Students at Willow Springs are assessed in many areas throughout the year. Parents will receive a notification letter about the testing their child will have as well as the results of each test.

Some of the Virginia and Fairfax County assessments that our students take are:

• CogAT - Second, any student who does not have a CogAT score on file
• Developmental Reading Assessment, 2nd Edition -  Kindergarten-Sixth
• eCart Tests - Third-Sixth
• iReady Universal Screener for math and reading -  Kindergarten-Sixth
• Math Reasoning Assessments -  Kindergarten-Second
• Naglieri - First and any student who does not have an abilities score on file
• Standards of Learning (SOL) tests - Third-Sixth
• Virginia Growth Assessment (VGA) reading and math - Third-Sixth
• WIDA for ESOL students

SOL Testing

Virginia has established achievement tests that are administered at the end of 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grades to measure the mastery of the curriculum. The Standards of Learning Tests (SOLs) test students in reading, writing, math, history, and science. The testing dates for 2024 are on our events calendar.

• Grade 3 – Math and Reading
• Grade 4 – Math and Reading
• Grade 5 – Math, Reading, and Science
• Grade 6 – Math and Reading

Universal Screener

Recently, FCPS adopted a universal screener assessment for use with all elementary school students in grade 1 through grade 6.

The purpose of this assessment is to identify students who may have gaps in reading and math skills so that teachers can plan appropriate support for each child. 

The universal screener is an online, computer-adaptive assessment. Computer-adaptive means that the difficulty of questions will adjust based on each child’s performance. When your child gets a question correct, the next question will be a little harder. When your child gets a question wrong, the next question will be a little easier. Through this adjustment process, the computer will narrow in on just the right level for your child.

The universal screener tests will be given three times each year. For the exact dates when your child will test, please contact your child’s teacher. After each testing window, your child’s teacher will share your child’s universal screener results with you.