The VASOL Writing Practice Tool

Revised 9/17/2012.

The Virginia Department of Education has made available a practice tool that simulates the online direct writing (essay) portion of the English End-of-Course Standards of Learning test. These directions walk students through using this practice tool.

You can print this page out, or use this PDF handout that I’m using this year.

You will need to print out or write down the directions before you begin because the practice tool takes over your browser, and you won’t be able to move back and forth from this page to that one after it starts.

1. Go to Virginia Department of Education website: http://www.doe.virginia.gov
2. In the left sidebar, click on “Standards of Learning (SOL) & Testing”: http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing
3. In the right sidebar, click on “English”: http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/sol/standards_docs/english
4. In the “Standards of Learning Documents for English – Adopted 2010, to be fully implemented in 2012-2013” chart, under “Resources for Instruction & Assessment,” click on “Online Writing Resources”: http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/sol/standards_docs/english/2010/online_writing
5. Scroll down to “Writing Test Practice.” Under “Writing Practice Tools and Guide” click on “End of Course (EOC) Writing Practice Tool”: https://vastatic.testnav.com/vaqc/epatLogin.jsp?testnavTestId=1001&testnavFormId=wptgeocb
6. (IF NECESSARY) Click on the link to leave the DOE website.
7. (IF NECESSARY) Choose to run the Java TestNAV tool.
8. Once the program has loaded, type your name in the text box. Enter your first and last name, using standard capitalization. Then, click “OK.”
9. The next screen is the “Prompt” screen. If this were the actual test, your prompt would appear in the box. Instead, use the prompt you have been given. Then, click “Next.”
10. The next screen is the word-processing page. This is where you will type your response to the prompt today. On the actual test, this is where you will type your essay. Today, you need to write in response to the prompt you have been given. Use the cut, copy, paste, undo, and redo buttons as necessary. When you have typed your response to the prompt, click “Next.”
11. Next, you will see the Checklist for Writers. You can use the pencil and eraser to mark the checklist, if you like. The Checklist for Writers is also accessible from the previous word-processing page; at the top left, next to the pencil and eraser, its icon looks like two papers. After you have used the Checklist for Writers, click “Next.”
12. On the Review screen, you can click to go back to the prompt, back to your written response, or back to the Checklist for Writers. Click on “Continue to Test Overview.”
13. The next screen gives you three options. Option 1 allows you to go back and review your answers. Option 2 will not work in this practice (your response will be lost), but in the actual test, it will allow you to save your answers and return later. Today, choose Option 3: “I am finished with this and I want to submit my final answers.”
14. Then, click on “Submit and Exit Test.”
15. Click on the green “Final Submit” button.
16. Then, click on the “Print” button.
17. Finally, close the program and turn in your printed page.

(Adapted from Pearson’s Writing Practice Tool Guide.)