Standards of Learning

In June 1995, the Virginia Board of Education approved Standards of Learning (SOL) in four core content areas - mathematics, science, english, and history and the social sciences - and in computer technology.

In September 1997, the Board of Education established new Standards for Accrediting Public Schools in Virginia that link statewide accountability tests to the SOL and hold students, schools, and school divisions accountable for results.

Starting with the class of 2004, students will have to pass six of the 11 end-of-course SOL tests in order to graduate from a Virginia high school.

And by 2007, a school that doesn't have 70 percent of its students passing the SOL tests could lose its accreditation.