Anonymous
Post 08/15/2025 13:41     Subject: Algebra in 6th grade - new selection process?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:FCPS said they will use a vendor called “EdOptions Academy” to deliver the virtual lessons. Our school will put the kids in a separate room for their Algebra 1 HN virtual lessons. Our AART teacher will be the facilitator to ensure the smooth learning process. We only have 9 kids eligible for this pilot program at our school. Not sure all of them will take this. But I am confident that 4 of us will take the chance and let the kids try at first. If it turns out to be not a good fit, our kids can withdraw and go back to the 7 Grade Math. During the webinar last night, FCPS said that there were kids doing this before. Are there any parents willing to share their experience? Thanks!


There were about 30 kids taking Algebra 1 every year, using a selection method that was not shared and only at schools where the Principal was willing to suggest it. I want to say that there were 10 or so schools that regularly had kids in Algebra 1 in 6th grade.


Do SOL scores show this? Where does FCPs have data to see how many 6th graders were taking before?


There are kids who are ready for Algebra 1 in 6th grade, the SOL scores remain strong in Geometry and Algebra 2 for the kids taking Algebra 1 early. The reality is that the kids taking these classes earlier are ready for them. We had DS in math enrichment because ES math was easy for him and he liked math. He was in the 95th percentile on the AMC 8 as a 6th grader. He could handle more complex math.

The SOL scores from 2021-2024 show:

Sixth grade Algebra 1 FCPS:

2021-2022 22 (0 student failed the SOL, 21 Passed Advanced)
2022-2023 31 (1 student failed the SOL, 26 Passed Advanced)
2023-2024 25 (0 student failed the SOL, 24 Passed Advanced)

Seventh grade Algebra 1 FCPS:

2021-2022 1,503 (4 students failed the SOL, 1,050 Passed Advanced)
2022-2023 1,680 (8 students failed the SOL, 1,158 Passed Advanced)
2023-2024 1,829 (6 students failed the SOL, 1,243 Passed Advanced)

Eighth grade Algebra 1 FCPS:

2021-2022 6,045 (367 students failed the SOL, 1,332 Passed Advanced)
2022-2023 6,635 (447 students failed the SOL, 1,538 Passed Advanced)
2023-2024 6,766 (329 students failed the SOL, 1,458 Passed Advanced)

Ninth grade Algebra 1 FCPS:

2021-2022 5,595 (1,096 students failed the SOL, 153 Passed Advanced)
2022-2023 5,908 (994 students failed the SOL, 207 Passed Advanced)
2023-2024 5,374 (802 students failed the SOL, 147 Passed Advanced)


Where is link you got this from- interesting to read? And while I agree with you that definitely some are ready for higher math, jumping from 25-30 kids taking algebra 1 in 6th to 500 with 1-2 weeks notice seems wrong execution of a plan. And if the 25-30 kids were physically at MS with a dedicated Algebra teacher, don’t think can compare or anticipate that success rate can or will be the same.


I agree that the execution is awful. I don't think they are going to have 500 kids in the pilot. There are 11 schools and at least one person has reported 9 kids that were selected for their school. I doubt that there are 491 at the other 10 schools. I would expect that the secondary schools are all in the pilot because 6th graders can attend Algebra 1H in an established class. They could actually be an interesting comparison to the Center schools to the non-Center schools in the pilot.

https://p1pe.doe.virginia.gov/apex_captcha/home.do?apexTypeId=306

You can build your own tables. Algebra is listed as an EOC test level and you need to select that to get the Algebra 1 results, or at least that is what I select to get the Algebra 1 levels. All the aggregated SOL data is available for the public to use. I choose the three available years since COVID, Division Level (FCPS), Grade 6,7,8,9, Test level EOC, Test source SOL, subject area Math, test Algebra 1, and all the statistics. There might be another way to build the table but that is how I built mine.

You can also run those tables by individual school. These are the schools that have had someone take the Algebra 1 SOL in 6th grade, there are no numbers available because no school has more than 10 kids to report numbers.

Archer (2021), Canterbury Woods (2021), Churchill Road (2021, 2022, 2023), Colvin Run (2021, 2023), Daniels Run (2023), Forestville (2022, 2023), Greenbriar West (2021,2022), Haycock (2021, 2022, 2023), Holmes (2022), Hunters Woods (2023), Kent Gardens (2021, 2022, 2023), Lees Corner (2023), Lemon Road (2022, 2023), Mantua (2021), Mosaic (2022, 2023), McNair Upper (2021), Navy (2022, 2023), Oak Hill (2021), Oakton (2022), Sangster (2023), Springfield Estates (2023), Spring Hill (2022), Timber Lane (2022), Stenwood (2021, 2023), Willow Springs (2022), Westbriar (2021, 2023),





Anonymous
Post 08/15/2025 13:19     Subject: Re:Algebra in 6th grade - new selection process?
Anonymous wrote:Am I reading right that this is new program announced 1 week before school starts? That’s nuts if so!


Exactly. All interested parties (teachers, students, parents, etc.) should’ve been notified in the spring to give ample time to take the SOL seriously, fill gaps, and give time to structure the classrooms and prepare the teachers.
Anonymous
Post 08/15/2025 13:11     Subject: Algebra in 6th grade - new selection process?
Anonymous wrote:I think one of several reasons for offering more kids Algebra in 6th is to discourage the practice of kids taking Geometry the summer between 7th/8th, a generally undesirable practice for reasons that have been widely discussed on this forum but that may be appropriate in extremely niche cases.

True to form for the neverending arms race some parents want to engage in, on the webinar one of the parents asked if their student could now take Geometry the summer between 6th and 7th. When the answer was no, they asked if their student could take Algebra II the summer between 7th and 8th. Maybe this parent has some 0.0001% child prodigy who really desperately needs that level of acceleration and the parent thought that this public webinar was the right forum for handling their very specific and individual question regarding their exceptional of the exceptional child, but it seems more likely it's just part of the "do anything to get a perceived leg up on the competition" attitude that some parents take towards their child's education.

I share the concerns about the 6th grade Algebra teachers generally not being well experienced or adequately prepared for this, especially as the students will essentially be skipping two years of math (7th and 8th). On the other hand we spoke privately to our 5th grade teacher and she indicated that she thought our student was ready for it, and also said that she wasn't giving that same advice to everyone who asked her with an eligible student. So we're torn. Most likely we'll give it a shot, supplement at home with parental and maybe Beast Academy review of some of the 7th/8th grade pre-algebra concepts, and if it ends up a disaster or doesn't seem like our student fully mastered all the Algebra fundamentals we can expunge and repeat in 7th grade with an experienced MS teacher.

It seems there are two main advantages for a student who is ready for it, if the school can rise to the challenge of successfully delivering the content at a deep level to these 6th graders. The first is less boredom and more excitement about math/school (our child thought about it for a day or two when we explained the option/choice we have, and said they wanted to do it because they wanted more of a challenge with math than they had last year), and the second is that it provides greater flexibility to take other math courses in HS (MV Calc/LA/DE on the traditional theory side, and on the more practical/applied side Data Science, AP Stats, and other offerings that may come online in the coming years around AI/ML or who knows what else).
My DC took Algebra Honors in 7th grade and was able to take MV Calc, Linear Algebra and AP Stats in high school. I’m not sure what DE is. You do not need to take it in 6th to be able to take those classes in high school. He had a free class in 11th and 12th, so if there was Data Science offered when he was in school, he probably would have taken it too.
Anonymous
Post 08/15/2025 13:04     Subject: Algebra in 6th grade - new selection process?
Anonymous wrote:The biggest issue is that now to keep our kids with their math peers we are forced to participate in the 6th grade algebra 1 experiment.

That's an absurd take. You aren't being "forced" to participate in anything, and your kid doesn't need to be kept with their "math peers." If you want your kid in 7th grade Algebra, they'll be fine with the "lesser" kids who aren't your kid's "math peers." If other parents want 6th grade Algebra for their kids, and the kids are ready and capable, you don't get to hold other people's kids back to benefit your own kid.

Broadly speaking, this change is a huge positive one. A 1125 Q is a very high score, and kids at that level are ready, content wise, for Algebra. Parents are now being given more choices for their kids. Assuming FCPS can get qualified teachers who won't water down the material, they provide adequate information about the executive functioning level needed to succeed in Algebra in 6th, they provide reasonable off ramps for kids who are struggling, and they increase high school math class offerings, this move is great! All of those assumptions are a huge snag, and who knows whether FCPS is capable of doing any of that. Those issues are the problem -- not your desire to hold back other kids so your kid can take Algebra in 7th but still be in the top group.
Anonymous
Post 08/15/2025 12:51     Subject: Algebra in 6th grade - new selection process?
The biggest issue is that now to keep our kids with their math peers we are forced to participate in the 6th grade algebra 1 experiment.
Anonymous
Post 08/15/2025 12:42     Subject: Algebra in 6th grade - new selection process?
If a lot more kids are taking Calculus in 10th or 11th grade, then it is likely that all of the high schools will expand their math offerings.

Also, at many schools, a humanities oriented kid who takes Calculus in 10th could take AP stats and some sort of computer science class in 11th and 12th.
Anonymous
Post 08/15/2025 12:31     Subject: Re:Algebra in 6th grade - new selection process?
Am I reading right that this is new program announced 1 week before school starts? That’s nuts if so!
Anonymous
Post 08/15/2025 12:30     Subject: Algebra in 6th grade - new selection process?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:So if our mathy 6th graders become decide they want to major in history and go to law school down the road, is it going to look bad if they stop taking math after sophomore year? Or will they now be forced to take multi var?

Our assigned high school is an IB school and does not offer AP stats or the option to slow down the sequence with multiple levels of calculus, it is 2 years of IB and then...nothing unless we pursue dual enrollment.

It's hard to know who our kids will be in 5-6 years.


I have a sibling who graduated from TJ with the minimum math (Calc AB) and was a successful philosophy major and lawyer. But he was able to do a lot of the slowing down on the math track, even there, that it sounds like your kid can't.


I think this is going to have a ton of waterfall effects. If we are sending 50-100 super accelerated kids to every middle school, we now need algebra 2 courses at all middle schools (or maybe only at the center schools and tell families they must go there to access it?). Then we need multiple years of advanced high school courses beyond the current calculus and AP offerings.

The issue is high school teachers aren't certified to teach the dual enrollment classes. I teach at an FCPS high school and we are running into huge problems because in order to be a dual enrollment teacher through NVCC you need a masters *in your subject*. Most of us have undergrad degrees in math, but our masters are in education. So is FCPS going to pay for teachers to get masters degrees in math? Pay for kids to take advanced math off campus? Leave it up to the families to figure it out? This gets $$$, there aren't scholarships for 1 off classes...is continuing the math sequence only for wealthy families?

Just so many things are going to have to change because of a plan that was seemingly thrown together in a few weeks.

The is
Anonymous
Post 08/15/2025 12:30     Subject: Algebra in 6th grade - new selection process?
Add one more to the list: Did anyone catch that Dr. Reilly (former Mclean HS Principal) noting that high schools are now going to get dinged in their metrics (set by VA Dept of Ed) because they will have kids in 9th through 12 who do not sit for SOLs anymore and apparently there's a metric that captures the % of kids sitting (perhaps passing) for SOLs? She basically said "they'll need to figure out something." Easy for her to say!
Anonymous
Post 08/15/2025 12:27     Subject: Algebra in 6th grade - new selection process?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:So if our mathy 6th graders become decide they want to major in history and go to law school down the road, is it going to look bad if they stop taking math after sophomore year? Or will they now be forced to take multi var?

Our assigned high school is an IB school and does not offer AP stats or the option to slow down the sequence with multiple levels of calculus, it is 2 years of IB and then...nothing unless we pursue dual enrollment.

It's hard to know who our kids will be in 5-6 years.


There are two IB Math tracks, your child could take both and skip multi-variate all together. The bigger issue at IB schools is when they are able to take the IB test. They are not supposed to take the IB tests until Senior year. A kid who completes an IB math sequence as a sophomore has to demand to take the test that year while the material is fresh in their mind.


IB thread from last year had most parents saying no FCPS IB school allows anyone to take test early (even if “demand”), but even for schools outside FCPS that would allow, the problem is cannot take early and get full IB diploma- for IB full diploma, IB test in 12th. Bottom-line, IB schools are already NOT designed for accelerated math kids and reason many move to AP schools.


AP schools have the same issue as the poster before you mentioned. Kids will now be "forced" into very complex math sequencing that they do not truly need if they want an advanced diploma.
Anonymous
Post 08/15/2025 12:24     Subject: Algebra in 6th grade - new selection process?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:So if our mathy 6th graders become decide they want to major in history and go to law school down the road, is it going to look bad if they stop taking math after sophomore year? Or will they now be forced to take multi var?

Our assigned high school is an IB school and does not offer AP stats or the option to slow down the sequence with multiple levels of calculus, it is 2 years of IB and then...nothing unless we pursue dual enrollment.

It's hard to know who our kids will be in 5-6 years.


There are two IB Math tracks, your child could take both and skip multi-variate all together. The bigger issue at IB schools is when they are able to take the IB test. They are not supposed to take the IB tests until Senior year. A kid who completes an IB math sequence as a sophomore has to demand to take the test that year while the material is fresh in their mind.


IB thread from last year had most parents saying no FCPS IB school allows anyone to take test early (even if “demand”), but even for schools outside FCPS that would allow, the problem is cannot take early and get full IB diploma- for IB full diploma, IB test in 12th. Bottom-line, IB schools are already NOT designed for accelerated math kids and reason many move to AP schools.
Anonymous
Post 08/15/2025 12:18     Subject: Algebra in 6th grade - new selection process?
Anonymous wrote:So if our mathy 6th graders become decide they want to major in history and go to law school down the road, is it going to look bad if they stop taking math after sophomore year? Or will they now be forced to take multi var?

Our assigned high school is an IB school and does not offer AP stats or the option to slow down the sequence with multiple levels of calculus, it is 2 years of IB and then...nothing unless we pursue dual enrollment.

It's hard to know who our kids will be in 5-6 years.


This is my concern as well. Learning that being advanced in math can actually handicap a student if they pursue a field that doesn’t require much math is eye-opening. My child has known for some time what they want to do, and I don’t see that changing—it’s a career path that requires no more than one year of math in college. However, if they want to earn an advanced diploma, they’ll be forced into the rigorous math sequence, even without a genuine need for those courses. The advanced diploma is practically a requirement for admission to some of Virginia’s more competitive colleges, which makes this a double-edged sword. In high school, instead of focusing on dual enrollment classes that align with their interests, my child will be stuck taking advanced math courses they are unlikely to ever use.
Anonymous
Post 08/15/2025 12:15     Subject: Algebra in 6th grade - new selection process?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:FCPS said they will use a vendor called “EdOptions Academy” to deliver the virtual lessons. Our school will put the kids in a separate room for their Algebra 1 HN virtual lessons. Our AART teacher will be the facilitator to ensure the smooth learning process. We only have 9 kids eligible for this pilot program at our school. Not sure all of them will take this. But I am confident that 4 of us will take the chance and let the kids try at first. If it turns out to be not a good fit, our kids can withdraw and go back to the 7 Grade Math. During the webinar last night, FCPS said that there were kids doing this before. Are there any parents willing to share their experience? Thanks!


There were about 30 kids taking Algebra 1 every year, using a selection method that was not shared and only at schools where the Principal was willing to suggest it. I want to say that there were 10 or so schools that regularly had kids in Algebra 1 in 6th grade.


Do SOL scores show this? Where does FCPs have data to see how many 6th graders were taking before?


There are kids who are ready for Algebra 1 in 6th grade, the SOL scores remain strong in Geometry and Algebra 2 for the kids taking Algebra 1 early. The reality is that the kids taking these classes earlier are ready for them. We had DS in math enrichment because ES math was easy for him and he liked math. He was in the 95th percentile on the AMC 8 as a 6th grader. He could handle more complex math.

The SOL scores from 2021-2024 show:

Sixth grade Algebra 1 FCPS:

2021-2022 22 (0 student failed the SOL, 21 Passed Advanced)
2022-2023 31 (1 student failed the SOL, 26 Passed Advanced)
2023-2024 25 (0 student failed the SOL, 24 Passed Advanced)

Seventh grade Algebra 1 FCPS:

2021-2022 1,503 (4 students failed the SOL, 1,050 Passed Advanced)
2022-2023 1,680 (8 students failed the SOL, 1,158 Passed Advanced)
2023-2024 1,829 (6 students failed the SOL, 1,243 Passed Advanced)

Eighth grade Algebra 1 FCPS:

2021-2022 6,045 (367 students failed the SOL, 1,332 Passed Advanced)
2022-2023 6,635 (447 students failed the SOL, 1,538 Passed Advanced)
2023-2024 6,766 (329 students failed the SOL, 1,458 Passed Advanced)

Ninth grade Algebra 1 FCPS:

2021-2022 5,595 (1,096 students failed the SOL, 153 Passed Advanced)
2022-2023 5,908 (994 students failed the SOL, 207 Passed Advanced)
2023-2024 5,374 (802 students failed the SOL, 147 Passed Advanced)


Where is link you got this from- interesting to read? And while I agree with you that definitely some are ready for higher math, jumping from 25-30 kids taking algebra 1 in 6th to 500 with 1-2 weeks notice seems wrong execution of a plan. And if the 25-30 kids were physically at MS with a dedicated Algebra teacher, don’t think can compare or anticipate that success rate can or will be the same.
Anonymous
Post 08/15/2025 11:53     Subject: Algebra in 6th grade - new selection process?
Anonymous wrote:So if our mathy 6th graders become decide they want to major in history and go to law school down the road, is it going to look bad if they stop taking math after sophomore year? Or will they now be forced to take multi var?

Our assigned high school is an IB school and does not offer AP stats or the option to slow down the sequence with multiple levels of calculus, it is 2 years of IB and then...nothing unless we pursue dual enrollment.

It's hard to know who our kids will be in 5-6 years.


There are two IB Math tracks, your child could take both and skip multi-variate all together. The bigger issue at IB schools is when they are able to take the IB test. They are not supposed to take the IB tests until Senior year. A kid who completes an IB math sequence as a sophomore has to demand to take the test that year while the material is fresh in their mind.
Anonymous
Post 08/15/2025 11:52     Subject: Algebra in 6th grade - new selection process?
Anonymous wrote:Maybe this parent has some 0.0001% child prodigy who really desperately needs that level of acceleration and the parent thought that this public webinar was the right forum for handling their very specific and individual question regarding their exceptional of the exceptional child, but it seems more likely it's just part of the "do anything to get a perceived leg up on the competition" attitude that some parents take towards their child's education.


They don't. FCPS identifies kids like that in 1st or 2nd grade, and they're skipped ahead well before 6th grade.