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

[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

[Anonymous]

I have been reflecting on our initial rejection and although we have appealed (haven't heard anything yet), I wanted to pass along some good luck and hope to everyone who has appealed. We all love and believe in our children, and if there's one thing I've discussed with our child, it's that this isn't a reflection on who they are, what they can do, or have any impacts on decisions that come later in life (like college or future careers). So again, good luck and I hope you are successful with your appeals!

[Anonymous]

Thank you. Very well said.
I wish you and everyone else, who appealed, good luck as well. From an aap rejected and appealed mom to another

I want to chime in on the work samples our AART submitted for DC. They were very disappointing. I could not find the reason, why we got rejected. High scores in all tests, HOPE was Ok, Report Card mostly 4 s consistently. The school could have selected better work samples. DC himself was surprised that one of his early and casual work samples were submitted. He has brought back better samples at home than what was submitted in his portfolio. One of the Math samples submitted showed the problem was not solved correctly. How could the AART choose such a sample for someone, who she is recommending for full time services. As I said I have seen him bring back home much much better samples, which are also correct. One of his samples even had part of his drawing cut off. It's sad - how such selection by the AART can ruin a child's chance of possibly getting accepted into full time AAP.

[Anonymous]

Those that got in on appeal and used WISC-V, did you include the full report with all the subscores? Do any subscores carry more weight than the others? How much weight does the PSI carry?

[Anonymous]

My 2nd grader was rejected. Received “Always” on the HOPE in all eleven areas. All 4s on report card. WISC-V was 99%tile. We’re at a high SES school that is also an AAP center. I don’t have high hopes that they’ll get in on appeal, but tried anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 2nd grader was rejected. Received “Always” on the HOPE in all eleven areas. All 4s on report card. WISC-V was 99%tile. We’re at a high SES school that is also an AAP center. I don’t have high hopes that they’ll get in on appeal, but tried anyway.

Ditto for me back with older one (now in 8th.) Rejected until 4th grade. He had a friend who didn’t get in until transition from 6th-7th!

My younger one (grade 2) also got retracted and we appealed. No WISC. Didn’t help my older one last time. More interesting work samples so will see but no big hopes.

And honestly, no big deal. Unless they go to TJ, all end up in same school for high school and can choose classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 2nd grader was rejected. Received “Always” on the HOPE in all eleven areas. All 4s on report card. WISC-V was 99%tile. We’re at a high SES school that is also an AAP center. I don’t have high hopes that they’ll get in on appeal, but tried anyway.

Yet another example of a gifted student rejected by the holistic process....
And, I know that not everyone in aap has 99%ile for even just any individual index in the wisc because people humble brag their kids scores all the time...
I do wish they could be more transparent with who this program is for

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 2nd grader was rejected. Received “Always” on the HOPE in all eleven areas. All 4s on report card. WISC-V was 99%tile. We’re at a high SES school that is also an AAP center. I don’t have high hopes that they’ll get in on appeal, but tried anyway.

High MAP and VALLS too? You may have better luck on appeals than you think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 2nd grader was rejected. Received “Always” on the HOPE in all eleven areas. All 4s on report card. WISC-V was 99%tile. We’re at a high SES school that is also an AAP center. I don’t have high hopes that they’ll get in on appeal, but tried anyway.

What is the point of testing these kids if they don't even consider the results? And when they're in-pool? I'm beginning to think all the kids "in pool" should just be accepted to AAP, remove the central committee and let the teachers at the school determine who should be in AAP. A group of people who don't even know these kids are determining who makes the cut and who doesn't, despite great scores on HW, report cards, HOPE, etc. Eliminate the middle man/group and let those who know the student actually decide. Because the reality is, if they still don't get in on appeal, the school is determine whether they can do PT AAP if offered.

[Anonymous]

It's the holistic part of it that makes it so so not transparent. Now that the GBRS score is replaced with Hope, which includes check marks instead of actual scores (as in GBRS), things have become even less transparent. I agree if a kid can be part of the full time screening pool then why can't he/she get into the full time program?
My DC despite of having good scores in NGAT, NNAT, VALS, MAP and mostly all 4 s in report card except for few 3s, reasonable Hope got rejected. I was not happy with the work samples our AART submitted. She could have submitted better samples as I have seen my child bring back home better samples from school. We appealed, included WISC, but not too hopeful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 2nd grader was rejected. Received “Always” on the HOPE in all eleven areas. All 4s on report card. WISC-V was 99%tile. We’re at a high SES school that is also an AAP center. I don’t have high hopes that they’ll get in on appeal, but tried anyway.

What is the point of testing these kids if they don't even consider the results? And when they're in-pool? I'm beginning to think all the kids "in pool" should just be accepted to AAP, remove the central committee and let the teachers at the school determine who should be in AAP. A group of people who don't even know these kids are determining who makes the cut and who doesn't, despite great scores on HW, report cards, HOPE, etc. Eliminate the middle man/group and let those who know the student actually decide. Because the reality is, if they still don't get in on appeal, the school is determine whether they can do PT AAP if offered.

Scores used to matter but then parents figured out how to prep their kids for them and skewed the results, and this is why we can’t have easy solutions. For every parent who says, “let the teachers who know the kids at their school decide,” is another parent who says the teacher has no way of knowing their kid in a class of 28 and they got screwed on HOPE rating. The point of the holistic process is to look at the whole picture and determine if the scores match the work samples and the teacher impression. It’s definitely an imperfect system but it changed for a reason.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 2nd grader was rejected. Received “Always” on the HOPE in all eleven areas. All 4s on report card. WISC-V was 99%tile. We’re at a high SES school that is also an AAP center. I don’t have high hopes that they’ll get in on appeal, but tried anyway.

High MAP and VALLS too? You may have better luck on appeals than you think.

Yes. High MAP (99 percentile) and perfect VALLSS score (got max score) but I don’t know if those are included in the AAP packet.

It’s a bit unfair if your child just happens to be at a competitive elementary school. The AAP curriculum is supposed to be the same throughout the county so if a kid would be selected at a less competitive school and thrive in AAP, they should be able to access that same programming regardless of how many other kids at their school it’s also appropriate for.

Frustrating to see lower scores (testing, HOPE report card etc) of kids that get in from less competitive schools and many with the same and higher at competitive schools get shut out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 2nd grader was rejected. Received “Always” on the HOPE in all eleven areas. All 4s on report card. WISC-V was 99%tile. We’re at a high SES school that is also an AAP center. I don’t have high hopes that they’ll get in on appeal, but tried anyway.

High MAP and VALLS too? You may have better luck on appeals than you think.

Yes. High MAP (99 percentile) and perfect VALLSS score (got max score) but I don’t know if those are included in the AAP packet.

It’s a bit unfair if your child just happens to be at a competitive elementary school. The AAP curriculum is supposed to be the same throughout the county so if a kid would be selected at a less competitive school and thrive in AAP, they should be able to access that same programming regardless of how many other kids at their school it’s also appropriate for.

Frustrating to see lower scores (testing, HOPE report card etc) of kids that get in from less competitive schools and many with the same and higher at competitive schools get shut out.

Agree completely. At least they were transparent telling us that our kids are evaluated against the pool at their respective schools! That policy to compare against classmates needs to go! Kids should have access to a curriculum that appropriately challenges them and that they can thrive in regardless of classmate’s abilities.