Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Criticism about FCPS? But look how good the rich kids do! lol

Looks like Wise county has the equity that FCPS is dreaming of at lower costs.

Equity? It's 93% white and 99.7% english speakers.

It's a tiny school system with an extremely different population than FCPS. Apples & oranges.

Yes, the demographics are different, but the SOLs and educational standards are the same across Virginia, regardless of the school. It’s not just about comparing populations—it’s about comparing how well students perform on these standardized tests.

Central High faces challenges like 80% poverty and fewer resources, yet they’re still outperforming expectations. FCPS, despite spending more per student (even adjusted for COL), isn’t getting the same results. So, it's not about "apples and oranges"—it's about how the resources are managed. Central is doing more with less, and that points to a resource management problem in FCPS, not just a demographic difference.

If you cannot understand the difference in outcomes based on English language proficiency and base level of education then none of this matters.

Central High has a vast majority of kids who are native English speakers who are passing SOLs at the base rate. Great, they are able to teach white kids who have parents who graduated from high school and are fluent in English the base Virginia curriculum. Their SOL scores show that very few of those kids pass advanced, meaning that the kids are solidly middle of the road in their academic achievment.

McLean and Langley, two two FCPS schoosl you decided to compare against, have a slightly lower pass rate. Both of those schools have a large percentage of their population who don't take a math SOL in HS because they passed it in MS. The 7th graders who passed the Algebra 1 SOL probably passed advanced, because they are the kids on the accelerated track. They probably passed the Geometry SOL advanced as well. But they are not included in the numbers you are running. Those numbers include the few kids who are taking Algebra 1, not honors, in 9th grade. We would expect those kids to struggle with the SOL because they are kids who have historically struggled with math.

Comparing FCPS high FARMs schools to Central means comparing kids with very different backgrounds. Asking a non-English speaker to take and pass the SOL while they are learning English is more then ridiculous, but that is what we do. So comparing the white English speaking kids in small HSs who are taking basic classes at Central to impoverished, non-English speakers in FCPS is comparing apple to oranges.

The other metric that people are exploring looks at what type of overall classes are available for all students. In FCPS that means Honors, AP/IB, and DE classes. We cannot compare the success rate to Central because Central doesn't offer those classes. Do you know what programs are expensive to offer? AP/IB programs, SPED programs, Autism programs, ELL programs. Guess what FCPS has in spades that Central does not? AP/IB, DE, SPED, Autism, and ELL programs.

Central provides a basic education at a basic level to a small heterogeneous population. That is not hard to do. FCPS provides a wide range of educational opportunities to a diverse population with a wide variety of needs. Simply put, FCPS meets the needs of far more students then Central does and offers a wide variety of programs. FCPS has challenges that Central does not and has to provide programs that fit the needs of accelerated learners, SPED learners, and ELL learners which is far more expensive then teaching basic Algebra, Biology, History, and English to a small group of native English speakers.

If you cannot understand that then you are a troll. Or maybe you are a Central grad who meets the basic state requirements but cannot dig deeper then the surface of an issue.

+100
YES. Thank you.

Let’s break this down with actual numbers from the middle schools that feed into Central, Langley, and McLean:

L.F. Addington Middle (Central’s feeder):
Rank: 6th in Virginia
Average Standard Score: 91.74
Free/Reduced Lunch: 100.7%

Longfellow Middle (McLean’s feeder):
Rank: 45th in Virginia
Average Standard Score: 81.52
Free/Reduced Lunch: 14%

Cooper Middle (Langley’s feeder):
Rank: 19th in Virginia
Average Standard Score: 85.63
Free/Reduced Lunch: 4.3%

So, despite the significant differences in poverty levels, Addington is outperforming both Longfellow and Cooper in SOL scores. The argument that high SOL scores in middle school explain lower scores in high school for McLean and Langley doesn’t hold up. If this were the case, we’d expect higher middle school scores in those areas, but Addington’s students, with fewer resources, are doing better.

This data shows that economic challenges aren’t an excuse for lower scores—Central’s feeder schools are managing with far fewer resources yet still perform better. The real question is why FCPS isn’t seeing similar results given its much higher funding.

100.7%? Seems like they're double counting something in there...

Apples v. Oranges.

You continue to choose willful ignorance. Troll.

PP's data is wrong.

Last year, Addington had:
47.4% economically disadvantaged, not 100.4%
Almost no English learners
Had slightly lower pass rates for reading than Cooper or Longfellow
No kids in Geometry or Algebra 2

If Cooper and Longfellow forced all of their kids down in math then they would certainly have higher SOL rates than Addington. As it is, their kids in Geometry and Algebra 2 had 95-100% pass rates.

Cooper
Low income 5.1%
English learners 9.5%
Disabilities 11.8%
Reading SOL 94%
Math 8 85%
Alg 1 99%
Geo 100%
Alg 2 100%

Longfellow
Low income 12.8%
English learners 15.8%
Disabilities 10.4%
Reading SOL 91%
Math 8 83%
Alg 1 99%
Geo 95%
Alg 2 96%

Addington
Low income 47.4%
English learners 1.7%
Disabilities 15.9%
Reading SOL 89%
Math 8 95%
Alg 1 100%
Geo n/a
Alg 2 n/a

https://schoolquality.virginia.gov/schools/l-f-addington-middle#fndtn-desktopTabs-enrollment
https://schoolquality.virginia.gov/schools/longfellow-middle#fndtn-desktopTabs-assessments
https://schoolquality.virginia.gov/schools/cooper-middle#fndtn-desktopTabs-assessments

Wise County is doing well with its small, homogenous population, but it's really not comparable in any way to FCPS.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Criticism about FCPS? But look how good the rich kids do! lol

Looks like Wise county has the equity that FCPS is dreaming of at lower costs.

Equity? It's 93% white and 99.7% english speakers.

It's a tiny school system with an extremely different population than FCPS. Apples & oranges.

Yes, the demographics are different, but the SOLs and educational standards are the same across Virginia, regardless of the school. It’s not just about comparing populations—it’s about comparing how well students perform on these standardized tests.

Central High faces challenges like 80% poverty and fewer resources, yet they’re still outperforming expectations. FCPS, despite spending more per student (even adjusted for COL), isn’t getting the same results. So, it's not about "apples and oranges"—it's about how the resources are managed. Central is doing more with less, and that points to a resource management problem in FCPS, not just a demographic difference.

If you cannot understand the difference in outcomes based on English language proficiency and base level of education then none of this matters.

Central High has a vast majority of kids who are native English speakers who are passing SOLs at the base rate. Great, they are able to teach white kids who have parents who graduated from high school and are fluent in English the base Virginia curriculum. Their SOL scores show that very few of those kids pass advanced, meaning that the kids are solidly middle of the road in their academic achievment.

McLean and Langley, two two FCPS schoosl you decided to compare against, have a slightly lower pass rate. Both of those schools have a large percentage of their population who don't take a math SOL in HS because they passed it in MS. The 7th graders who passed the Algebra 1 SOL probably passed advanced, because they are the kids on the accelerated track. They probably passed the Geometry SOL advanced as well. But they are not included in the numbers you are running. Those numbers include the few kids who are taking Algebra 1, not honors, in 9th grade. We would expect those kids to struggle with the SOL because they are kids who have historically struggled with math.

Comparing FCPS high FARMs schools to Central means comparing kids with very different backgrounds. Asking a non-English speaker to take and pass the SOL while they are learning English is more then ridiculous, but that is what we do. So comparing the white English speaking kids in small HSs who are taking basic classes at Central to impoverished, non-English speakers in FCPS is comparing apple to oranges.

The other metric that people are exploring looks at what type of overall classes are available for all students. In FCPS that means Honors, AP/IB, and DE classes. We cannot compare the success rate to Central because Central doesn't offer those classes. Do you know what programs are expensive to offer? AP/IB programs, SPED programs, Autism programs, ELL programs. Guess what FCPS has in spades that Central does not? AP/IB, DE, SPED, Autism, and ELL programs.

Central provides a basic education at a basic level to a small heterogeneous population. That is not hard to do. FCPS provides a wide range of educational opportunities to a diverse population with a wide variety of needs. Simply put, FCPS meets the needs of far more students then Central does and offers a wide variety of programs. FCPS has challenges that Central does not and has to provide programs that fit the needs of accelerated learners, SPED learners, and ELL learners which is far more expensive then teaching basic Algebra, Biology, History, and English to a small group of native English speakers.

If you cannot understand that then you are a troll. Or maybe you are a Central grad who meets the basic state requirements but cannot dig deeper then the surface of an issue.

+100
YES. Thank you.

Let’s break this down with actual numbers from the middle schools that feed into Central, Langley, and McLean:

L.F. Addington Middle (Central’s feeder):
Rank: 6th in Virginia
Average Standard Score: 91.74
Free/Reduced Lunch: 100.7%

Longfellow Middle (McLean’s feeder):
Rank: 45th in Virginia
Average Standard Score: 81.52
Free/Reduced Lunch: 14%

Cooper Middle (Langley’s feeder):
Rank: 19th in Virginia
Average Standard Score: 85.63
Free/Reduced Lunch: 4.3%

So, despite the significant differences in poverty levels, Addington is outperforming both Longfellow and Cooper in SOL scores. The argument that high SOL scores in middle school explain lower scores in high school for McLean and Langley doesn’t hold up. If this were the case, we’d expect higher middle school scores in those areas, but Addington’s students, with fewer resources, are doing better.

This data shows that economic challenges aren’t an excuse for lower scores—Central’s feeder schools are managing with far fewer resources yet still perform better. The real question is why FCPS isn’t seeing similar results given its much higher funding.

100.7%? Seems like they're double counting something in there...

Apples v. Oranges.

You continue to choose willful ignorance. Troll.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Criticism about FCPS? But look how good the rich kids do! lol

Looks like Wise county has the equity that FCPS is dreaming of at lower costs.

Equity? It's 93% white and 99.7% english speakers.

It's a tiny school system with an extremely different population than FCPS. Apples & oranges.

Yes, the demographics are different, but the SOLs and educational standards are the same across Virginia, regardless of the school. It’s not just about comparing populations—it’s about comparing how well students perform on these standardized tests.

Central High faces challenges like 80% poverty and fewer resources, yet they’re still outperforming expectations. FCPS, despite spending more per student (even adjusted for COL), isn’t getting the same results. So, it's not about "apples and oranges"—it's about how the resources are managed. Central is doing more with less, and that points to a resource management problem in FCPS, not just a demographic difference.

If you cannot understand the difference in outcomes based on English language proficiency and base level of education then none of this matters.

Central High has a vast majority of kids who are native English speakers who are passing SOLs at the base rate. Great, they are able to teach white kids who have parents who graduated from high school and are fluent in English the base Virginia curriculum. Their SOL scores show that very few of those kids pass advanced, meaning that the kids are solidly middle of the road in their academic achievment.

McLean and Langley, two two FCPS schoosl you decided to compare against, have a slightly lower pass rate. Both of those schools have a large percentage of their population who don't take a math SOL in HS because they passed it in MS. The 7th graders who passed the Algebra 1 SOL probably passed advanced, because they are the kids on the accelerated track. They probably passed the Geometry SOL advanced as well. But they are not included in the numbers you are running. Those numbers include the few kids who are taking Algebra 1, not honors, in 9th grade. We would expect those kids to struggle with the SOL because they are kids who have historically struggled with math.

Comparing FCPS high FARMs schools to Central means comparing kids with very different backgrounds. Asking a non-English speaker to take and pass the SOL while they are learning English is more then ridiculous, but that is what we do. So comparing the white English speaking kids in small HSs who are taking basic classes at Central to impoverished, non-English speakers in FCPS is comparing apple to oranges.

The other metric that people are exploring looks at what type of overall classes are available for all students. In FCPS that means Honors, AP/IB, and DE classes. We cannot compare the success rate to Central because Central doesn't offer those classes. Do you know what programs are expensive to offer? AP/IB programs, SPED programs, Autism programs, ELL programs. Guess what FCPS has in spades that Central does not? AP/IB, DE, SPED, Autism, and ELL programs.

Central provides a basic education at a basic level to a small heterogeneous population. That is not hard to do. FCPS provides a wide range of educational opportunities to a diverse population with a wide variety of needs. Simply put, FCPS meets the needs of far more students then Central does and offers a wide variety of programs. FCPS has challenges that Central does not and has to provide programs that fit the needs of accelerated learners, SPED learners, and ELL learners which is far more expensive then teaching basic Algebra, Biology, History, and English to a small group of native English speakers.

If you cannot understand that then you are a troll. Or maybe you are a Central grad who meets the basic state requirements but cannot dig deeper then the surface of an issue.

+100
YES. Thank you.

Let’s break this down with actual numbers from the middle schools that feed into Central, Langley, and McLean:

L.F. Addington Middle (Central’s feeder):
Rank: 6th in Virginia
Average Standard Score: 91.74
Free/Reduced Lunch: 100.7%

Longfellow Middle (McLean’s feeder):
Rank: 45th in Virginia
Average Standard Score: 81.52
Free/Reduced Lunch: 14%

Cooper Middle (Langley’s feeder):
Rank: 19th in Virginia
Average Standard Score: 85.63
Free/Reduced Lunch: 4.3%

So, despite the significant differences in poverty levels, Addington is outperforming both Longfellow and Cooper in SOL scores. The argument that high SOL scores in middle school explain lower scores in high school for McLean and Langley doesn’t hold up. If this were the case, we’d expect higher middle school scores in those areas, but Addington’s students, with fewer resources, are doing better.

This data shows that economic challenges aren’t an excuse for lower scores—Central’s feeder schools are managing with far fewer resources yet still perform better. The real question is why FCPS isn’t seeing similar results given its much higher funding.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Criticism about FCPS? But look how good the rich kids do! lol

Looks like Wise county has the equity that FCPS is dreaming of at lower costs.

Equity? It's 93% white and 99.7% english speakers.

It's a tiny school system with an extremely different population than FCPS. Apples & oranges.

Yes, the demographics are different, but the SOLs and educational standards are the same across Virginia, regardless of the school. It’s not just about comparing populations—it’s about comparing how well students perform on these standardized tests.

Central High faces challenges like 80% poverty and fewer resources, yet they’re still outperforming expectations. FCPS, despite spending more per student (even adjusted for COL), isn’t getting the same results. So, it's not about "apples and oranges"—it's about how the resources are managed. Central is doing more with less, and that points to a resource management problem in FCPS, not just a demographic difference.

If you cannot understand the difference in outcomes based on English language proficiency and base level of education then none of this matters.

Central High has a vast majority of kids who are native English speakers who are passing SOLs at the base rate. Great, they are able to teach white kids who have parents who graduated from high school and are fluent in English the base Virginia curriculum. Their SOL scores show that very few of those kids pass advanced, meaning that the kids are solidly middle of the road in their academic achievment.

McLean and Langley, two two FCPS schoosl you decided to compare against, have a slightly lower pass rate. Both of those schools have a large percentage of their population who don't take a math SOL in HS because they passed it in MS. The 7th graders who passed the Algebra 1 SOL probably passed advanced, because they are the kids on the accelerated track. They probably passed the Geometry SOL advanced as well. But they are not included in the numbers you are running. Those numbers include the few kids who are taking Algebra 1, not honors, in 9th grade. We would expect those kids to struggle with the SOL because they are kids who have historically struggled with math.

Comparing FCPS high FARMs schools to Central means comparing kids with very different backgrounds. Asking a non-English speaker to take and pass the SOL while they are learning English is more then ridiculous, but that is what we do. So comparing the white English speaking kids in small HSs who are taking basic classes at Central to impoverished, non-English speakers in FCPS is comparing apple to oranges.

The other metric that people are exploring looks at what type of overall classes are available for all students. In FCPS that means Honors, AP/IB, and DE classes. We cannot compare the success rate to Central because Central doesn't offer those classes. Do you know what programs are expensive to offer? AP/IB programs, SPED programs, Autism programs, ELL programs. Guess what FCPS has in spades that Central does not? AP/IB, DE, SPED, Autism, and ELL programs.

Central provides a basic education at a basic level to a small heterogeneous population. That is not hard to do. FCPS provides a wide range of educational opportunities to a diverse population with a wide variety of needs. Simply put, FCPS meets the needs of far more students then Central does and offers a wide variety of programs. FCPS has challenges that Central does not and has to provide programs that fit the needs of accelerated learners, SPED learners, and ELL learners which is far more expensive then teaching basic Algebra, Biology, History, and English to a small group of native English speakers.

If you cannot understand that then you are a troll. Or maybe you are a Central grad who meets the basic state requirements but cannot dig deeper then the surface of an issue.

+100
YES. Thank you.

Let’s break this down with actual numbers from the middle schools that feed into Central, Langley, and McLean:

L.F. Addington Middle (Central’s feeder):
Rank: 6th in Virginia
Average Standard Score: 91.74
Free/Reduced Lunch: 100.7%

Longfellow Middle (McLean’s feeder):
Rank: 45th in Virginia
Average Standard Score: 81.52
Free/Reduced Lunch: 14%

Cooper Middle (Langley’s feeder):
Rank: 19th in Virginia
Average Standard Score: 85.63
Free/Reduced Lunch: 4.3%

So, despite the significant differences in poverty levels, Addington is outperforming both Longfellow and Cooper in SOL scores. The argument that high SOL scores in middle school explain lower scores in high school for McLean and Langley doesn’t hold up. If this were the case, we’d expect higher middle school scores in those areas, but Addington’s students, with fewer resources, are doing better.

This data shows that economic challenges aren’t an excuse for lower scores—Central’s feeder schools are managing with far fewer resources yet still perform better. The real question is why FCPS isn’t seeing similar results given its much higher funding.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Criticism about FCPS? But look how good the rich kids do! lol

Looks like Wise county has the equity that FCPS is dreaming of at lower costs.

Equity? It's 93% white and 99.7% english speakers.

It's a tiny school system with an extremely different population than FCPS. Apples & oranges.

Yes, the demographics are different, but the SOLs and educational standards are the same across Virginia, regardless of the school. It’s not just about comparing populations—it’s about comparing how well students perform on these standardized tests.

Central High faces challenges like 80% poverty and fewer resources, yet they’re still outperforming expectations. FCPS, despite spending more per student (even adjusted for COL), isn’t getting the same results. So, it's not about "apples and oranges"—it's about how the resources are managed. Central is doing more with less, and that points to a resource management problem in FCPS, not just a demographic difference.

If you cannot understand the difference in outcomes based on English language proficiency and base level of education then none of this matters.

Central High has a vast majority of kids who are native English speakers who are passing SOLs at the base rate. Great, they are able to teach white kids who have parents who graduated from high school and are fluent in English the base Virginia curriculum. Their SOL scores show that very few of those kids pass advanced, meaning that the kids are solidly middle of the road in their academic achievment.

McLean and Langley, two two FCPS schoosl you decided to compare against, have a slightly lower pass rate. Both of those schools have a large percentage of their population who don't take a math SOL in HS because they passed it in MS. The 7th graders who passed the Algebra 1 SOL probably passed advanced, because they are the kids on the accelerated track. They probably passed the Geometry SOL advanced as well. But they are not included in the numbers you are running. Those numbers include the few kids who are taking Algebra 1, not honors, in 9th grade. We would expect those kids to struggle with the SOL because they are kids who have historically struggled with math.

Comparing FCPS high FARMs schools to Central means comparing kids with very different backgrounds. Asking a non-English speaker to take and pass the SOL while they are learning English is more then ridiculous, but that is what we do. So comparing the white English speaking kids in small HSs who are taking basic classes at Central to impoverished, non-English speakers in FCPS is comparing apple to oranges.

The other metric that people are exploring looks at what type of overall classes are available for all students. In FCPS that means Honors, AP/IB, and DE classes. We cannot compare the success rate to Central because Central doesn't offer those classes. Do you know what programs are expensive to offer? AP/IB programs, SPED programs, Autism programs, ELL programs. Guess what FCPS has in spades that Central does not? AP/IB, DE, SPED, Autism, and ELL programs.

Central provides a basic education at a basic level to a small heterogeneous population. That is not hard to do. FCPS provides a wide range of educational opportunities to a diverse population with a wide variety of needs. Simply put, FCPS meets the needs of far more students then Central does and offers a wide variety of programs. FCPS has challenges that Central does not and has to provide programs that fit the needs of accelerated learners, SPED learners, and ELL learners which is far more expensive then teaching basic Algebra, Biology, History, and English to a small group of native English speakers.

If you cannot understand that then you are a troll. Or maybe you are a Central grad who meets the basic state requirements but cannot dig deeper then the surface of an issue.

+100
YES. Thank you.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Criticism about FCPS? But look how good the rich kids do! lol

Looks like Wise county has the equity that FCPS is dreaming of at lower costs.

Equity? It's 93% white and 99.7% english speakers.

It's a tiny school system with an extremely different population than FCPS. Apples & oranges.

Yes, the demographics are different, but the SOLs and educational standards are the same across Virginia, regardless of the school. It’s not just about comparing populations—it’s about comparing how well students perform on these standardized tests.

Central High faces challenges like 80% poverty and fewer resources, yet they’re still outperforming expectations. FCPS, despite spending more per student (even adjusted for COL), isn’t getting the same results. So, it's not about "apples and oranges"—it's about how the resources are managed. Central is doing more with less, and that points to a resource management problem in FCPS, not just a demographic difference.

If you cannot understand the difference in outcomes based on English language proficiency and base level of education then none of this matters.

Central High has a vast majority of kids who are native English speakers who are passing SOLs at the base rate. Great, they are able to teach white kids who have parents who graduated from high school and are fluent in English the base Virginia curriculum. Their SOL scores show that very few of those kids pass advanced, meaning that the kids are solidly middle of the road in their academic achievment.

McLean and Langley, two two FCPS schoosl you decided to compare against, have a slightly lower pass rate. Both of those schools have a large percentage of their population who don't take a math SOL in HS because they passed it in MS. The 7th graders who passed the Algebra 1 SOL probably passed advanced, because they are the kids on the accelerated track. They probably passed the Geometry SOL advanced as well. But they are not included in the numbers you are running. Those numbers include the few kids who are taking Algebra 1, not honors, in 9th grade. We would expect those kids to struggle with the SOL because they are kids who have historically struggled with math.

Comparing FCPS high FARMs schools to Central means comparing kids with very different backgrounds. Asking a non-English speaker to take and pass the SOL while they are learning English is more then ridiculous, but that is what we do. So comparing the white English speaking kids in small HSs who are taking basic classes at Central to impoverished, non-English speakers in FCPS is comparing apple to oranges.

The other metric that people are exploring looks at what type of overall classes are available for all students. In FCPS that means Honors, AP/IB, and DE classes. We cannot compare the success rate to Central because Central doesn't offer those classes. Do you know what programs are expensive to offer? AP/IB programs, SPED programs, Autism programs, ELL programs. Guess what FCPS has in spades that Central does not? AP/IB, DE, SPED, Autism, and ELL programs.

Central provides a basic education at a basic level to a small heterogeneous population. That is not hard to do. FCPS provides a wide range of educational opportunities to a diverse population with a wide variety of needs. Simply put, FCPS meets the needs of far more students then Central does and offers a wide variety of programs. FCPS has challenges that Central does not and has to provide programs that fit the needs of accelerated learners, SPED learners, and ELL learners which is far more expensive then teaching basic Algebra, Biology, History, and English to a small group of native English speakers.

If you cannot understand that then you are a troll. Or maybe you are a Central grad who meets the basic state requirements but cannot dig deeper then the surface of an issue.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It also matters whether kids are included if they take an AP test rather than an SOL. It's very unlikely any child that took an AP test would have failed their SOL test.

Regarding whether students who take an AP test instead of an SOL are included in school rankings, here’s how it works:

In Virginia, students who take AP exams can use them as a substitute for the SOLs in some subjects. However, they are often still required to take SOL tests to meet graduation or federal accountability requirements. So, even though AP exams can count for verified credit, many AP students still participate in the SOL pool.

Additionally, SchoolDigger uses average SOL scores to rank schools and includes all students, whether they take standard or AP courses, in their performance data. So, the rankings reflect the overall student body’s achievements, ensuring a fair comparison across schools.

You’re right that it’s unlikely a student passing an AP test would fail an SOL, but since the SOLs are standardized and taken statewide, they give a consistent measure of performance across different districts and schools, making them a reliable benchmark.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It also matters whether kids are included if they take an AP test rather than an SOL. It's very unlikely any child that took an AP test would have failed their SOL test.

Regarding whether students who take an AP test instead of an SOL are included in school rankings, here’s how it works:

In Virginia, students who take AP exams can use them as a substitute for the SOLs in some subjects. However, they are often still required to take SOL tests to meet graduation or federal accountability requirements. So, even though AP exams can count for verified credit, many AP students still participate in the SOL pool.

Additionally, SchoolDigger uses average SOL scores to rank schools and includes all students, whether they take standard or AP courses, in their performance data. So, the rankings reflect the overall student body’s achievements, ensuring a fair comparison across schools.

You’re right that it’s unlikely a student passing an AP test would fail an SOL, but since the SOLs are standardized and taken statewide, they give a consistent measure of performance across different districts and schools, making them a reliable benchmark.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Criticism about FCPS? But look how good the rich kids do! lol

Looks like Wise county has the equity that FCPS is dreaming of at lower costs.

Equity? It's 93% white and 99.7% english speakers.

It's a tiny school system with an extremely different population than FCPS. Apples & oranges.

Yes, the demographics are different, but the SOLs and educational standards are the same across Virginia, regardless of the school. It’s not just about comparing populations—it’s about comparing how well students perform on these standardized tests.

Central High faces challenges like 80% poverty and fewer resources, yet they’re still outperforming expectations. FCPS, despite spending more per student (even adjusted for COL), isn’t getting the same results. So, it's not about "apples and oranges"—it's about how the resources are managed. Central is doing more with less, and that points to a resource management problem in FCPS, not just a demographic difference.

Anonymous wrote:It also matters whether kids are included if they take an AP test rather than an SOL. It's very unlikely any child that took an AP test would have failed their SOL test.