2026 - 2027 Testing Schedule

 

The Office of Student Assessment coordinates training, preparation, administration, security, interpretation, and communication of student assessments while ensuring full compliance with federal, state, and local testing requirements. We strive to cultivate positive and purposeful assessment experiences for our students, families and school staff.

 

Student achievement and continuous growth are core priorities in Hampton City Schools. Measuring progress is a key part of helping students achieve, as well as assessing the strength of curriculum and instruction. HCS prioritizes a rigorous curriculum which ensures students are college and career ready upon completion of their K-12 school experience.

Standards of Learning Tests (SOL)

Standards of Learning tests are taken by all Virginia public school students beginning in grade 3 and continuing through high school. SOL tests establish minimum expectations for what students should know and be able to do at the end of each grade or course in English, Mathematics, Science and Social Sciences.

 

SOL tests measure students' success in meeting the Board of Education’s expectations for learning and achievement. All items on SOL tests are reviewed by Virginia classroom teachers for accuracy and fairness, and teachers also assist the Virginia Board of Education in setting proficiency standards for the tests.

 

The Integrated Reading and Writing (IRW) component is a required part of the Grades 5 and 8 Reading Standards of Learning (SOL) assessments.

Virginia Alternate Assessment Program (VAAP)

The VAAP is designed to evaluate the performance of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities in Grades 3-8 and high school. Assessments are based on academic content standards derived from the Standards of Learning in reading, mathematics, and science which have been reduced in depth, breadth, and complexity through a process called “essentialization”. These content standards are referred to as the Virginia Essentialized Standards of Learning (VESOL). As the Virginia Standards of Learning are updated, new VESOL are revised to reflect the changes in these standards.

Critical Skills Assessments (CSA) 

CSAs are quarterly subject tests given to students in grades 2 through 11. These assessments are created by Hampton City Schools and designed to give measures of student progress in the four core content areas and help instructional staff identify needs for extra help in specific skill areas.

 

Advanced Placement (AP) Exams

Students taking AP courses may take the accompanying AP exam as a measure of course mastery. AP courses are rigorous as they provide college level material. As such, many colleges provide credit to students who earn a passing score on the exam. Visit the College Board’s site to find more information about AP courses and exams. https://apstudent.collegeboard.org

 

Preliminary SAT (PSAT)

The PSAT is a practice test that helps high school students prepare for the SAT and qualifies juniors for the National Merit Scholarship Program (NMSQT). HCS provides the PSAT to all 10th grade students. 11th graders may opt to take the PSAT to qualify for the NMSQT. PSAT/NMSQT

 

SAT School Day

In addition to weekend SAT exam opportunities currently offered through College Board, HCS now offers SAT School Day. SAT School Day allows seniors the opportunity to take the SAT at their school, at a reduced fee, during regular hours.

ACT WorkKeys

The ACT WorkKeys Workplace Documents and WorkKeys Business Writing tests are VDOE approved substitute tests for the reading and writing SOLs. Qualifying high school students use these exams to earn verified credits needed for graduation.

 

Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT)

The CogAT is a standardized assessment that measures a student's learned reasoning and problem-solving skills using verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal test items. The CogAT is primarily used as a district-wide screener to help identify second grade students with gifted potential.

Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test 3 (NNAT3)

The NNAT3 is a standardized, non-verbal assessment used by schools to measure problem-solving and reasoning skills without relying on reading, writing, or spoken language. The NNAT3 is used as a district-wide screener to help identify first grade students with gifted potential. NNAT3

WIDA ACCESS for ELLs

The ACCESS for ELLs test is an English language proficiency assessment based on the Model Performance Indicators of the WIDA English language development standards for students K-12. The test assesses social and instructional English used within the school context as well as academic English associated with language arts, mathematics, science and social studies across the four language domains of listening, speaking, reading and writing. The ACCESS for ELLs test is administered annually to EL students in grades K-12 to monitor their progress in acquiring English proficiency.

VDOE EL Assessment page WIDA Parent Resources: ACCESS for ELLs

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), often called The Nation's Report Card, is the largest continuing and nationally representative assessment of what U.S. students know and can do in core subjects. It is a federally mandated program that provides a common measure of student achievement across the United States to track educational progress and compare performance over time. The assessment does not evaluate individual students, teachers, classrooms, or specific schools. It only reports results for groups, such as the entire nation, individual states, and select urban districts.