Mathematics SOL Information
The Standards of Learning for Mathematics identify academic content for essential components of the mathematics curriculum at different grade levels for Virginia’s public schools. Recommendations and reports from Achieve, the College Board, and ACT, as well as the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Frameworks, the Curriculum Focal Points from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), Principles and Standards for School Mathematics from NCTM, the Singapore Curricula, the Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education (GAISE) Report from the American Statistical Association, and the Report of the President’s National Mathematics Advisory Panel were considered in identifying mathematics content necessary for success for all students in postsecondary pursuits.
Standards are identified for kindergarten through grade eight and for a core set of high school courses. Throughout a student’s mathematics schooling from kindergarten through grade eight, specific content strands or topics are included. These content strands are Number and Number Sense; Computation and Estimation; Measurement; Geometry; Probability and Statistics; and Patterns, Functions, and Algebra. The Standards of Learning for each strand progress in complexity at each grade level and throughout the high school courses.
The Mathematics Standards of Learning Curriculum Framework is a companion document to the Mathematics Standards of Learning that amplifies the Mathematics Standards of Learning and defines the content knowledge, skills, and understandings that are measured by the Standards of Learning assessments. The Curriculum Framework provides additional guidance to school divisions and their teachers as they develop an instructional program appropriate for their students. It assists teachers in their lesson planning by identifying essential understandings, defining essential content knowledge, and describing the intellectual skills students need to use. This supplemental framework delineates in greater specificity the minimum content that all teachers should teach and all students should learn.
The Standards of Learning are not intended to encompass the entire curriculum for a given grade level or course or to prescribe how the content should be taught. Teachers are encouraged to go beyond the standards and select instructional strategies and assessment methods appropriate for their students.
