Thank you this was really helpful.

Anonymous wrote:Makes sense, thank you. We are probably looking at the West Springfield, Robinson, Lake Braddock pyramids (possibly further east into Springfield for commutes if we have to, but I think Edison/Lewis pyramids aren’t as desirable?) if it matters. While I hope he would qualify for level iv (or at least math/science) if not I guess we could tolerate a year without it and then put him in honors for MS.

Kiddo is excited to start middle school, so another year of elementary would be a letdown, but I’m more concerned with shifting friend groups than school buildings, so I think the sooner the better if we have to move. It will only get harder.

You need to look at the schools in your area. I want to say that Lake Braddock is a secondary school with 6-12 grade attending but I could be wrong. FCPS has LIV/AAP and Advanced Math. There is no Advanced Science, LA, or Social Studies. Kids in LIV/AAP are supposed to receive extensions in all the core subjects, although the new LA Curriculum does not allow for that anymore. Advanced Math is offered to kids strong in math but who are not placed in LIV/AAP. The math track in MS is not tied to AAP/LIV. Kids who pass advanced on the 7th grade SOL, which is taken by 6th graders in Advanced Math and AAP/LIV classes, will be allowed to choose to take Algebra 1 in 7th grade. LIV/AAP classes are available for LA, Science, and Social Studies but only for kids in LIV/AAP and you have to take all of them, you cannot choose to take AAP Science and Honors LA and Social Studies.

Honestly, outside of the math it is not going to be a big deal for 6-8 grade. Most of the kids in FCPS who take AP/IB classes were not in AAP and they did just fine. I would be looking at the HS and find one that has a program you like. You are looking in an area where some schools are IB (Robinson) and others are AP. Make sure you are buying in a place that is close enough to a HS program that you want your child to participate in.

Makes sense, thank you. We are probably looking at the West Springfield, Robinson, Lake Braddock pyramids (possibly further east into Springfield for commutes if we have to, but I think Edison/Lewis pyramids aren’t as desirable?) if it matters. While I hope he would qualify for level iv (or at least math/science) if not I guess we could tolerate a year without it and then put him in honors for MS.

Kiddo is excited to start middle school, so another year of elementary would be a letdown, but I’m more concerned with shifting friend groups than school buildings, so I think the sooner the better if we have to move. It will only get harder.

Nothing in ES is cool or interesting. Honestly, the science and social studies is pretty standard. My kids school does an annual project with hatching and raising ducklings but that occurs in all of the 6th grade classes.

If disruption is a problem for him you might want to wait until 7th grade to move. He is going to move for 6th grade, changing schools, and then again in 7th grade. One move might work better for him. Most of the 6th graders are in an ES. I don't think the 6th graders who attend secondary school have honors classes. There is AAP and that is it for ES. I think that FCPS accepts the placements from neighboring school systems, but you would need to call the school you are looking at moving to and ask there.

Honors classes start in MS. Some people will swear to you that the honors classes are the same as the AAP classes in MS, others will tell you that they are totally different. I am sure that it depends on the individual school. I would imagine that honors classes at schools like Carson, Longfellow, Rocky Run, and Cooper are are pretty similar to the AAP classes. They are all more UMC/MC MS so the kids tend to be on the same footing.

As the title says, we are considering a move to FCPS from ACPS for 6th grade and I’m wondering how that would work if kiddo is in Advanced Academic Services for all subjects at his current school. I don't think FCPS considers it the equivalent of level iv, because we only have pullout for math and language arts. Science and history are (in theory) differentiated in the regular classroom. Would he have to test into AAP (and how?)? Is it even worth it in 6th grade, or are there honors classes that essentially do the same thing? Kiddo is highly intelligent, but is a bit weaker in language arts than in other subjects. He deals with mild anxiety and does not always test well, though he knows his stuff. I want him to have access to whatever cool math/science programs are available (and to kids with similar interests/academic leanings) but he can take a little while to make new friends so disrupting him multiple times for placement changes is not ideal. Our move would be end of summer, so really close to start of school year. I’d appreciate any thoughts.