For those who got in on appeal last year (2025)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We got in on appeal last year. Got the packet from school that the AART submitted and it was practically blank. Work samples that the school submitted was kindergarten work. I was appalled and saddened that my child’s application was submitted this way. We submitted additional work samples and got in. No new testing but NNAT was 99%ile w CoGat was 96%ile

+1 I was told that the school would submit the best work samples, so I let them choose all of the work samples for DD's portfolio. Got a copy of her portfolio after she was denied and was disappointed by the work samples they chose. They sent home better samples than the ones they submitted.

Now I know for my younger one not to leave it all to the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We got in on appeal last year. Got the packet from school that the AART submitted and it was practically blank. Work samples that the school submitted was kindergarten work. I was appalled and saddened that my child’s application was submitted this way. We submitted additional work samples and got in. No new testing but NNAT was 99%ile w CoGat was 96%ile

+1 I was told that the school would submit the best work samples, so I let them choose all of the work samples for DD's portfolio. Got a copy of her portfolio after she was denied and was disappointed by the work samples they chose. They sent home better samples than the ones they submitted.

Now I know for my younger one not to leave it all to the school.

This happened to us 3 yrs ago. They used awful samples and sent better ones home. I appealed with the samples they didn’t use and two from home.

Don’t trust that your local committee has any idea what they’re doing or that they know best your child’s strengths and ability.

[Anonymous]

My DD did not get in for second grade on the initial round or on appeal. She got in for third grade when I submitted far better work samples than anything that the school suggested or put together. Here's what we did:
1. My DD has been interested in a community problem (think environmental/recycling, etc. related). She wrote a letter to the Fairfax County government asking for government help and involvement in addressing the problem. We just submitted a copy of that letter as the work sample -- it was totally in her voice (misspellings and all).

2. She also had community involvement in an extracurricular activity. She created a chart/infographic to describe her strategy for the activity and how it has helped her do well.

I think things like a "how-to" guide for playing a board game or even a written accounting of an interesting vacation (and why it was so fun/enjoyable) would be beneficial to the Committee. The goal is to show that your child attacks problems with higher-level thinking and analyzes things in a manner beyond their years. At least at my school, the AART basically submitted worksheets--nothing that showed higher-level thinking or analysis. For kids with "borderline" test scores and HOPE, I really do think that the work samples are important.

For my next kid, on the initial application, I'll likely submit 2-3 work samples from home. I think leaving it all up to the school is a big mistake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We got in on appeal last year. Got the packet from school that the AART submitted and it was practically blank. Work samples that the school submitted was kindergarten work. I was appalled and saddened that my child’s application was submitted this way. We submitted additional work samples and got in. No new testing but NNAT was 99%ile w CoGat was 96%ile

+1 I was told that the school would submit the best work samples, so I let them choose all of the work samples for DD's portfolio. Got a copy of her portfolio after she was denied and was disappointed by the work samples they chose. They sent home better samples than the ones they submitted.

Now I know for my younger one not to leave it all to the school.

This happened to us 3 yrs ago. They used awful samples and sent better ones home. I appealed with the samples they didn’t use and two from home.

Don’t trust that your local committee has any idea what they’re doing or that they know best your child’s strengths and ability.

I agree. I saw my child's packet and was disgusted. It looked like pages were missing, you could barely read it b/c it was so faint, and her HOPE scores did not reflect them at all- with 3 out of the 4 evaluators as people who spend 30 mins or less with my child during the week. I only trust their teacher to accurately evaluate my child. They should have included the previous teachers. We submitted their own essay and more work from school that demonstrated more complex and organized thinking. We are also requesting the committee consider the more objective testing than the subjective observations. Who knows if we get in this year, but we will continue to advocate on their behalf.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We just submitted our appeal packet.

Does anyone know what the turnaround is? Do they wait until May 1 and then meet again, or is it on a rolling basis?

I wish there was more transparency with the process, hence why this blog exists!

We submitted an appeal 5/3 last year and was notified of acceptance on 5/30. I read it was rolling and the earlier you submit the better your odds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We just submitted our appeal packet.

Does anyone know what the turnaround is? Do they wait until May 1 and then meet again, or is it on a rolling basis?

I wish there was more transparency with the process, hence why this blog exists!

We submitted an appeal 5/3 last year and was notified of acceptance on 5/30. I read it was rolling and the earlier you submit the better your odds.

What was in your appeal that you believe helped you?

[Anonymous]

Any good math examples used last year?

[Anonymous]

We did not appeal when we went through this a few years ago but rather reapplied the following year.

Much like others have shared, the work samples in the packet were dismal. And this was back when they were using the GBRS but they had clearly lifted some of my comments from my parent referral to drop into the GBRS b/c, well, these people didn't know my kid. So if you have better work samples, put those in. And if you didn't fill out the parent part, do it.

I also had my daughter retake the CogAT (don't know if that's an option with this newer test) at GMU and when I did the packet for 8th grade, included those new scores and my own work samples. I submitted a board game she had made, a writing piece that showed imagination/creativity, and a math problem she had solved at home where she helped us determine the size of a piece of furniture we needed to buy based on what we wanted to store in it (there was also a slideshow presenting her results...she loves google slides, ha ha!).

What also helped was that she had been identified for placement in the advanced math class despite not having any AAP label b/c the school has local AAP and gave the kids a beginning of the year test to find kids to fill those seats. So when we reapplied, the school was already able to show she was doing advanced math work and doing well in it.

Good luck. I still think AAP is basically useless given the open enrollment options at the middle and high school level for honors classes, BUT, without the label, she wasn't guaranteed a seat every year in the advanced math class regardless of whether or not she "tested" in each year. We only reapplied to make sure the advanced math would continue. That's her area of strength.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We did not appeal when we went through this a few years ago but rather reapplied the following year.

Much like others have shared, the work samples in the packet were dismal. And this was back when they were using the GBRS but they had clearly lifted some of my comments from my parent referral to drop into the GBRS b/c, well, these people didn't know my kid. So if you have better work samples, put those in. And if you didn't fill out the parent part, do it.

I also had my daughter retake the CogAT (don't know if that's an option with this newer test) at GMU and when I did the packet for 8th grade, included those new scores and my own work samples. I submitted a board game she had made, a writing piece that showed imagination/creativity, and a math problem she had solved at home where she helped us determine the size of a piece of furniture we needed to buy based on what we wanted to store in it (there was also a slideshow presenting her results...she loves google slides, ha ha!).

What also helped was that she had been identified for placement in the advanced math class despite not having any AAP label b/c the school has local AAP and gave the kids a beginning of the year test to find kids to fill those seats. So when we reapplied, the school was already able to show she was doing advanced math work and doing well in it.

Good luck. I still think AAP is basically useless given the open enrollment options at the middle and high school level for honors classes, BUT, without the label, she wasn't guaranteed a seat every year in the advanced math class regardless of whether or not she "tested" in each year. We only reapplied to make sure the advanced math would continue. That's her area of strength.

I hear this argument every yr but it makes no sense to me at the middle school level. Everyone takes honors at our MS and AAP is separate w/ different classes and cohort. The honors classes in ms are not the same as AAP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We did not appeal when we went through this a few years ago but rather reapplied the following year.

Much like others have shared, the work samples in the packet were dismal. And this was back when they were using the GBRS but they had clearly lifted some of my comments from my parent referral to drop into the GBRS b/c, well, these people didn't know my kid. So if you have better work samples, put those in. And if you didn't fill out the parent part, do it.

I also had my daughter retake the CogAT (don't know if that's an option with this newer test) at GMU and when I did the packet for 8th grade, included those new scores and my own work samples. I submitted a board game she had made, a writing piece that showed imagination/creativity, and a math problem she had solved at home where she helped us determine the size of a piece of furniture we needed to buy based on what we wanted to store in it (there was also a slideshow presenting her results...she loves google slides, ha ha!).

What also helped was that she had been identified for placement in the advanced math class despite not having any AAP label b/c the school has local AAP and gave the kids a beginning of the year test to find kids to fill those seats. So when we reapplied, the school was already able to show she was doing advanced math work and doing well in it.

Good luck. I still think AAP is basically useless given the open enrollment options at the middle and high school level for honors classes, BUT, without the label, she wasn't guaranteed a seat every year in the advanced math class regardless of whether or not she "tested" in each year. We only reapplied to make sure the advanced math would continue. That's her area of strength.

I hear this argument every yr but it makes no sense to me at the middle school level. Everyone takes honors at our MS and AAP is separate w/ different classes and cohort. The honors classes in ms are not the same as AAP.

Same teachers, same Schoology folders, same slides, same homework, same tests, same field trip.... I'm sure it's not exactly the same, but it's also not that different

[Anonymous]

for us a lot of kids leave for the center and it becomes a very different peer group/experience so we really want to get in on appeal...our AART said at schools like Haycock the overall level is much higher and doesn't make much difference.

[Anonymous]

Our MS does the same everything for honors and AAP. Slides are labeled AAP but my Honors kids gets them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:for us a lot of kids leave for the center and it becomes a very different peer group/experience so we really want to get in on appeal...our AART said at schools like Haycock the overall level is much higher and doesn't make much difference.

Even at the center, the peer group for the gen ed kids changes.... because they spend so much time with just the kids in their class
I wish I could say that being at a center elevates the peer group, but there's a lot of segregation of the groups within the center