Issue 1:  Honor Roll students required to participate in remediation.
		Issue 2:  SOL test results determining a students need for remediation without regard for achievement throughout the year.
			Issue 3:  Increased expense to school systems to provide remediation to children who would otherwise never be considered for remediation.
			Issue 4:  Remediation of students with B (90) or higher average-for-the-year in a subject prevents the attention of teachers to students who are truly more academically-at-risk and in need of remediation.
	Issue 5:  Secrecy of test results disallows school systems to know where remediation is needed other than by general topic.  This secrecy also prevents any challenge to the accuracy of tests being scored correctly or the correct answer to test questions being accurate or ambiguous.  Parents or school administrations have no way to even verify if student scores are assigned to the correct student.
		The state is asking, actually telling, schools to work without recourse and some high academically achieving students are the ones having to paying with their summer for unjustified remediation and possibly retention (depending on the policy of the local school system).
			In my opinion, the state either needs to govern the overzealous and unfair remediation of some school systems or incorporate amendment to current state law required remediation or any student who fails an SOL test.
				If determining the fairness of Honor Roll or (more accurately ) those students with a B (90) or higher grade across school systems with varying grading scales, then maybe a good step in the standardizing of academic standards across Virginia should include the standardization of the grading scale for Virginia schools.  Example:  If a student is not an honor roll student, say their report card has 2 D's, 2 C's, and an A but the A is in a class the student fails their, let's say History/Social Studies SOL test but passes the SOL tests in the other core subjects; where does this student need remediation?  But this scenario occurs annually.  To me it is no less absurd than a student that has all A's but fails an SOL test and is required to attend summer school remediation with students that put forth less effort and therefore don't do as well or students that are doing their best but still need additional work and attention to master the material.
				Issue 6:  Grades 3, 5, and 8 are affected by the SOLs this year.  Next year, another group will be affected.  This continues as long as SOLs are in affect.  Three out of 13 grades are impacted a year.  Honor students are a small top percentage of these students.  Disgruntled and frustrated students and parents of students are so few and widely dispersed that their plea of unfairness is to faint to be given atttention.  I hope to collect and focus these pleas.
				Next year the number will increase.  If this situation is not resolved, the loudest cry will occur with the graduating class of 2004.  When Virginia's top students prepare for graduation, some will miss their ceremony because of a failed SOL test score even if only by 1-10 points.  What if they would have been valedictorian?  What if it is only one student in the whole Commonwealth?  What if that student is YOURS?  If we wait to address this problem until then, it will be too late for that student.  Now is the time to encourage the Virginia Board of Education and the Delegates of the Virginia General Assembly to amend the current SOL remediation requirements.                                               TOGETHER, WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!                               BUT WE HAVE TO MAKE A NOISE LOUD ENOUGH TO BE HEARD!