Appeals Process

Naperville Community Unit School District 203 uses multiple criteria in the identification and placement process for academically talented and gifted services. The criteria are used together to determine if placement in Honors Math (HM), Project IDEA (PI), or Project IDEA Plus (PI+) would be appropriate. Each school year, student performance and progress are monitored, and all students are given an opportunity to be screened for placement into academically talented and gifted services. Therefore, your child may be eligible for services in the future even if placement in HM, PI, or PI+ is not appropriate at this time. 

In some instances, a student may demonstrate that placement in academically talented or gifted services (i.e., Honors Math, Project IDEA, or Project IDEA Plus) may be appropriate. In other instances, students may have an extenuating circumstance beyond the matrices and test scores that may suggest that placement in these services is appropriate. Under these circumstances, parents/guardians, school personnel, the student, or another individual can initiate the appeals process.

1. An individual (e.g., parents/guardians, school personnel, the student) submits the appropriate appeals request form to Learning Services by the due date. The appeals request form is available at the bottom of this webpage. Please refer to the Identification and Placement page for the current timeline including appeals due dates.
   
   • Submit the appeals request form by filling out the Google Form below.
   • Artifacts may be emailed to giftedservices@naperville203.org. 
   • Deadlines for appeals are listed on the appeals request form and can be found on the current identification and placement timeline. Late appeals requests will not be accepted. Please refer to the Identification and Placement page for the current timeline including appeals due dates.
2. The student’s school will be notified that the appeal has been submitted. 
3. The Appeals Committee, consisting of a team of diverse professionals, will review the information submitted with the appeals request along with relevant past and present assessment data and academic performance. The committee will come to a consensus in making a decision.
4. The Appeals Committee will communicate the decision regarding the appeal to the following individuals. Please refer to the Identification and Placement page for the current timeline including appeals dates.
   • Decisions will be communicated to the parents/guardians of the student.
   • Decisions will be communicated to the staff at the student's school.

The Appeals Committee will come to a consensus and provide one of the following decisions:

• The student’s current placement at grade level is appropriate, and the appeal is not granted.
• The student is granted provisional placement in the program for which the appeal was submitted, and the student’s provisional placement will be reviewed at the end of each trimester. The student may be returned to the grade-level classroom if performance is not on par with peers.

The committee’s decision is final for all placement appeals for the school year. 

On the appeals request form, please provide an explanation for why the appeal is being requested. As an option, one artifact that shows the student’s academic ability beyond the scope of test scores can also be submitted. Items may include independent student work, an award/recognition, or a letter from an activity sponsor or coach. The item should provide new or additional information and support the appeals request. Please do not submit copies of past or present assessments or report cards that are part of the student’s record within the district. Items submitted as part of the appeal will not be returned.

Please fill out the Google Form above to submit your appeal. Please email optional artifacts to giftedservices@naperville203.org. Thank you. 

If you have any questions, please email giftedservices@naperville203.org.