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ACL Prep Roadmap by Grade

Choose your student's grade for a short, numbered plan toward the Academies of Loudoun: the math course that keeps Algebra I on track, the grades that count, and when and how to practice.

What grade is your student in now?

AOS and AET take applications in the fall of 8th grade. The 9th or 10th grade plan covers Advanced AET and MATA.

Plan for 5th grade

5th grade: choose 6th grade math with 8th grade in mind

There is nothing to apply for yet. The decision that matters this year is the 6th grade math course, because AOS and AET applicants must be in Algebra I or higher when they apply in the fall of 8th grade.

  1. Choose the 6th grade math course. LCPS offers rising 6th graders Math 6 or Math 7. Both can still reach Algebra I by 8th grade. The math routes table shows each path in the LCPS math course-selection guide.
  2. Know the Pre-Algebra option. Students who want to skip both Math 6 and Math 7 can opt in to the Pre-Algebra Readiness Assessment. LCPS uses it with MAP and SOL data to recommend Pre-Algebra in 6th grade. In the SY 2025-2026 guide the window was January 15 to February 7, so ask your school for this year’s dates.
  3. Know that grades start counting next year. Every 6th and 7th grade math and science course needs a final grade of C or higher for AOS and AET.
  4. Build reading and explaining habits. The Writing Assessment asks students to reason through a real-world science scenario in writing. Reading nonfiction and explaining ideas out loud or on paper builds the same habits.

Plan for 6th grade

6th grade: grades start to count

Final grades in 6th grade math and science are part of the AOS and AET grade requirement, and this is the year you choose the 7th grade math course.

  1. Earn a C or higher in math and science. LCPS requires a final grade of C or higher in all grade 6 and 7 math and science courses, grade 8 math (semester 1), and grade 8 science (quarter 2). It is a requirement to meet, not a score to maximize.
  2. Choose the 7th grade math course. From Math 6, the options are Math 7 or Pre-Algebra (Math 8). From Math 7, they are Pre-Algebra or Algebra 1. Each of these can still lead to Algebra I or higher in 8th grade.
  3. Read the released writing prompt once. LCPS publishes a released practice prompt and its scoring rubric. One untimed try in the writing practice tool shows what the task asks.
  4. Practice reasoning a little at a time. LCPS says the admission test is a timed, multiple-choice test taken online without a calculator, but it does not publish its length or scoring. Multi-step problems worked without a calculator, with each step explained, are a sensible way to practice.

Plan for 7th grade

7th grade: make sure 8th grade math is Algebra I or higher

The 8th grade math course chosen this year decides whether the student can apply. AOS and AET applicants must be enrolled in Algebra I or higher at the time of application.

  1. Choose Algebra 1 or higher for 8th grade. From Math 7, the options are Pre-Algebra or Algebra 1. A student in Pre-Algebra in 8th grade will not meet the Algebra I requirement when applications open. From Pre-Algebra, the next course is Algebra 1, and from Algebra 1 it is Geometry.
  2. Keep a C or higher in 7th grade math and science. These final grades are part of the requirement, along with grade 8 math (semester 1) and grade 8 science (quarter 2).
  3. Start timed writing practice. About once a month, write to the released prompt under the 30-minute limit and score it on the five rubric indicators with the writing practice tool.
  4. Keep practicing reasoning. Work multi-step problems without a calculator and have the student explain each step in words. LCPS describes the test only as timed, multiple choice, and calculator-free, so aim for the habit, not a question type.
  5. Know when the application opens. The fall application usually opens in late August of 8th grade and closes in mid-October. The admissions countdown lists the exact dates for the current cycle.

Plan for 8th grade

8th grade: apply this fall

AOS and AET take applications from 8th graders in the fall. The 2026 window runs August 24, 2026 to October 15, 2026 at 12:00 noon.

  1. Check eligibility. The student must live in Loudoun County (public, private, and homeschool students may apply), be in 8th grade, be enrolled in Algebra I or higher, and have a C or higher in the required math and science grades, including grade 8 math (semester 1) and grade 8 science (quarter 2). The eligibility checker goes through each rule.
  2. Apply once for each program. AOS and AET each need their own application, and a parent must approve each one in ParentVUE by October 15, 2026 at 12:00 noon. The admissions countdown has every date.
  3. Practice writing under the real time limit. Write to the released prompt in 30 minutes, then score it on the five indicators with the writing practice tool. Once a week in the weeks before the test is a steady pace.
  4. Practice reasoning. Keep working multi-step problems without a calculator, since none is allowed on the test. The free ACL diagnostic below includes two STEM reasoning problems and a writing response.
  5. Test day, then offers. The Writing Assessment and the 2026 Academies of Loudoun Admission Test are on November 12, 2026, during the school day at the student’s middle school. Private and homeschool students test at the Academies of Loudoun. Offers are posted February to March 2027.

Plan for 9th or 10th grade

9th or 10th grade: Advanced AET and MATA

AOS and AET admit students only through the fall application in 8th grade. High school students can apply in the winter cycle to Advanced AET or to MATA.

  1. Advanced AET: apply in 10th or 11th grade. Applicants must be taking or have completed Math Analysis, AP Precalculus, Precalculus DE, or AP Calculus AB. Students taking or past AP Calculus BC are not eligible. They also need 2 science credits by the end of 10th grade, a C or above in each 9th grade course and each semester 1 course of 10th grade, a PSAT score (or an SAT or ACT score), and the Writing Assessment.
  2. MATA: apply in 10th or 11th grade. Applicants need Algebra I or higher, a GPA of at least 2.0 (3.0 for some dual-enrollment courses), and to be on track to graduate on time. Students choose up to three pathways. LCPS holds a lottery only when more qualified students apply than there are seats.
  3. Plan 9th grade with the winter cycle in mind. For Advanced AET, map out a math sequence that reaches Math Analysis or Precalculus by the year you apply, and keep every grade at C or above. The program matcher shows which programs fit your student.
  4. Know the winter dates. The current winter window runs December 1, 2026 to January 15, 2027 at 12:00 noon, and the Advanced AET test is January 23, 2027. The admissions countdown tracks both.

Math Routes to Algebra I by 8th Grade

AOS and AET applicants must be enrolled in Algebra I or higher when they apply in the fall of 8th grade. LCPS’s math course-selection guide asks families to consider whether the student wants to take “Algebra 1 in middle school in order to be able to apply to AET/AOS”. These are the middle school routes the guide shows.

6th grade 7th grade 8th grade Note
Math 6 Pre-Algebra (Math 8) Algebra 1 Skips Math 7
Math 6 Math 7 Algebra 1 Skips Pre-Algebra
Math 7 Pre-Algebra (Math 8) Algebra 1
Math 7 Algebra 1 Geometry Skips Pre-Algebra
Pre-Algebra (Math 8) Algebra 1 Geometry By Readiness Assessment

A student in Pre-Algebra in 8th grade takes Algebra 1 in 9th grade and will not meet the AOS and AET math requirement. Pre-Algebra in 6th grade depends on the opt-in Pre-Algebra Readiness Assessment, along with MAP and SOL data. Placement questions go to your school’s teachers and counselors.

Which Middle School Grades Count

LCPS requires a final grade of C or higher in each of these courses. It is a requirement to meet, not part of a score.

Grade 6 and grade 7
All math and science courses, final grades.
Grade 8 math
Semester 1.
Grade 8 science
Quarter 2.

LCPS does not publish a middle school science sequence for Academies applicants. The only science requirement is the C or higher above. The eligibility checker goes through every rule.

What Comes After Admission

AOS is a four-year program. LCPS publishes its 9th to 12th grade course outline on the Academy of Science page, under “AOS (9-12) Outline”. The 9th grade year lists AOS Integrated Science I and II and AOS Integrated Math I. The program matcher lists the AET pathways and the other Academies programs.

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ACL Prep by Grade: Common Questions

When should my child start preparing for the Academies of Loudoun?

The first real decision comes in 5th grade, when families choose the 6th grade math course. Final grades in 6th and 7th grade math and science count toward the requirement. Writing and reasoning practice matters most in 7th and 8th grade, before the fall application.

Does my child need Algebra I in 8th grade?

For AOS and AET, yes. LCPS requires applicants to be enrolled in Algebra I or higher at the time of application, in the fall of 8th grade. A student in Pre-Algebra in 8th grade does not meet that requirement.

Which grades count for AOS and AET?

LCPS requires a final grade of C or higher in all grade 6 and 7 math and science courses, grade 8 math (semester 1), and grade 8 science (quarter 2). Meeting it keeps the student eligible; it is not part of a score.

Is there a middle school science sequence to follow?

LCPS does not publish one for Academies applicants. The science requirement is a C or higher in the listed science courses.

When does the AOS and AET application open?

Usually in late August of 8th grade, and it closes in mid-October. The admissions countdown on this site lists the exact dates for the current cycle.

Can a high school student apply to AOS or AET?

No. AOS and AET admit students through the fall application in 8th grade. High school students can apply in the winter cycle to Advanced AET, in 10th or 11th grade, or to MATA, in 10th or 11th grade.

Sources, last checked September 26, 2026

LCPS can change its dates, courses, and requirements, and its pages are the official record. Questions go to the LCPS admissions office at AcademiesAdmissions@lcps.org or 571-252-1992, and math placement questions to your school. AcademiesPrep is an independent prep program and is not affiliated with the Academies of Loudoun or Loudoun County Public Schools.

See where your student stands today.

The free ACL diagnostic includes one ACL-style writing response and two STEM reasoning problems. You get an automated readiness report by email first, and an instructor can review the responses and refine the feedback.

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