FCPS presents Goal 3 report: reading gains, math access initiatives, board presses for details
Loading...
Summary
Fairfax County Public Schools staff reported modest gains in reading and math metrics and laid out strategies—expanded pilots, reading plans and algebra access—while board members pressed for disaggregated data, clarity on subgroup gaps and school‑level participation.
Fairfax County Public Schools staff on Jan. 13 presented the division's annual Strategic Goal 3 report on academic growth and excellence, highlighting incremental gains in both language arts and mathematics and outlining targeted interventions to close achievement gaps.
At the work session, Marcy Neil, assistant superintendent for strategy, planning and learning, reviewed multiple measures used to assess language arts: Standards of Learning (SOL) pass rates, the Virginia Alternate Assessment Program (VAAP), AP and IB English exam pass rates and SAT reading results. Neil told the board the division's reading SOL pass rate for 2024–25 was 79 percent, up two percentage points from the baseline, and noted five student groups met annual targets. Staff also reported VAAP pass rates of 84 percent and that approximately 7,000 AP/IB English exams were administered last year with an 88 percent pass rate.
"We see that in almost all areas, FCPS students exceed state averages in language arts," Neil said, adding that multilingual learners showed WIDA growth—57 percent met WIDA progress standards, up 12 percentage points from the baseline—but cautioned that many multilingual learners who are still developing English proficiency do not yet pass reading SOLs.
The presentation described five priority strategies to improve third‑grade reading and related outcomes: evidence‑based core instruction (EBLI) and benchmark curriculum; a divisionwide model of targeted small‑group interventions ("walk to intervention"); an intensified, schoolwide model for 29 high‑need schools called "walk to read"; expanded pilot work with Enhanced Core Reading Instruction (ECRI); and strengthened family engagement (including Summit K12 family accounts). Staff said the ECRI pilot was expanded after promising initial results and that Summit K12 family accounts currently support thousands of users.
On mathematics, staff reported steady growth since the baseline and emphasized a strategic priority to increase access to Algebra I by eighth grade. Amy Hunter, who leads math standards and assessment work, described three core aims: align earlier grade curricula so algebra becomes the default eighth‑grade pathway; increase enrollment through proactive advising and targeted outreach; and provide supports for students once placed in accelerated courses, including summer programming and a pilot Algebra I companion course to launch next year. Staff said roughly half of students in grades 5–9 took and passed above‑grade‑level math SOLs, and 61 percent of students earned verified Algebra I credit last year, up 10 percentage points from the baseline.
Board members pressed for more disaggregated and school‑level data. Several requested AP vs. IB breakdowns, participation rates, and concrete information about which schools are making progress on subgroup targets. One board member asked how the division is tracking long‑term college outcomes for students who pass AP/IB and whether those scores correlate with later university performance; staff said the National Student Clearinghouse can help but has limits for isolating district cohorts.
The session closed with staff offering follow‑up: disaggregated AP/IB pass rates, more school‑level participation figures, and clearer outreach materials for families explaining different tests and what the results mean.
Next steps: staff will return with requested breakdowns and with updates on pilot evaluations and implementation timelines for the algebra companion course and ECRI expansion.
