The screening committee is made up of FCPS professionals who are trained in the holistic screening process.

• Each file is read by committee members to determine eligibility.
• Each reader makes an independent decision, and their combined choices determine whether the committee agrees on the need for Full-Time AAP.

Each committee member reads the entire portfolio, which includes:

• Work samples
• Parent or guardian information (referral form, questionnaire)
• A rating scale that notes student strengths (completed by a committee at the local school)
• Progress reports
• Testing data (ability and achievement tests)

Portfolio Review Process

• Consistent Reviewers: All student portfolios from a single school are evaluated by the same six-member committee. This ensures a standardized review process within each school. (This is referred to as "local norming.")
• Holistic Evaluation: Each student's portfolio is reviewed as a complete package. The committee considers all aspects of the student's work together, rather than focusing on individual components. (This is referred to as "holistic screening.") No single part of the portfolio is assigned a specific weight or importance.
• Placement Assessment: The committee's goal is to determine if a student requires a different academic placement. Specifically, they assess whether the student's current access to academic peers and advanced curriculum is sufficient through existing programs like Tier 1 instruction, Subject-Specific Advanced Academic Programs (AAP), or Part-Time AAP services.
• Decision-Making: A final eligibility decision is made when at least four of the six committee members reach an agreement on whether a different placement is needed.

The committee does not generate individual reports.

• Multiple data points and multiple readers ensure careful consideration of each student’s portfolio.
• An oversight committee reviews all ineligibility decisions to ensure consistency in the screening process.

The HOPE rating scale is a strength-based tool.  Staff at your student’s school use this tool to document observations of potential traits for committee review.

The school staff assesses how often a student displays behaviors compared to peers of similar age, experience, and environment, and identifies specific content areas where the student shows talent.

Parents can share their observations through the Parent/Guardian Questionnaire and Referral forms.

FCPS Families: Families that would like to see a copy of their student’s screening portfolio, including the HOPE, may request a copy from the AART at the local school.

If your child attends FCPS, they will continue to have access to AAP curriculum and strategies, regardless of Full-Time AAP eligibility.

Learn more about the AAP continuum of services in FCPS

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) holds high expectations for students and expects most students to enroll in advanced coursework in middle and high school regardless of formal identification for Advanced Academic Programs (AAP) services in the elementary grades. As part of this expectation, all FCPS elementary classrooms incorporate AAP curriculum and strategies. When many students in a class benefit from more frequent access, teachers provide instructional opportunities without formal labels. This aligns with current research in gifted education centering differentiation as the purpose for programming and the district’s focus on Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

Beginning in middle school and through high school, students can elect to take advanced coursework in specific subject areas of strength and/or interest through open enrollment.

The principal or Advanced Academic Resource Teacher (AART) can provide details on AAP curriculum for all students (Access to Rigor) and information about Subject-Specific or Part-Time AAP services.

Screening for Subject-Specific and Part-Time AAP is conducted by screening committees at each individual school.

Questions? Contact the AART at your local school

For private school/homeschooled students: Subject-Specific and Part-Time AAP screening is available for enrolled FCPS students and occurs year-round. Since screening happens at the local school, eligibility timelines are more flexible than the central Full-Time AAP process. Once enrolled in FCPS, contact the AART at your school for more information.

FCPS believes in developing the talents of all students. Every student needs challenge, enrichment, and deeper learning experiences. Our commitment to providing rigor through access to AAP materials to all students is part of the FCPS strategic plan.  All K-6 students have opportunities throughout the school year to use AAP strategies and curriculum through Tier 1 Access to Rigor.  No identification is required for this. Opportunities are part of Tier 1 instruction for all students. With the FCPS talent development model, all students in FCPS elementary schools access:

• Lessons to develop critical and creative thinking strategies
• Lessons using AAP curriculum and strategies

Some students need increased intensity of advanced differentiation in comparison to other students in their current setting in order to address their asynchronous cognitive and social-emotional development. These services are not a label of gifted, rather they note that a student’s has:

• Academic needs beyond peers in their current grade level/school
• Strengths in specific subject areas (e.g. language arts, mathematics, science, or social studies) that are notably different from their grade level peers
• A need for instruction at a faster pace and increased depth and complexity in one or more content areas

Sometimes these needs are in one subject area and students receive Subject-Specific AAP. Sometimes these needs may be in multiple content areas and students may receive Part-Time or Full-Time AAP. Students’ advanced academic needs may change over time. Students may be screened for AAP services annually. All FCPS advanced coursework in middle and high school is open enrollment.

If you would like to have the decision on your student’s eligibility reconsidered, the best next step is to submit new information for consideration. This happens by submitting an appeal following the process and deadlines detailed on this page.

If you would like to learn more about Subject-Specific or Part-Time AAP services, please reach out to the AART at your local school. Each local school offers parent information meetings in the  Fall to explain available AAP services. All students not found eligible for Full-Time AAP are automatically screened for these services. Eligibility decisions about Subject-Specific and Part-Time AAP are communicated directly from the local school at the end of the school year.

If you wish to talk to someone in the AAP Office, complete our contact form.

Families who call or email the office will be directed to the contact form and placed in the queue for an office response.