TAG Appeals

Talented and Gifted Screening Appeals Information 2022–2023

Parents have the right to file an appeal with the Office of Talented and Gifted (TAG) for students referred during the TAG screening cycle who were not found eligible for services. The appeal will be reviewed before the Talented and Gifted Identification and Placement Committee, also known as the Appeal 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. The Appeals Committee will meet within 25 days of receiving the appeal request.

How do I appeal the decision? 

The parents/guardians must submit a written statement to the director of Gifted and Advanced Academics at tag@acps.k12.va.us, requesting a review of the decision and citing their reasons for believing that the committee decision was in error. Within the written appeal, parents have the option to include any additional data and/or information they may have relevant to their child's eligibility for gifted services. Some optional examples of additional information may include a parent narrative, up to five, single-sided work samples selected by the parent, or new test results. Due to email data storage limits, please do not include videos or large pictures in the appeal. We also ask that you include all the information for the appeal in one email.

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 gifted placement 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 a TAG screen lead, a TAG teacher, a grade-level teacher, and the TAG instructional specialist or director. Other school personnel members are invited when needed. The Appeal Committee will convene within 25 school days of receiving the letter requesting an appeal.

Parents/Guardians may be present at the beginning of the meeting if they have any additional relevant data to share with the committee. After reviewing the information presented at the appeal conference, 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 appeal conference. The committee's decision is final, and parents will have the option to refer again in the Fall of 2023.

If you have questions about why your child was found ineligible, please review the screening eligibility matrix forms and contact the TAG screening lead at your child’s school. 

You may find the contact information for your child’s TAG screening lead via this TAG website.