The Virginia Department of Education presented a draft set of 2025 “expanded” high-school science standards of learning at the board’s first review, proposing standards for 11 board‑approved courses that previously used department content guidelines rather than adopted SOLs.

VDOE staff told the board the 2018 K–12 science standards remain intact; the expanded 2025 package covers additional high-school-level courses (environmental science and other commonly offered level‑2 courses in biology, chemistry, earth science and physics) so that all board‑approved science courses will have adopted standards. The standards-development process included educator committee drafting, public stakeholder feedback, review by the science education advisory board and consultation with higher‑education faculty and national experts.

Staff emphasized the draft standards aim to offer a coherent, vertically articulated set of expectations and that accompanying instructional guides will clarify teaching intent and provide suggested resources. Board members urged additional specificity in some draft items (for example, clarifying what “apply scientific ideas, principles, evidence to provide an explanation” entails in grade‑level and course contexts) and asked staff to ensure the draft follows the board’s most recent formatting for standards documents so teachers and divisions see consistent layouts across subjects.

VDOE indicated public hearings and an online comment period will open shortly and that final review is planned for September 2025. Staff also said they would reach out to regional industry and major employers for course‑relevant input and would provide instructional guides and resource links after final adoption to support consistent implementation.

What the board discussed and requested
- Keep the 2018 K–12 standards in place; adopt expanded standards only for board‑approved level‑2 courses that lacked formal SOLs.
- Increase specificity and provide instructional guides and external resource links to support teachers and local context implementation.
- Contact regional industry partners (employers cited by board members) for additional feedback on workforce alignment.

Next steps: VDOE will open a public comment period, host hearings and return the expanded high‑school science SOLs for final consideration in September 2025. Instructional guides will be developed to accompany any adopted standards.