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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our AART very much emphasized that they are trying to find a peer group for your child. For appeal they mentioned to focus on how this would not be met at the general ed level. I think it is important to take it school by school.

We tried this route in our appeal letter for 2nd great and it didn't work for us. She was in-pool, great scores, lackluster HOPE, and pathetic work samples from the teacher. She was rejected on appeal that year even with high WISC scores and an appeal that mentioned peer group needs. I'm not convinced there was anything we could do to overcome the garbage packet the teacher/AART submitted for her that year.

She got in the next year, with a vastly different HOPE and so many great work samples. Our AART is useless. Despite DD being in part time AAP last year and full time this year, she's never even met the AART. The 3rd grade AAP teacher is the one who made the packet that got our daughter in. The AART did nothing but type in her WISC scores wrong (she got in anyway, so I didn't make a fuss about it, but wtf???)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our AART very much emphasized that they are trying to find a peer group for your child. For appeal they mentioned to focus on how this would not be met at the general ed level. I think it is important to take it school by school.

We tried this route in our appeal letter for 2nd great and it didn't work for us. She was in-pool, great scores, lackluster HOPE, and pathetic work samples from the teacher. She was rejected on appeal that year even with high WISC scores and an appeal that mentioned peer group needs. I'm not convinced there was anything we could do to overcome the garbage packet the teacher/AART submitted for her that year.

She got in the next year, with a vastly different HOPE and so many great work samples. Our AART is useless. Despite DD being in part time AAP last year and full time this year, she's never even met the AART. The 3rd grade AAP teacher is the one who made the packet that got our daughter in. The AART did nothing but type in her WISC scores wrong (she got in anyway, so I didn't make a fuss about it, but wtf???)

Our kid who got rejected the first year was also in pool with high test scores, mediocre HOPE scores and horrible work samples....and also had a non existent AART. This year they got in and with a such a great HOPE score (they did not change dramatically) and work samples. It was VERY frustrating because it showed how it can really depend on the teacher that can sway admission into the program.

[Anonymous]

I so agree with how the teacher plays a big role in this. We appealed this year for our 2nd grader who got rejected despite of being in the pool with high test scores, report card grades with mostly 4s, few 3s. Hope was fine but nothing extraordinary. I can definitely say the inconsistentcy between the test scores, Report Card grades and what the teacher gave for Hope scores. Unfortunately Hope seems to play a vital role and it's in the hands of the teacher that can jeopardize a kid's chance to be eligible 😞
Also the work samples submitted were disappointing. AART could have submitted better samples since I have seen better ones.
I do not have high hopes with the appeal. We also submitted WISC-V scores.

[Anonymous]

It is more then one teacher who work on the HOPE scores, I believe that they talk to the first and second grade teacher plus the AART. I also think that the work samples are all ones that the AART gives to all of the kids so that they have a uniform sample across the school.

[Anonymous]

It is true there is more than one person, but it doesn't include past teachers. Ours has current teacher, either asst principal/principal, AART, and school counselor. The AART did say they did ask special teachers like ART/MUSIC/STEAM about any kid that stood out.