Virginia’s first statewide SOL rebid in more than two decades opens a rare opportunity in the K–12 assessment market. The competition will test vendors on more than platform features or price, with implementation risk, score continuity, reporting, accessibility, and district support all shaping the award. The procurement also creates openings for specialist partners across content, psychometrics, infrastructure, scoring, and change management.
This week’s deep dive covers:
Why Is Virginia Reopening Its SOL System After Two Decades?
What Must Virginia Preserve During the Transition?
What Will Separate the Strongest Bids?
1. Why Is Virginia Reopening Its SOL System After Two Decades?
Virginia’s decision to rebid its statewide Standards of Learning assessment contract closes one of the longest-running chapters in the state testing market. On July 27, 2026, the Virginia Department of Education issued an RFP for a contractor to redesign and administer the SOL assessment system beginning in the 2027–28 school year. The selected vendor will be responsible for the full statewide program, including test development, online and paper administration, scoring, reporting, accessibility, and the technical infrastructure used by school divisions.
The current arrangement dates to October 2005, when Virginia awarded the contract to Pearson. At the time,
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