# Virginia HB299: SOL assessments and related assessment methods; development, administration, scoring, and release. Virginia HB299, SOL assessments and related assessment methods; development, administration, scoring, and release., is a 2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Dan I. Helmer (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-04-06 (Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0102)); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-12). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB299-2026 - As of: 2026-10-12 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Virginia HB299 - State: Virginia - Session: 2026 Regular Session - Title: SOL assessments and related assessment methods; development, administration, scoring, and release. - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2026-01-09 - Last action: 2026-04-06, Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0102) - Sponsor: Dan I. Helmer (Democratic) - Cosponsors: 0 - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 10 (312 yes, 27 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 8 ## Summary Board of Education; Standards of Learning assessments and related assessment methods; development, administration, scoring, and release. Makes several clarifying revisions to applicable law relating to the development, administration, and scoring of Standards of Learning assessments and related assessment methods for determining the level of achievement of Standards of Learning objectives by all students, including (i) clarifying that students who are children with disabilities, as that term is defined by applicable law, who participate in alternative methods of Standards of Learning assessment administration or in alternate assessments through the Virginia Alternate Assessment Program are exempt from several requirements set forth in applicable law relating to the administration and grading of Standards of Learning assessments and related assessments and (ii) repealing the provisions requiring the Board of Education to establish a through-year growth assessment system in lieu of a one-time end-of-year assessment. The provisions of the bill limiting the number of end-of-course assessments that may be administered to students in grades seven through 12 and requiring the score received by each student in grades seven through 12 on an end-of-course assessment to account for at least 10 percent of the student's final grade in such course are subject to a contingent and delayed effective date. This bill is identical to SB 200. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Retake access for students scoring below-grade-level: benefit, low. Students scoring below grade level on a covered state test or optional local alternative test are eligible for a retake. Retakes generally must happen by June 30 of the calendar year the test was given. A later retake requires school board permission. Eligible expedited retakes generally occur with… - Testing waiver for adult scholarship recipients: benefit, low. Brown v. Board of Education Scholarship recipients receive a waiver from Standards of Learning requirements, including related tests. They must be enrolled in a Board-approved high school equivalency preparation, adult basic education, or adult secondary education program. The program must lead tow… - Common scores and practice tests for families: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, state tests and required or optional local alternative tests must report results on a 100-point scale. By each school year’s start, the state Board must share last year’s state tests with divisions for instruction and practice. It must include answer keys or grading guides a… - Limits on children's testing and scheduling: benefit, low. Schools may give at most one covered state or local alternative test per subject each quarter, and four per school year. Retakes, performance assessments, AP, CLEP, IB, and other national norm-referenced achievement tests do not count. Covered tests, including final test parts, cannot start earlier… - Student test-content rules depend on reenactment: benefit, low. The law makes added assessment-content rules effective only upon reenactment by the General Assembly’s 2027 Session. The rules require covered alternative tests to assess knowledge, critical thinking, and logic, with specified items depending on appropriated funding. They require different question… - Local test audits protect student credits: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, boards must annually certify that they taught, tested, and graded each subject lacking a state test. Boards using optional local alternatives must notify the state by July 31 and annually certify compliance. The state Board annually audits a share it chooses of required and… - Required three-stage testing ends for children: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, Virginia removes its required statewide reading and math growth-testing system for grades 3–8. That system required beginning-, middle-, and end-of-year tests and related teacher and principal training. Its testing-time ceiling of 150% of one end-of-year test also ends. Scho… - Schools gain choices for course tests: mixed, low. School boards may choose whether to give available end-of-course state tests not required by federal accountability or state rules. A board choosing to give one generally must test every student in that subject and grade. Board-approved, good-cause exceptions allowing selective testing are limited… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Dan I. Helmer (Democratic), House ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-03-10 | House | Senate substitute agreed to by House | pass | 90 | 8 | | | 2026-03-09 | Senate | Committee substitute agreed to (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 | | | 2026-03-09 | Senate | Passed Senate with substitute Block Vote | pass | 40 | 0 | | | 2026-03-06 | Senate | Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) | pass | 0 | 0 | | | 2026-03-06 | Senate | Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) | pass | 39 | 0 | | | 2026-03-05 | Senate | Reported from Education and Health with substitute | pass | 15 | 0 | | | 2026-02-17 | House | Read third time and passed House | pass | 86 | 11 | | | 2026-02-11 | House | Reported from Appropriations | pass | 19 | 3 | | | 2026-02-11 | House | Subcommittee recommends reporting | pass | 5 | 2 | | | 2026-02-09 | House | Reported from Education with substitute and referred to Appropriations | pass | 18 | 3 | | ## Actions (38) - 2026-04-06: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0102) (Governor) - 2026-04-06: Approved by Governor - Chapter 102 (effective - see bill) (Governor) - 2026-03-31: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB299) (House) - 2026-03-31: Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 (Governor) - 2026-03-31: Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 31, 2026 (House) - 2026-03-31: Signed by Speaker (House) - 2026-03-30: Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB299ER) (House) - 2026-03-30: Enrolled (House) - 2026-03-30: Signed by President (Senate) - 2026-03-10: Senate substitute agreed to by House (90-Y 8-N 0-A) (House) - 2026-03-09: Passed Senate with substitute Block Vote (40-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate) - 2026-03-09: Committee substitute agreed to (Voice Vote) (Senate) - 2026-03-09: Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute (Senate) - 2026-03-09: Read third time (Senate) - 2026-03-06: Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) (Senate) - 2026-03-06: Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (39-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate) - 2026-03-06: Rules suspended (Senate) - 2026-03-05: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB299) (House) - 2026-03-05: Committee substitute printed 26108901D-S1 (Senate) - 2026-03-05: Senate subcommittee offered (Senate) - 2026-03-05: Reported from Education and Health with substitute (15-Y 0-N) (Senate) - 2026-02-26: Assigned Education sub: Public Education (Senate) - 2026-02-20: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB299) (House) - 2026-02-18: Referred to Committee on Education and Health (Senate) - 2026-02-18: Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) (Senate) - 2026-02-17: Read third time and passed House (86-Y 11-N 0-A) (House) - 2026-02-16: Engrossed by House - committee substitute (House) - 2026-02-16: committee substitute agreed to (House) - 2026-02-16: Read second time (House) - 2026-02-13: Read first time (House) - 2026-02-11: Subcommittee recommends reporting (5-Y 2-N) (House) - 2026-02-11: Reported from Appropriations (19-Y 3-N) (House) - 2026-02-09: Committee substitute printed 26107407D-H1 (House) - 2026-02-09: Reported from Education with substitute and referred to Appropriations (18-Y 3-N) (House) - 2026-02-09: Assigned HAPP sub: Elementary & Secondary Education (House) - 2026-02-06: House committee offered (House) - 2026-01-09: Referred to Committee on Education (House) - 2026-01-09: Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26104302D (House) ## Bill text - Chaptered, 2026-04-06: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1216435.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1216434.PDF) - Enrolled, 2026-03-30: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1210664.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1210663.PDF) - Substitute, 2026-03-05: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1196313.HTML), [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1196247.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1196246.PDF), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1196312.PDF) - Substitute, 2026-02-09: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1134324.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1134323.PDF) - Substitute, 2026-02-06: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1133293.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1133292.PDF) - Introduced, 2026-01-09: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1083473.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1083472.PDF) ## Related bills - HB5: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties. (signed) - SB199: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties. (signed) - HB95: Va. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; landlord remedies, noncompliance with rental agreement. (signed) - HB1393: Electric utilities; pilot program for energy assistance and weatherization for certain individuals. (signed) - HB834: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; fire or casualty damage, termination by landlord. (signed) - HB675: Protection of employees; coercion or threat based on immigration status, civil penalty. (signed) ## Sources - [Chaptered (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1216435.HTML) - [Chaptered (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1216434.PDF) - [Enrolled (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1210664.HTML) - [Enrolled (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1210663.PDF) - [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1196313.HTML) - [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1196247.HTML) - [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1196246.PDF) - [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1196312.PDF) - [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1134324.HTML) - [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1134323.PDF) - [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1133293.HTML) - [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1133292.PDF) - [Introduced (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1083473.HTML) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1083472.PDF) ## Related - [HB5: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB5-2026) - [SB199: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB199-2026) - [HB95: Va. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; landlord remedies, noncompliance with…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB95-2026) - [HB1393: Electric utilities; pilot program for energy assistance and weatherization for…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB1393-2026) - [HB834: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; fire or casualty damage, terminat…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB834-2026) - [HB675: Protection of employees; coercion or threat based on immigration status, civil…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB675-2026) - [Virginia bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/virginia/bills) - [Virginia state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/virginia) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB299-2026 (as of 2026-10-12).