Virginia Department of Education looking to cancel SOL testing

The Virginia Department of Education is preparing an application to the US Department of Education to waive state testing.

The directive came from Superintendent of Public Instruction James Lane on Friday after U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced an expedited process for states to request statewide waivers for federal requirements related to testing.

“I thank USED for responding to the pleas of states — including Virginia — for relief during this time of national crisis and for providing a simple and expedited process for requesting waivers,” Lane said. “I anticipate presenting our waiver application to the state Board of Education in early April and submitting it to Washington immediately upon approval by the board.”

Last week, Gov. Ralph Northam ordered all schools in the state to close at least through March 27. Many schools have announced the extension of their closure on a local level.

“We are exploring all options to cancel state-required Standards of Learning assessments for the year in light of today’s announcement by USED,” Lane said. “But with today’s announcement, our educators and schools can focus on supporting the health and well-being of students and on providing opportunities for continued learning while schools are closed.”