Appeal Deadline 2025 26 Cycle
April 20, 2026 (no appeals accepted after this date)
ACPS advanced academics
ACPS AAS screening and automatic-referral facts.
Alexandria City Public Schools renamed TAG as Advanced Academic Services, and its Grade 3 process uses broad automatic-referral triggers rather than one final public eligibility cutoff.
CogATNNATMAPRating scale
Last verified: July 2, 2026
ACPS gifted screening at a glance
- District
- Alexandria City Public Schools
- Program
- Advanced Academic Services (AAS), renamed from TAG
- Tests named
- CogAT (Cognitive Abilities Test) — nationally normed ability test used in universal screening; NNAT (Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test) — nationally normed ability test used in universal screening; MAP Growth — Fall achievement scores used as an automatic-referral trigger
- Grades tested / screened
- Universal automatic-referral screening: Grade 3 (leads to Grade 4 SAA placement). Tier II GIA (Grades K-3): continuous referral-based, no single screening grade. Grades 4-5: referral required except for automatic Young Scholars identification. Grades 6-8: referral required.
- Universal vs referral
- Universal automatic-referral screening at Grade 3 for SAA (math/language arts) eligibility: ability test (CogAT/NNAT) ≥85th percentile on any subtest, OR Fall MAP achievement ≥85th percentile on any subtest, OR top-15% gifted rating scale — any ONE triggers an automatic referral (no application needed). Outside that Grade 3 universal trigger, families/teachers/staff can refer a student at any tier/grade. Young Scholars Model (K-8, historically underrepresented populations) requires no referral at all — schools identify candidates directly.
- Last verified
- July 2, 2026
ACPS dates, appeal windows, and what is still pending
Appeal Window After Notification
10 ACPS instructional days from the date of eligibility notification
Cycle 2026 27
Not yet published as of 2026-07-02 — the official AAS timeline table's referral-window/deadline/notification columns for 2026-27 were explicitly marked 'Dates coming soon'
ACPS publishes automatic-referral thresholds, not final eligibility cutoffs.
For Grade 3 SAA screening, ACPS says any one of three measures can trigger automatic referral: 85th percentile on a qualifying ability subtest, 85th percentile on Fall MAP, or top 15% on the gifted rating scale. The final GIA or SAA eligibility decision remains holistic.
So the ACPS numbers are useful, but they are referral thresholds. They are not a promise of final AAS eligibility.
ACPS AAS tiers and pathways
Tier I: general education with differentiated instruction (~80% of students per ACPS's MTSS framework)
Tier II: General Intellectual Aptitude (GIA), Grades K-3 — enriched in-classroom activities emphasizing creativity/problem-solving across subjects
Tier III: Specific Academic Aptitude (SAA), Grades 3-5 — direct enriched/accelerated instruction in math and language arts; Differentiated Educational Plans in general-ed classrooms for science/social studies
Tier III: SAA, Grades 6-12 — Honors, AP, online courses, independent study, dual enrollment, Governor's School
Young Scholars Model, K-8 — no-referral-needed equity-focused identification pathway for historically underrepresented populations
What ACPS says about appeals
Families appeal within 10 ACPS instructional days of the eligibility notification. The appeal explains why the decision was in error and may include limited supplemental evidence, with the AAS Appeals Committee issuing a written decision after review.
The useful ACPS-specific details
ACPS is the district in this set where the difference between referral trigger and eligibility decision matters most. The public thresholds are real, but they open a review rather than settle the outcome.
ACPS casts a wide automatic-referral net at Grade 3 — meeting any ONE of three thresholds (85th-percentile ability, 85th-percentile achievement, or top-15% rating scale) triggers referral with no parent action required — broader than a single ability-test gate.
The Young Scholars Model requires zero referral — schools proactively identify candidates from historically underrepresented populations.
As of 2026-07-02, ACPS's official timeline table for the 2026-27 cycle shows 'Dates coming soon' for referral windows, deadlines, and notification dates — only the prior (2025-26) cycle's dates (e.g., April 20, 2026 appeal cutoff) are currently published.
The program was renamed from 'Talented and Gifted (TAG)' to 'Advanced Academic Services (AAS)' effective June 1, 2023 — many school-level pages and URLs still use the legacy TAG slug, which can confuse parents searching by the old name.
Private/outside testing is explicitly accepted, but only as supplemental evidence during an appeal — not confirmed as accepted for the initial screening determination.
Updates
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ACPS parent questions
Is ACPS TAG still the current program name?
ACPS renamed Talented and Gifted services as Advanced Academic Services in 2023. Some older URLs and parent references still use TAG, but the current program name is AAS.
What score triggers automatic referral in ACPS Grade 3?
ACPS publishes three Grade 3 automatic-referral triggers: 85th percentile on a qualifying ability subtest, 85th percentile on Fall MAP, or top 15% on the gifted rating scale.
Does an automatic referral mean my child is eligible?
No. The referral trigger starts the screening process. Final GIA or SAA eligibility is determined by a screening committee using the fuller portfolio.
What is the ACPS Young Scholars pathway?
ACPS describes Young Scholars as a school-identified pathway for historically underrepresented populations. It does not require a family referral.
Are 2026-27 ACPS screening dates published?
As of the verification date for this guide, ACPS showed "Dates coming soon" for the 2026-27 referral-window and notification columns.
Official ACPS sources used
CogAT® and Cognitive Abilities Test™ are trademarks or registered trademarks of Riverside Assessments, LLC (Riverside Insights), used here for identification purposes only. Reasonwell Press is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or licensed by Riverside Insights, and Riverside Insights was not involved in producing our materials. Our practice materials are original CogAT®-style items, not actual test questions, and do not guarantee any score or placement outcome.
NNAT® is a registered trademark of NCS Pearson, Inc., used here for identification purposes only. Reasonwell Press is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or licensed by NCS Pearson, Inc., which was not involved in producing our materials. Our practice materials are original NNAT®-style items, not actual test questions, and do not guarantee any score or placement outcome.
MAP® Growth™ and NWEA® are trademarks of NWEA. Reasonwell Press is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NWEA. This page is an independent parent guide and does not reproduce NWEA norm tables.