AAS Appeals

The following information can also be found here in the following languages:

• ACPS Advanced Academics Services Appeal Information 2024-2025- Amharic
• ACPS Advanced Academics Services Appeal Information 2024-2025- Arabic
• ACPS Advanced Academics Services Appeal Information 2024-2025- Dari
• ACPS Advanced Academics Services Appeal Information 2024-2025- English
• ACPS Advanced Academics Services Appeal Information 2024-2025- Spanish

Parents/Guardians have the right to file an appeal with the Office of Advanced Academic Services (AAS) for students referred during the AAS screening cycle who were not found eligible for services. The appeal will be reviewed before the Advanced Academic Services Appeals Committee, also known as the Appeals Committee. If a parent/guardian wishes to appeal the decision, they have 10 ACPS instructional days to submit an appeal after being informed of their child's eligibility for services. No appeals will be accepted after May 15, 2025.

How do I appeal the decision?

Parents/guardians must submit an appeals form via PowerSchool using the form titled Advanced Academic Services Appeals Form. On the form, parents/guardians are required to note the following:

• The subject areas in which you are appealing.
• The reasons you believe the committee decision was made in error. (The reasons may only be placed on this form using the space provided).
  • Clearly state the reason for the appeal.
  • Provide relevant details that support your request.
  • Focus on facts, student needs, and any supporting documentation.
  • Avoid naming specific employees.

Parents/guardians have the option to include additional data and/or information they feel may be relevant to their child's eligibility for AAS. Please submit all optional documents in one email to AAS@acps.k12.va.us. Some examples include:

• Up to five, single-sided work samples selected by the parents/guardians
• New test results
• Parents/guardians’ narrative about their child's academic strengths via written narrative (no more than two single-sided pages). 
• Parents/guardians’ narrative about their child’s academic strengths via a video or audio recording, not to exceed five minutes. (Due to email storage space, please send a link to the video, not the video file.)

What happens after I appeal the decision?

In the case of an appeal, all of the documents involved in the student's referral are reviewed by an Appeals Committee consisting of professional personnel familiar with the AAS screening process. Our goal is to have personnel from a different school other than your child’s, but that is not always possible. The Appeals Committee may include an AAS screening lead, an AAS teacher, a grade-level teacher, and the AAS instructional specialist or director. The central office staff may invite other school personnel members. The Appeals Committee will convene within 25 school days of receiving the letter requesting an appeal. After reviewing all the information, the Appeals Committee makes one of the following decisions:

• Eligible for services in Specific Academic Aptitude or General Intellectual Aptitude
• Not eligible for services

Each case will be evaluated individually, and the committee’s decision will be communicated in writing to the parents/guardians within 15 school days after the appeals conference. The committee's decision is final, and parents/guardians can refer again during the next screening cycle.

If you have questions about why your child was found ineligible, please contact the AAS screening lead at your child’s school. You may find the contact information for your child’s AAS screening lead via this AAS website: www.acps.k12.va.us/aas