Recently, I spent three weeks co-teaching in an 8th-grade English environment split between self-contained and inclusion classes. I came in the week before their reading SOL, so I experienced the prime prep time, the test time, and the aftermath. I, obviously, have also been through the testing myself growing up.

While a lot of parents and educators are on the same page when it comes to SOL tests, I'm here to tell you once again that SOL standards and testing are holding us back as teachers and educators and therefore affecting our students, our children.

Let us begin with the teachers.

SOL standards/tests severely limit our teachers and put a damper on the profession. SOL standards/tests dictate what we have to teach as well as distinguish how good of a teacher we are because if our students do not pass the tests, all of the weight falls back on us.

Then we have the students.

Students are under an insane amount of pressure on a daily basis because of these tests. They go through hours on end of prep. They endure the test.

Those who design the standards/tests do not understand that every student tests differently, learns differently, shows their knowledge differently, etc. They design one test that dictates all and have it be the end all be all of the student's education.

Being able to pass a test has become a skill, not a true test of a student's knowledge.

Things need to change.

It cannot be expected that every single student is going to pass a single test.

It cannot be expected that one test can be the only thing that matters.

It cannot be justified that teachers are only as good as their student's test scores.

Learning cannot be solely based on passing a test - we don't get anything out of that.

Things need to change.