1. Know which service level you mean.
FCPS AAP is a continuum. FCPS uses the names Access to Rigor, Subject-Specific, Part-Time and Full-Time services. Older materials may use Level II, III and IV.
FCPS AAP guide
FCPS AAP, explained plainly.
A Fairfax County parent guide to how Advanced Academic Programs screening actually works: NGAT, universal screener versus referral, holistic portfolio review, Subject-Specific, Part-Time and Full-Time services, timelines, appeals, and private/homeschool applications.
NGATPaper CogAT accommodationWISC-V accommodationExternal scores accepted
Testing and referral are different steps.
FCPS marks all dates as pending School Board approval. Confirm the current calendar with your school before acting.
- Aug 24–Dec 15, 2026
Full-Time referral window
Families can refer during this window. Do not wait for the Grade 2 automatic-referral announcement if you intend to submit a referral.
- Sep 30, 2026
One-time retake requests due
Ask the school’s AART or assistant principal about eligibility and the request process.
- October 2026
NGAT testing
All Grade 2 students; selected Grades 3–7 students without a score who are not centrally eligible, plus selected approved retakes.
- Early December 2026
Grade 2 automatic referrals
Automatic referral enters screening. It is not a placement decision. The general referral deadline is December 15.
- March 2027
Central screening & additional testing
NGAT testing is for certain Grades 2–7 students in central screening who still need a score. This is not a parent-elected retake window.
- Early April 2027
Decisions sent
Orientation events follow April 12–May 5. Follow the school’s notice for the next step.
- May 3, 2027
Appeals due
An appeal goes to the AAP office and needs new information that was not in the first file.
Official testing & identification timeline →Private / homeschool pathway →
The FCPS AAP process is a sequence, not a score lookup.
2. Enter screening through the right pathway.
Grade 2 has a universal screener pathway. Staff, family, and self-referrals are also major pathways for Full-Time AAP screening in the grades FCPS names.
3. Build the portfolio.
The Full-Time AAP file can include the referral form, progress reports, work samples, the HOPE Gifted Rating Scale, a parent questionnaire, and ability or achievement scores.
4. Central review makes the decision.
FCPS describes a central committee process with six readers, where at least four of six readers must agree on an eligible or ineligible decision.
5. Placement, deferral, or appeal follows.
Eligible students may enter Full-Time AAP on the published schedule. Families who disagree with an ineligible decision follow the appeal process and deadline for that cycle.
Universal screener vs referral
The Grade 2 pool is not the whole FCPS AAP story.
FCPS has a Grade 2 universal screener pathway, but FCPS says about 70% of students screened for Full-Time AAP come through staff or family referral. That is the practical parent point: do not treat the universal screener as the only doorway.
FCPS also says being in the universal screener pool gives no advantage. The universal screener pathway and the referral pathway feed the same central portfolio review.
What FCPS can consider in the Full-Time AAP file
The portfolio is why a single cutoff number is the wrong frame. FCPS names multiple pieces of evidence, and FCPS says no part is weighted more than another.
Referral form
The family, staff, or student pathway that opens Full-Time AAP screening for many files.
Progress reports
Classroom performance evidence from the student record.
Work samples
Examples that help reviewers see the child thinking through advanced academic tasks.
HOPE Gifted Rating Scale
Teacher-completed rating information named in the FCPS screening portfolio record.
Parent questionnaire
Family-provided context that can become part of the central screening file.
Ability and achievement scores
Test data such as NGAT and other accepted scores, considered as one part of the larger portfolio.
FCPS uses the NGAT as its ability test, one part of the file.
For 2026-27, FCPS says it uses the Naglieri General Ability Tests (NGAT) to meet Virginia’s requirement for a nationally normed ability assessment, given in grade 2 and to select students in grades 3 to 7. FCPS also says the NGAT replaced the CogAT and NNAT3, that it no longer offers CogAT or NNAT3 retakes, and that one-time NGAT retake requests were due September 30, 2026.
Is FCPS getting rid of the NGAT?
When we last checked, on October 15, 2026, FCPS’s Advanced Academic Programs page still named the NGAT, under “Testing Updates for 2026-27”, as its nationally normed ability assessment for grade 2 and select students in grades 3 to 7. No official FCPS page we reviewed said the NGAT was being eliminated. Treat claims about a future change as unconfirmed unless FCPS posts it.
For what the test measures, practice and how scores work, see the NGAT guide.
FCPS does not publish one AAP cutoff.
FCPS frames Full-Time AAP eligibility as holistic central portfolio review. FCPS says test scores are not weighted more heavily than other portfolio evidence and that no part of the screening portfolio is weighted.
That means a forum post, tutor chart, or old percentile rumor should not be treated as the FCPS AAP rule. The public fact to act on is the process: submit the right materials by the deadline, and read scores as one part of the file.
FCPS AAP is a continuum of services.
Access to Rigor
Critical and creative-thinking lessons and access to AAP curriculum without formal identification.
Subject-Specific
Subject-specific enrichment in one area of academic strength, supported by the Advanced Academic Resource Teacher.
Part-Time
Part-time AAP services, often through pull-out or co-teaching in multiple content areas.
Full-Time
Full-Time AAP curriculum at a designated Local or Center school, with eligibility decided centrally.
Secondary courses
Honors, AP, IB, and Dual Enrollment are described as open enrollment rather than a separate AAP identification process.
FCPS AAP dates for other paths
The main Full-Time referral and testing steps are in the calendar at the top of this page. These are the dates for children new to FCPS, for Part-Time and subject-specific services, for private and homeschool families, and for children who are already eligible. FCPS says all dates are pending School Board approval, so confirm them before acting.
Full-Time AAP, fall cycle (students new to FCPS)
- Referral due Oct 15, 2026
- Central Screening Committee meets Dec 2026
- Decisions sent Dec 2026
- Appeals due Jan 5, 2027
- Eligible students may start Full-Time AAP Feb 2, 2027
Part-Time and subject-specific services
- Spring screening window in May
- Local school notifies family within ~30 school days
- Referral possible any time outside the window
Private and homeschool students, fall
Private and homeschool students, fall screening: file postmarked by November 20, 2026, with the $100 fee (both FCPS pages give this date)
Private and homeschool students, spring
Private and homeschool students, spring screening: file postmarked by January 27, 2027, with the $100 fee (both FCPS pages give this date)
Once a child is eligible
- Full-Time eligibility, once granted, is retained through 8th grade
- Transfer/Reactivation form for deferred students due May 15 for the following school year
Appeals
An appeal is not a re-send of the first file.
For Full-Time AAP ineligibility, FCPS says the appeal must include new information that was not in the original screening file. Original materials may not simply be resubmitted.
The appeal committee decision is final for that screening cycle. For Part-Time and Subject-Specific decisions, FCPS describes a once-per-school-year written appeal to the local school's Advanced Academic Resource Teacher with new information.
Fairfax County private and homeschool families have a separate application path.
FCPS describes two annual application windows for private and homeschool Fairfax County residents, with a non-refundable processing fee. FCPS also lists the outside ability tests it accepts: CogAT, NNAT, WISC-V, or DAS-II from a private state-licensed psychologist or George Mason University's Cognitive Assessment Program.
Those files are mailed and reviewed on the published cycle. Families should confirm the current window and required forms on FCPS before sending materials.
Updates
Get FCPS AAP updates.
Join the list for FCPS AAP and gifted-testing updates. No PDF is required for this opt-in.
FCPS AAP parent questions
What is FCPS AAP?
FCPS Advanced Academic Programs is a continuum of services. The most competitive parent-facing question is usually Full-Time AAP, called Level IV in older materials. Current service names include Access to Rigor, Subject-Specific, Part-Time and Full-Time.
Which test does FCPS use for AAP screening?
For the 2026-27 cycle, FCPS names the NGAT as the online ability test for Grade 2 and select students in grades 3-7. FCPS lists paper CogAT as an accommodation and names WISC-V only for specific accessibility situations.
Does FCPS publish an AAP cutoff score?
No. FCPS says Full-Time AAP screening is holistic, that no part of the portfolio is weighted, and that test scores are not weighted more heavily than other evidence. That means a public single-score cutoff is not the right way to read FCPS AAP.
Should I wait for the Grade 2 universal screener pool?
No, not if you want your child screened and a referral is appropriate. FCPS says about 70% of Full-Time AAP screening files come through staff or family referral, and FCPS says the referral pathway uses the same central portfolio review.
What is in the FCPS AAP portfolio?
FCPS names a referral form, progress reports, work samples, the HOPE Gifted Rating Scale, a parent questionnaire, and ability or achievement test scores. FCPS says no part of that portfolio is weighted.
How do FCPS AAP appeals work?
For Full-Time AAP ineligibility, the appeal must include new information that was not in the original screening file. The appeal committee decision is final for that screening cycle.
Can private or homeschool students apply for FCPS AAP?
Yes. FCPS describes two annual windows for Fairfax County private and homeschool residents, a non-refundable processing fee, accepted outside ability tests, and the same committee-decision structure.
Official FCPS sources used
- program overview, continuum, NGAT 'Testing Updates for 2026-27', referral window, office contact
- screening pathways, 70% referral-pathway stat, holistic portfolio elements
- NGAT structure/administration, accommodated alternatives, score report format
- full SY2026-27 testing & identification timeline, retake deadline
- Part-Time/Subject-Specific and Full-Time process steps, appeal note
- private/homeschool timeline, $100 fee, accepted external tests, committee process, appeals
- 2026–27 timing verified September 5, 2026
Naglieri General Ability Tests™ (NGAT) is a trademark of Multi-Health Systems Inc. (MHS), used here for identification purposes only. Reasonwell Press is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or licensed by MHS or Dr. Jack Naglieri, and MHS was not involved in producing our materials. Our practice materials are original NGAT-style items, not actual test questions, and do not guarantee any score or placement outcome.
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.