Parent/guardians of students currently enrolled in FCPS may initiate full-time AAP (level IV) center screening by submitting the AAP (Level IV) Referral Form to the Advanced Academic Resource Teacher at the local school according to the published timeline.  This is the only action that is required to initiate the screening process. The referral form is located in the Parent Information Packet for AAP Screening, Testing and Identification which is available at all FCPS elementary and middle schools and on the Advanced Academic Programs website.

The Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT) is administered to all first graders. The Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT), Custom Form for Grade 2, will be administered to all FCPS second graders this fall.  These assessments are used as part of the screening process for advanced academic services. Students in grades 3-8 who are missing an ability test score are also tested. Parents of students in grades 3-8 may request a one-time retest option for either the CogAT or the Naglieri by informing the school at the start of the school year. Parent/guardians of students not enrolled in and attending FCPS are responsible for obtaining test results. Group ability test results will only be accepted from George Mason University (GMU), FCPS, and/or other school districts. Individual intelligence assessments administered by private psychologists will be accepted if conducted by a state licensed psychologist and the report is accompanied by a copy of the license. Please note that results must be reported as standard age scores.

Testing may also be obtained from George Mason University Psychological Clinic (telephone 703-993-4200, website http://cap.gmu.edu).

The Cognitive Abilities Test is a group ability test that measures general intellectual ability.  The test consists of three batteries: Verbal, Quantitative, and Nonverbal. Each battery is designed to assess a group of general abstract reasoning skills that research suggests are related to learning and problem solving.  The Verbal and Quantitative Batteries require the student to use verbal and mathematical concepts that are acquired from experiences both in and out of school. The Nonverbal Battery uses geometric shapes and figures that have little direct relationship to formal school instruction.

Both tests use a multiple choice format. The CogAT has three sections which yield three sub scores, one for each section. The NNAT has one section and one score. The highest possible score for each sub test of the CogAT and the NNAT is 160. The average score for each test is 100. The tests are given according to a child's grade level and the score is based on his/her age. In Fairfax County Public Schools, the tests are administered by classroom teachers, usually in multiple settings. Occasionally, other staff, such as the counselor, administrator, or testing coordinator may administer the tests.

Percentile Rank
This shows the relative standing of a student in comparison with other students of the same age or grade. For example, 95% means that a student scored higher than 95% of other students in the same age or grade taking the test during the same time of year (fall, winter, or spring).

Stanine
This indicates the student's relative standing in the national norm group and ranges from 1 - 9 with a mean of 5.

Standard Age Scores (SAS) on the CogAT and Nonverbal Ability Index (NAI) on the NNAT
These scores may be interpreted in terms of how many standard deviation units the score is above or below the mean for the age group. An SAS or NAI of 100 is zero deviations from the mean. The three digit SAS score for the CogAT and the three digit NAI score on the NNAT are used to select a second grade pool of candidates for the full-time AAP (level IV) center program. They are also reviewed as one of the criteria that must be submitted in a screening file.

The purpose of the second grade screening pool is to identify a starting point for creating files to screen for possible Level IV service. The second grade pool is determined through a review of the NNAT test results from grade 1 and FCPS CogAT, Custom Form for Grade 2 test results from grade 2. Each year the benchmark score varies slightly and is determined based on how students across the district performed as a group. Second grade students not in the screening pool and third through seventh graders (as there is no screening pool outside of second grade) may be screened by referral. Administrators, teachers, parent/guardians, or students may submit a referral/self-referral.  

Each year FCPS tries to capture a similar number of students as a starting point for screening.  In some years, capturing that number is best accomplished through use of the subtest scores;  other years the composite score better captures that number.  It is important to remember that the pool is just a starting point and does not guarantee eligibility since, according to Virginia regulation, no single piece of information can find a student eligible or ineligible.  FCPS uses a holistic case study approach as prescribed in the National Association for Gifted Children’s best practices.  Students for whom referrals are done have files created in the same manner as pool candidates and are screened at the same time as pool candidates. 

The second grade pool is a starting point. It is a means to identify a group of second grade candidates for the full-time AAP (level IV) center program. It typically comprises one half of the files that are screened during the screening cycle because any parent/guardian, teacher, administrator, or student may refer/self-refer a student and many do. During Central Selection Committee meetings in March/April, both pool and referral files are mixed and screened.  Students who are referred receive the same consideration as students who are in the pool. 

The AAP (Level IV) Referral Form is located in the Parent Information Packet for Screening, Testing, and Identification which is available at your local school or on line at the Advanced Academic Programs website.  It is also available as a fillable form at http://www.fcps.edu/is/aap/forms.shtml.

Teachers may refer students for advanced academic services by completing and submitting the AAP (Level IV) Referral Form. In addition, classroom teachers are members of the Local Screening Committee. The Local Screening Committee reviews student work samples, anecdotal evidence of students' academic potential, and teacher input in order to complete the Gifted Behaviors Rating Scale with Commentary (GBRSw/C).
To complete the GBRSw/C, students are rated in four areas: exceptional ability to learn, exceptional application of knowledge, exceptional creative/productive thinking, and exceptional motivation to succeed. In the commentary portion of the GBRSw/C, teachers and educational specialists provide relevant anecdotal information that supports the rating scale.
Please note that because input from FCPS staff is included in the GBRS w/Commentary, recommendations from individual FCPS teachers will not be accepted.

For spring screening, notification of eligibility is mailed in May. For fall screening, eligibility notification is mailed in January.

Parent/guardians of students not selected for the full-time AAP (level IV) center program may submit an appeal. Only parents or guardians may submit an appeal.  Appeal information is contained in the ineligibility letter.  Appeals must contain new information not contained in the original screening file.  Parents/guardians of an FCPS student may obtain a copy of the screening file from the local school Advanced Academic Resource Teacher. 

The new information along with the Full-time AAP (Level IV) Appeal Form, available on the forms page, is submitted to the Advanced Academic Programs Coordinator according to the timeline. 

Yes, students found ineligible for the full-time AAP (level IV) center may be considered for school-based advanced academic services at the local school.  Parents/guardians of ineligible students may also refer their child for level IV center screening the following year according to the published timeline.