revised in cycles since, but they remain Virginia-specific.
Every five to seven years, the Board of Education conducts a full review of the standards in each subject — math, English, science, and history/social science — to incorporate updated research and address gaps. The 2023 mathematics revision, for example, brought more emphasis on data literacy. The tests are rewritten to match, which is why SOL question banks have shifted over the past decade.
First, SOL is a Virginia-only program — if you move out of Virginia, your child will sit a different state's test (FCAT in Florida, STAAR in Texas, M-STEP in Michigan). Second, the SOL tests are criterion-referenced, meaning students are measured against fixed content standards, not against each other. A class can theoretically have every student pass, or every student fail, depending on how well they meet the standard. There is no curve.
The SOL program covers four main subject areas: English (Reading and Writing), Mathematics, Science, and History and Social Science. The exact tests a student sits depend on their grade level and, in high school, which courses they are enrolled in. Elementary and middle school SOLs are grade-level tests — a third grader takes the third-grade reading and math SOLs, a fifth grader takes the fifth-grade reading, math, and science SOLs, and so on.
High school SOLs are end-of-course (EOC) exams tied to specific classes: Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, World History I, World History II, Virginia and US History, World Geography, English Reading 11, and English Writing 11.
Reading SOLs run from grade 3 through grade 8 and resurface as English Reading 11 in high school. Writing is tested at grade 8 (a direct-write essay) and again at grade 11. Math SOLs cover grades 3 through 8 plus the high school EOC mathematics tests. Science is given in grade 5 and grade 8, then continued through the high school science EOCs. History and social science SOLs include Virginia Studies (grade 4), US History I (grade 6 in many divisions), Civics and Economics (grade 8), plus the high school history EOCs.
Not every test is required for every student. A student who never takes Chemistry in high school will not sit the Chemistry SOL. Diploma requirements specify how many verified credits a student needs across content areas — Standard Diploma students need a slightly different count than Advanced Studies Diploma candidates — and the SOL EOC results are how those verified credits are earned. If your child is heading into Virginia and US history this year, the SOL Virginia and US History Exam resources and our SOL World History I Exam notes cover the most commonly tested content domains.
Grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, plus English Reading 11. Multiple-choice and technology-enhanced items based on literary and informational passages.
Grade 8 and English Writing 11. Includes a direct-write essay component scored on composing, written expression, and usage/mechanics, plus multiple-choice items.
Grades 3 through 8, plus Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry end-of-course exams. Computer-adaptive on most administrations.
Grade 5 (elementary), Grade 8 (middle school), plus Biology, Chemistry, and Earth Science EOC tests in high school.
Virginia Studies (grade 4), US History I (commonly grade 6), Civics and Economics (grade 8), plus World History I, World History II, World Geography, and Virginia and US History EOC tests.
AP, IB, dual-enrollment, and certain industry credentials can substitute for some SOL EOC exams under the Board of Education's approved list.
SOL results come back as a scaled score between roughly 0 and 600, with 400 set as the cut score for passing. Anything below 400 is reported as Fail/Below Basic. Scores from 400 through 499 are Pass/Proficient. Scores from 500 through 600 are Pass/Advanced. The 0-600 scale is consistent across subjects and grades, but the raw score (number of items correct) that corresponds to a 400 varies year to year as forms are equated.
The scaled-score system exists for a reason. Each year's test contains different questions, and some forms are slightly harder than others. Equating ensures that a 425 on this year's Grade 5 Math SOL represents the same level of mastery as a 425 on last year's. That allows the state to track student growth over time without penalizing students who happened to draw a harder form. Schools and parents receive both the scaled score and the proficiency level on the student report.
For high school EOC tests, a Pass/Proficient score earns a verified credit toward graduation. A Pass/Advanced score earns the same verified credit but also counts toward the Advanced Studies Diploma seal and certain post-secondary scholarship considerations. A Fail/Below Basic score does not earn a verified credit; the student typically retakes the test the following testing window or pursues an expedited retake under specific conditions. Local-verified credits are an alternative path for students who pass the course but fall just short on the SOL — usually requiring a substitute project or performance assessment approved by the local school board.
Scale score 500-600. Indicates the student has gone beyond grade-level mastery — demonstrates depth of knowledge, transfers concepts to unfamiliar problems, and handles higher-order multi-step questions reliably. For high school end-of-course exams, a Pass/Advanced result earns a verified credit and contributes to the Advanced Studies Diploma seal. It also tends to be the threshold that some scholarship programs and the Governor's School admissions panels look for as one piece of evidence. Pass/Advanced is the only band that does not require any retake or remediation conversation; the student has clearly met and exceeded the standard.
Scale score 400-499. The student has met the grade-level standard. This is the most common result — historically around 70 to 80 percent of test-takers land here on most subjects in non-pandemic years. For EOC tests it earns a verified credit toward graduation, just like Pass/Advanced, but without the additional seal recognition. Teachers and schools generally consider this the success threshold for accountability purposes. Parents sometimes ask whether they should push for Advanced; the honest answer is that it depends on the student's broader trajectory and post-secondary goals rather than the SOL band alone.
Scale score below 400. The student has not met the standard. For elementary and middle school, this triggers required remediation in the deficient subject area — the school must provide a remediation plan and additional instruction. For high school EOC tests, the student does not earn the verified credit and either retakes the SOL in a later testing window, pursues an expedited retake (allowed within the same year under certain conditions), or works toward a locally-verified credit through alternative assessment. A failed SOL alone does not mean a student fails the course; classroom grades are separate from the state test.
The main SOL testing window runs through the spring, typically from mid-April through early June, with exact dates set by each local school division within the state-wide window. End-of-course high school tests have additional windows: a winter window for fall-semester courses (December through January), a summer window for credit recovery, and an expedited retake window that opens roughly two weeks after spring results are released. The expedited retake exists so that high school seniors who fail an EOC by a small margin can sit a fresh form before graduation and potentially still earn the verified credit they need.
Test sessions themselves are administered on computer for almost all SOL exams. Math, reading, and science SOLs in grades 3 through 8 use a computer-adaptive format on many administrations, meaning the difficulty of questions adjusts based on previous answers. The high school EOC tests are computer-based but mostly fixed-form rather than adaptive. Writing assessments include a direct-write essay component, which is also typed on a computer. Paper-based versions are available for students with IEP or 504 accommodations that require them.
Most students see their proficiency level (Pass/Advanced, Pass/Proficient, Fail) on screen at the end of the session, but the official student report with the full scaled score arrives later — typically within a week or two for adaptive tests, longer for direct-write writing. Schools receive division-level reports through the VDOE assessment portal and use them for accreditation reporting and instructional planning for the next year. The SOL World History I exam page and our broader SOL practice test video answers can help students get familiar with the digital interface before they sit the real thing.
The SOL is not just a student-level test; it is one of the main inputs into Virginia's school accreditation system. Each year, the VDOE reviews pass rates by subject, growth metrics, chronic absenteeism, dropout rates, and college/career readiness indicators to assign each school an accreditation status. A school accredited under the standard is meeting expectations.
A school accredited with conditions has gaps that require a school improvement plan and additional state oversight. The accountability framework underwent a major redesign in 2018, shifting from pass-rate-only to a multi-indicator model that includes student growth — schools now get credit for moving students from Fail to Proficient or from Proficient to Advanced, not just for the absolute pass rate.
Within a school, principals use SOL data to identify subject-area or grade-level weaknesses. A drop in fifth-grade math from one year to the next prompts a deeper look at instruction, curriculum pacing, and intervention programs. Teachers receive item-analysis reports showing which standards their students struggled with most — "only 42 percent of students got items on rational number operations correct" is the kind of data point that drives next year's planning. Departments use this for vertical alignment, ensuring that what is taught in fourth grade actually prepares students for what is tested in fifth.
Families receive their child's individual report through the school in late spring or early summer. The report shows the scaled score, the proficiency band, and a breakdown by reporting category (for example, "Number and Number Sense" or "Earth and Space Systems"). Reporting categories help you see where your child is strong and where there are gaps, though the category-level scores have wider error margins than the overall score and should be read directionally rather than precisely.
The VDOE publishes released test items on its official site for every grade and subject, going back several years. These are real questions that have rotated out of active test forms — they cannot be reused on a live SOL, so the state makes them public. The released items are the single best source of practice because they match the exact format, language, and item types your child will see on the actual test. There are also released test blueprints that show the percentage of items in each reporting category, which helps you focus practice where it counts most.
Beyond the official released items, a number of private practice resources mirror SOL format. Look for materials that include technology-enhanced item types — drag-and-drop, fill-in-the-blank with grid response, hot-spot, and bimodal items — not just multiple choice. Older paper-test prep books often skip these, but the modern computer-based SOL relies on them heavily, especially in math and science. The SOL Virginia and US History Exam page and the broader SOL World History I Exam notes on our site are aligned to the current test format with worked answer explanations.
If you want to compare SOL with what students take in other states, Virginia's neighbors all run their own programs. Maryland uses the MCAP. North Carolina has the EOG and EOC tests. West Virginia uses the WVGSA. Tennessee runs TNReady. The content overlap is significant because most states draw from similar college and career readiness frameworks, but the question style, scoring scale, and accreditation use vary. A student moving from North Carolina to Virginia in seventh grade, for example, will find the reading material similar but the math sequencing slightly different — Virginia introduces some algebra topics earlier than NC.
If you have moved between states or are weighing schools across state lines, the differences in standardized testing matter. Maryland's MCAP (Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program) replaced PARCC and tests English and math in grades 3-8 plus high school. The MCAP scale is different from SOL's 0-600 and the proficiency bands are labeled 1 through 5 rather than Fail/Pass/Advanced.
North Carolina's EOG and EOC tests run on a similar grade-level model to Virginia, with EOC tests for high school courses like English II, Math 1, Math 3, and Biology. The NC scale produces a score on a 200-point range and uses achievement levels 1 through 5.
West Virginia's WVGSA (West Virginia General Summative Assessment) is shorter than SOL and uses a four-level proficiency system. Tennessee's TNReady assesses ELA, math, science, and social studies, with results reported on four levels (Below, Approaching, On Track, Mastered). Kentucky uses KSA, which is given annually in grades 3-8 and once in high school.
Across all these states, the underlying standards are broadly similar — they all draw from college and career readiness frameworks — but the specific cut scores, reporting scales, and accountability formulas differ enough that a direct "my child scored X in NC, what does that translate to in VA" comparison is impossible.
What matters when transferring in or out is the curriculum alignment, not the score equivalency. A student moving from Tennessee to Virginia mid-year will likely need to backfill some Virginia-specific history content (Virginia Studies, Virginia and US History) and adjust to the SOL test format. A student moving the other direction will face a different testing environment but similar academic content overall. Most receiving schools are experienced at this — the registrar can usually flag what the transfer student missed and arrange tutoring or summer work.
SOL stands for Standards of Learning, the Virginia-specific framework of academic standards and the annual tests that measure whether students meet them. It is run by the Virginia Department of Education, applies to all public school students in grades 3 through 12, and covers English, math, science, and history/social science. Scores come back on a 0-600 scale with 400 as passing, sorted into Fail/Below Basic, Pass/Proficient, and Pass/Advanced. High school end-of-course SOL tests earn verified credits toward graduation.
For families, the practical takeaway is that SOL is one signal among several. A child's classroom grades, teacher feedback, work samples, and standardized results together paint a fuller picture than any one source. Use the SOL reporting categories to target practice where it helps, lean on the released test items from VDOE and aligned resources like the SOL Virginia and US History Exam sets, and keep test week itself low-drama — sleep, breakfast, and confidence move scores more than any last-minute review session.
For students moving in or out of Virginia, expect different acronyms — MCAP, EOG, STAAR, FCAT, TNReady — but a broadly similar landscape of state standardized testing. Each state has its quirks, its scale, and its accountability stakes. SOL's combination of Virginia-specific history content, criterion-referenced scoring, and direct tie-in to diploma verified credits makes it one of the more deeply integrated state systems in the country. If you understand what SOL stands for and how it works, you understand a meaningful piece of how Virginia public schools operate.