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Pass or Fail
(9/12/99)

Too tough a test.

That's how many students feel about the Standards of Learning (SOL) program in Virginia.

SOL tests are designed to measure how well teachers are teaching and students are learning.

Students who don't pass, don't graduate.

For some students, the possibility of having to repeat a grade is scary.

"It's a really big test because if you fail you have to repeat the third grade," says nine-year-old Genny Miller. "I want to go on to the fourth grade with my friends and I just want to pass it so it will be over with."

The pressure is so intense it's giving some students headaches, stomachaches and other stress-related illnesses.

Schools are also feeling the pressure to perform. When Virginia tried out the SOLs on students in the 1998-99 school year, 98 percent of the state's schools failed.

Starting in 2007, schools that don't pass the tests will be put on probation.

This doesn't bother Virginia Board of Education President Kirk Schroeder. "It didn't surprise me because we said all along that on the first exam the figure was going to be very low given some schools have not adjusted their curriculum, others are just getting used to the process," he said.

Some critics of the tests say that scores may remain low in disadvantaged areas due to low school funding.

Others say that the tests are so hard that teachers must "teach to the test," ignoring material that might be important, but not featured on the SOLs.

But the idea is gaining popularity, and almost all states are instituting similar tests. Is your state considering tests like the SOLs? Take a look....