The pandemic hit students and their education hard this year. One of the public schools’ solutions to help offset the achievement gap include an option for students to opt out of state-wide standardized assessments. To better understand the rippling effect this decision may have on your high schooler, we have compiled a list of key things parents should know before you opt o
ut, but aren’t being directly told. The video goes a little bit deeper on these points, providing clarity as to why opting out of high school end of year standardized testing is not a sound decision, as well as, the importance of preparing for end of year final and AP exams.
5 SECRETS YOU NEED TO KNOW!
YOU ONLY NEED TO ANSWER APPROXIMATELY 33% OF SELECT SOLs QUESTIONS TO PASS.
EVERYONE IS ELIGIBLE FOR A LOCALLY AWARDED VERIFIED CREDIT (LAVC).
YOU ONLY NEED TO ANSWER APPROXIMATELY 20 QUESTIONS CORRECTLY THIS YEAR.
OPTING OUT THIS YEAR MEANS YOU WILL HAVE TO TAKE IT NEXT YEAR.
FINAL EXAMS CAN ONLY IMPROVE YOUR GRADE, NOT HURT IT.
5 SECRETS EXPLAINED MORE!
YOU ONLY NEED TO ANSWER APPROXIMATELY 33% OF SELECT SOLs QUESTIONS TO PASS. What do we mean by this? A passing score typically constitutes a 65% or higher on an assessment. But, the MAJOR secret this year is, due to the educational challenges from the pandemic, students only need to get approximately a 33.3% (⅓) on select SOL exams to pass.
EVERYONE IS ELIGIBLE FOR A LOCALLY AWARDED VERIFIED CREDIT (LAVC). While this term is nothing new to students in the special education department, it IS a new option for ALL students (with/without an IEP) applicable only for this current 2021 school year exams. With this awarded credit, any student (with or without an IEP or 504) is eligible to receive a passing score, when they score between 350-399. Pre-pandemic, the passing score is normally 400 or higher.
YOU ONLY NEED TO ANSWER APPROXIMATELY 20 QUESTIONS CORRECTLY THIS YEAR. Yup. You read it right! 20 questions is ⅓ of the SOL exam.
OPTING OUT THIS YEAR MEANS YOU WILL HAVE TO TAKE IT NEXT YEAR! For example, if a student opts out of Algebra 1 SOL this year, they will be required to take the Algebra 1 OR Geometry SOL next year, adding undo stress that could have been avoided if they just took the test this year. And, P.S., you will have to work twice as hard to hopefully pass the opted-out SOL, because the information you need is a year old and not fresh in your mind.
FINAL EXAMS CAN ONLY IMPROVE YOUR GRADE, NOT HURT IT. This one may have been announced to your student, but the reality is, your child is more than likely not ready for it. How could they be if classes were unable to thoroughly cover the entire curriculum during virtual learning? It just wasn’t possible. The good news? We can help!
HOW TO HELP YOUR CHILD TAKING EOY & FINAL EXAMS IN 2021:
Mills Virtual Tutoring holds an incredible 100% pass rate amongst all of their students over the course of the five years they have been operating! 100%!! On April 25th, Mills is launching a 4-week virtual intensive for EVERY high school subject that is critical to graduating. All sessions have a total of 6 powerhouse sessions (four 60-minute sessions on Sunday and 2 additional booster sessions right before the actual assessment) and are taught by REAL teachers currently working in the educational field. Each course is $215 and you can register here.
Passionately,
The Mills Virtual Tutoring Academy Team
For any free, non-pressured advice about the courses or what would be best for your child,
call CEO Jennifer Mills directly at 516-298-7699.