Standardized testing is widely used throughout the United States; in Virginia we have the Standards of Learning. The Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) test you in the areas of Mathematics, English, History, Social Science, and Science. The purpose of the SOLs at certain grades (3, 5, and 8) and in high school subjects is to inform parents and teachers about what students are learning in relation to the SOL. According to Linda Crocker, "there are three performance categories, …showed first 75 words of 988 total…

…showed last 75 words of 988 total…behind that are exceeding well in the classroom, but can't exceed well on the test. <Tab/>By fully understanding the SOL's and what they are really for I believe that we can form our own understanding of what the test is actually testing, your memorization or your learning skills. It may also help us to better understand if they are rushing kids to learn the material in time for the SOL.