As a Virginia teacher, it can be challenging to find teaching resources and tools aligned to the SOLs! A few years ago, I was scrolling through the App Store, trying to find an SOL-aligned app, and I stumbled upon a gem. The Virginia Standards of Learning app by MasteryConnect has become a go-to app on my phone. In this post, I’ll share how to download and get the most out of the free Virginia SOL app.
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Why Do I Need This Free Virginia SOL App?
How many times have you been in a situation where you have needed to quickly lookup information about the Virginia Standards of Learning? Maybe you’ve been sitting in a faculty meeting and an administrator asks you about the SOLs for your grade level. Or, maybe you’ve been writing lesson plans and wanting to know what students learned in previous grade levels.
In the past, I have wasted so much time, waiting for the Virginia Department of Education website to load so that I can look up something having to with the SOLs. Since downloading the Virginia SOL app to my phone, I have had all the SOLs at my fingertips anytime I need to reference them. While the app is not an instructional tool your students can use, it does simplify planning time. It also provides an additional resource that you can share with parents.
Downloading the Virginia Standards of Learning App
If you are like me and prefer to learn visually, be sure to check out this video I created. It walks you through the steps of how to download and use the app directly on my phone.
Are you ready to download the Virginia Standards of Learning mobile app? If so, type “Virginia Standards of Learning” into the search bar in your app store. It should be the first option that appears and it can be downloaded for free.
Using the Virginia Standards of Learning App
The Virginia SOL app is simple and easy to use. Upon opening, you can select one of the four main content areas to examine: mathematics, language arts, history/social studies, or science. After clicking on one of the content areas, you will see a list of grade levels. Click any of the grade levels for a complete list of SOLs for that subject and grade level.
The feature I like most about this Virginia SOL app is the search bar. It allows you to look up every SOL that has to do with a certain skill at one time. For example, if I am about to start teaching colonial life in fifth grade, I can type “colonial” into the search bar. All the standards that have to do with colonial life will appear. This allows me to see what students have learned about the topic in previous grade levels and what they will learn in future grade levels.
The one downside to the Virginia Standards of Learning app is that it does not include the curriculum framework. But, there is an icon in the top left-hand corner that will allow you to record notes with any SOL. You can type notes from the curriculum framework or ideas for teaching the SOL. The app will save those notes so that you can access them anytime.
Conclusion
I searched every corner of the App Store and few apps have been specifically created for Virginia teachers aside from the Virginia Standards of Learning app. The Virginia SOL app is particularly helpful during faculty meetings, PLCs, and lesson planning. I also recommend making parents aware of this app. With easy access to the SOLs, parents will have a greater understanding of what students are expected to know and will help them achieve those goals. You can get started using this helpful app anytime by downloading it for free from the App Store.
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