Furthermore, to pass the SOL you only need to get just over half the questions correct. For already testing the bare minimum, you would think you would need a little better score to pass, especially since the SOLs are mostly multiple choice, which already gives you a one in four chance of getting any question right, even if you just guess.

Not to mention, the state uses specific phrases or words that they put only on the SOL, almost like a special SOL language. This requires students to know only a certain phrase or different name for something than you would really call it just in class or life.

If all the excess time that was used to review for SOLs and learn the particular language the SOLs use was spent to learn more in depth about the course or to learn more material, students would be more well-rounded in their learning, instead of only learning the slight amount the state requires. It’s great that the state sets up a guideline of material that needs to be learned, but that doesn’t mean the whole class needs to be centered around one test.