Education
The FCPS AAP Checklist: What to File Before December 15
One form, one person, one deadline. What a Fairfax parent files before December 15, in order, and which parts happen without you.
Luv Chaudhary
I lead strategy and research at Cuemath. I spend most of my week talking to parents across the US about how their children learn math, and turning what they tell us into what we build and teach.
Education
How Does a Child Get Into Frisco ISD's Gifted Program?
One January window, two school years: kindergarten screens for 2026-27, grades 1-11 for 2027-28. Which Frisco ISD door is yours, and the automatic CogAT route.
Education
What Does Your Child's Kumon Level Actually Mean?
A Kumon level is a position in a worksheet sequence, not a grade. How to read it against your child's grade, and what to ask the instructor.
Education
How Does a Child Get Into Advanced Math in Fairfax County?
One AAP door opens by itself (the grade 2 screener) and one you open (the referral, closing December 15). Where the math actually sits in Fairfax County.
Education
How Does a Child Get Into Advanced Math in Plano ISD?
PACE runs on referrals, Math Rocks runs on invitations, and Credit by Exam is the route a family can choose on its own. The dates and rules, from the district's own pages.
Education
What Comes After Beast Academy, Kumon, or Singapore Math?
Where each program actually ends, what its maker says comes next, and the one check that tells you where your child stands at that point.
Education
Before You Pick a Math Program: The Six Questions That Matter More Than the Brand
Six questions that tell you more about a math program than its brand name, all askable in one conversation. What each one surfaces, what a good answer sounds like, and why a non-answer is also an answer.
Education
When Is the FCPS AAP Referral Deadline? The 2026-27 Timeline
Everyone in Fairfax watches December 15. The timeline starts in August, and two of the dates that matter most land well before December: September 30 for retakes, October 15 for students new to FCPS.
Education
Open Enrollment Deadlines: SMUHSD's December Window and Frisco's January Dates
Two districts open their real windows in the dead of winter: SMUHSD enrollment on December 1, Frisco's G/T referral on January 5. The exact dates, what each decides, and the trap inside each one.
Education
San Mateo Union High School District: When Do We Enroll?
The enrollment window moved to December 1. What it buys, the February 5 deadline that punishes a miss, and the transcript-based math placement that follows.
Education
Cupertino Union School District: Can My Child Switch Schools?
One window a year, closing November 30 at 4:00 pm, no exceptions. Which grades actually have openings, why the waitlist order matters more than the deadline, and the two mistakes that cost families their place.
Education
Math Kangaroo Past Papers: What's Free and How to Use Them
You do not need to buy anything to see what Math Kangaroo looks like. What the organizer gives away free at every level, and a plain way to use one past paper properly.