Will AAP 4th graders take the 5th Grade SOL next year?

[Anonymous]

I know preliminary SOL results are just starting to come out, but this got me thinking about next year. Currently, FCPS Level IV AAP students skip the 5th-grade SOL, which unintentionally lowers the overall pass rates reported for that grade. According to the 2023–2030 FCPS Strategic Plan Baseline Report, the school district seems to be considering addressing this issue by having AAP students take the 5th-grade SOL test during their 4th-grade year, as they already cover the 5th-grade curriculum.

There hasn't been an official notification from FCPS about implementing this change yet, but I'm curious if anyone here has heard about a potential pilot program or if the district might fully introduce this for the upcoming 2025–2026 school year. Does anyone have additional insights or details on this?

[Anonymous]

How does having 4th grade AAP take the 5th grade exam change the problem of unintentionally lowering the pass rate for the grade that is skipped? Would this not just move the problem to 4th grade scores or am I missing something?

[Anonymous]

I suppose the knowledge gap gets larger each year, especially because in 4th grade the AAP students are taught the 5th grade curriculum. The FCPS report says that "Fifth grade is the grade where there is divergence in which SOL tests get taken; students in advanced mathematics take the 6th grade SOL, whereas students who are not in advanced mathematics take the 5th grade SOL. It is not surprising that performance on the 5th grade SOL would be lower; however, this may be a good place for FCPS to concentrate efforts for students to boost performance..."

[Anonymous]

No

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know preliminary SOL results are just starting to come out, but this got me thinking about next year. Currently, FCPS Level IV AAP students skip the 5th-grade SOL, which unintentionally lowers the overall pass rates reported for that grade. According to the 2023–2030 FCPS Strategic Plan Baseline Report, the school district seems to be considering addressing this issue by having AAP students take the 5th-grade SOL test during their 4th-grade year, as they already cover the 5th-grade curriculum.

There hasn't been an official notification from FCPS about implementing this change yet, but I'm curious if anyone here has heard about a potential pilot program or if the district might fully introduce this for the upcoming 2025–2026 school year. Does anyone have additional insights or details on this?

I don't know but this was explicitly asked when FCPS was trying to get everyone onboard with E3 and there was never a firm answer.

[Anonymous]

I doubt it. They are basically dumbing down Adv Math in 3rd and 4th grades.

[Anonymous]

Our principal told us that next year, the AAP 5th graders will take the 6th grade Math SOL. That makes sense to me as they will be learning 6th grade math. However, this means they will never have been assessed for 5th grade math (since they took the 4th grade math SOL this year).

[Anonymous]

They take regular SOL and pass as advanced

[Anonymous]

SOL math scores are posted and my 5th grader took 6th grade SOL, skipped 5th grade SOL. I didn’t know, I don’t recall the teacher saying anything. Reading was still 5th Grade SOL

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:SOL math scores are posted and my 5th grader took 6th grade SOL, skipped 5th grade SOL. I didn’t know, I don’t recall the teacher saying anything. Reading was still 5th Grade SOL

Same. This is supposedly the standard testing regime now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:SOL math scores are posted and my 5th grader took 6th grade SOL, skipped 5th grade SOL. I didn’t know, I don’t recall the teacher saying anything. Reading was still 5th Grade SOL

This was the progression our 3rd grade AAP teacher explained this year.

[Anonymous]

Related question… as to not make another thread.

Do part-time AAP 4th graders receive 5th grade content? We are considering part-time for next year. Is it also called Advanced Math- or is it basically the same? Sorry if a reports question; just haven’t found clarity yet.

[Anonymous]

Advance Math, part time AAP and AAP math is the same thing. At our school the gen ed kids go into the AAP class for math.

They all will take the same tests, including the same SOL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Related question… as to not make another thread.

Do part-time AAP 4th graders receive 5th grade content? We are considering part-time for next year. Is it also called Advanced Math- or is it basically the same? Sorry if a reports question; just haven’t found clarity yet.

How part time and Advanced Math are handled varies by school. Part time and Advanced Math are not the same at many schools (part time is a critical thinking pull out, advanced math is math content ) Advanced Math should generally follow AAP pacing, although some schools don't start advanced math until 5th, so there's variation there, as well. You should definitely talk to your teacher/AART/principal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Related question… as to not make another thread.

Do part-time AAP 4th graders receive 5th grade content? We are considering part-time for next year. Is it also called Advanced Math- or is it basically the same? Sorry if a reports question; just haven’t found clarity yet.

How part time and Advanced Math are handled varies by school. Part time and Advanced Math are not the same at many schools (part time is a critical thinking pull out, advanced math is math content ) Advanced Math should generally follow AAP pacing, although some schools don't start advanced math until 5th, so there's variation there, as well. You should definitely talk to your teacher/AART/principal.

This. At our base/center part time could be advanced math (if the student was specifically flagged as having a strength in math) or it could not, and there was a separate pathway for advanced math that didn't require the part time designation. Advanced math meant kids not in full time AAP coming into the AAP classroom for math.