C.

Alton Lindsay Middle School

Home of the Mighty Lions
1636 Briarfield Road
Hampton, Virginia 23661
Phone: (757) 825-4560
Fax: (757) 825-4839
RE: UPDATED INFORMATION REGARDING THE WRITING 8 SOL
March 6, 2015

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Due to the inclement weather that we have experienced over the last few weeks, we have been given the option
from Hampton City Schools and the Virginia Department of Education to reschedule the Writing 8 SOL Test. We
want to ensure that your child receives extensive review and additional preparation for this very important
assessment. Your child will now test on Tuesday, 17th (Multiple Choice) and Thursday, March 19th (Short Paper).
The test is comprised of two parts multiple-choice questions and then a short paper. Your child will now test as
follows:

March 17
Writing 8 Multiple Choice
March 18
Writing 8 Multiple Choice Make-ups
March 19
Writing 8 Short Paper
March 20
Writing 8 Short Paper Make-ups

It is critical that your child be present, be on time, and come to school energized for what we anticipate will
be a successful Writing SOL Testing session. We ask that you schedule all appointments after school hours to
ensure that your child is here to take their test at the appropriate time. Writing 8 SOL scores will factor into our
schools overall Language Arts SOL performance; therefore, students should come to school focused and ready to
do an awesome job.

Our Lindsay staff is committed to reaching our target of at least a 75% pass rate in Language Arts for this school
year. Your support is critical in ensuring that this happens. Also, please note that per the Virginia
Department of Education testing regulations, students cannot carry their cell phone, iPad, or electronic
devices into any testing session as well as any food or drink. These items will be collected by teachers prior
to going to the testing site and then returned once finished. Any student caught with an electronic device on
his/her person or who refuses to give up their device, will lose a test attempt and coded as a refuse to test,
thus negatively impacting his/her pass rate and of course our school goal. Please talk with your child about
these regulations prior to testing.

In addition, our staff asks that you work with your child at home in studying for each of their upcoming SOLs.
Helpful hints include, but are not limited to:
Provide a quiet place and time at home in which your child can concentrate and study the materials
provided by our instructional staff.
Encourage your child to practice their writing at home using the various graphic organizers and writing
rubrics provided in class.
Set an early bedtime so that your child gets good a good rest.
Expect and praise genuine progress and effort.
Encourage your child at home to persevere through each test.
Remind your child to use the test-taking strategies that have been taught in class and not to rush through
their tests.
Read through each question carefully and multiple times, then select the best answer choice.
Remind your child that some questions will have multiple answer choices; therefore, read questions
carefully and select ALL choices that apply to the question. This is critical because all correct choices must
be selected in order for the question asked must be marked as correct.

SOL study materials, practice items, and released tests are available on the Virginia Department of
Education website at:
http://doe.virginia.gov/testing/sol/standards_docs/english/2010/online_writing/index.shtml

You may also contact your childs Language Arts teacher for additional questions or ways that you can help to
prepare your child prior to testing:

Mr. Sean Ribeiro (sribeiro@hampton.k12.va.us)
Mrs. Regina Webb (rwebb@hampton.k12.va.us)
Mrs. Jewel Paige (jpaige@hampton.k12.va.us)
Mrs. Romona Jackson (rjackson@hampton.k12.va.us)
Mr. Andre Richardson (alrichardson@hampton.k12.va.us)

As always, we appreciate your support as we head into our Writing 8 SOL Testing. Should you have any questions
or concerns, please contact the main office at (757) 825-4560.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Angela Byrd-Wright, Principal

Cc:
Dr. John Caggiano, Executive Director of School Leadership
LMS Administrative Team
Mr. Shawn Hare, Guidance Director