Students in Buckingham County’s schools are ahead of the game this year, having completed all SOL (Standards of Learning) testing before holiday break.

Until this year, students were administered SOL tests after returning from winter break when the first semester ended. The first semester now ends prior to the break.

It’s still too early to tell if the new testing calendar has made a difference in scores, according to Division Superintendent Dr. Cecil Snead.

“As for the end of the first semester prior to the holiday break, my data to this point is anecdotal in nature, meaning that dialog with students and teachers, particularly at the secondary level, suggested appreciation in completing their coursework and subsequent SOL exams and other final exams prior to break,” Snead said. 

Snead said conducting the state standardized testing before holiday break has been a topic of discussion among the county’s school board for years. The reasoning behind the changed allowed the students to have closure from exams and final projects.

High school principal Rudolph Roethel said that it’s nice to have the testing done before break. “It’s a nice way to leave,” he said.

As far as noticing any difference that the new testing schedule has made at the high school, Roethel said “it’s too early to tell until we go through a whole cycle of the new cycle.”

He said that the new calendar more closely mirrors a college calendar and it allows students the opportunity to have a fresh start when they return to school after holiday break in January.

“Next year it will all work out nice,” he said.

Middle school principal J.B. Heslip said testing under the new calendar has made testing much more efficient. “I can tell you the students like it a lot better,” he said.

Snead said since testing was completed prior to dismissal, the students didn’t have to worry about studying over break as they previously had to prepare for exams upon returning to class.

According to the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), “Students in grades three-twelve will take between two and four [SOL] tests a year, depending on their grade level and the secondary courses taken during the year.”

Snead said all VDOE conditions were met in creating the new calendar and testing schedule.

“As we have carefully articulated in the past, we will have to review trend data to ascertain the effects, if any, on scores,” he said.