Advanced AET Overview

Module 5.1: Advanced AET Overview

What Is Advanced AET?

The Academy of Engineering and Technology (AET) has a lesser-known entry point that most families don't hear about until it's almost too late: Advanced AET.

Standard AET admissions happen in the fall of 8th grade, through the same admissions cycle as AOS. Students who are accepted start at the Academies campus as 9th graders and follow the full four-year AET curriculum from day one.

Advanced AET is different. It's a pathway for current 10th graders in LCPS who want to join AET partway through high school --- entering as 11th graders instead of 9th graders. Think of it as a lateral transfer into the AET program after you've already completed two years of high school.

This is important: Advanced AET is the only way to enter the AET program after 9th grade. If you didn't apply during 8th grade --- or if you applied and weren't admitted --- Advanced AET gives you a second shot.

Who Is Eligible?

Advanced AET is open exclusively to current 10th graders enrolled in Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS). There are no exceptions to this --- you must be a 10th grader, and you must be an LCPS student.

Beyond that basic eligibility, applicants need to meet the following academic requirements:

• Math: Successful completion of Math Analysis by the end of 10th grade

• Science: Successful completion of two science credits by the end of 10th grade

• Grades: A grade of C or above in every course during 9th grade, and a grade of C or above in every course for Semester 1 of 10th grade

• Good standing: Students must be in good academic and disciplinary standing at their current school

Important disqualifier: Students who are currently enrolled in or have already completed AP Calculus BC are ineligible for Advanced AET. This is because the AET curriculum includes its own integrated math sequence (AET Integrated Mathematics I and beyond), and students who have already completed Calculus BC are too far ahead in the math sequence to benefit from the AET math track.

These requirements make sense when you think about it. Advanced AET students are jumping into an engineering or IT/computer science track alongside students who have already had two years of AET coursework. You need a solid academic foundation to hit the ground running --- but not so far advanced in math that the AET curriculum would be redundant.

The Winter Admissions Cycle

Unlike AOS and standard AET --- which use the Fall Admissions Cycle --- Advanced AET uses the Winter Admissions Cycle. MATA also uses the Winter cycle, so if you're weighing both options, you'll be navigating the same general timeline.

Here's how the Winter cycle typically works:

• Late November to early December: The online application portal opens. This is when you can start submitting your application through the LCPS Academies of Loudoun Admission Portal.

• Early to mid-February: The application window closes. Exact deadlines shift slightly from year to year, so watch the LCPS website closely once the portal opens.

• Late February: The Advanced AET Writing Assessment is administered. This is a scheduled testing session specifically for Advanced AET applicants.

• March: Admissions offers are posted. Students who are admitted typically have until August to accept or decline.

The timeline is compressed compared to the fall cycle, so you can't afford to procrastinate. Once the portal opens, start working on your application right away.

How Admissions Decisions Are Made

Here's the part that catches a lot of families off guard: Advanced AET applicants do NOT take the STEM Thinking Skills Assessment. That's the standardized test (created by Insight Assessment) that 8th graders take when applying to AOS and standard AET in the fall.

Instead, Advanced AET applicants are evaluated on a different set of criteria:

• PSAT/SAT/ACT scores: You must have a PSAT (NMSQT) score on file in order to apply. If you don't have a PSAT score, you can submit an SAT or ACT score as a substitute. These standardized test scores are a significant part of the admissions evaluation.

• Writing Assessment: Advanced AET applicants take a writing assessment administered during the Winter cycle testing session. This evaluates your ability to analyze and write about topics related to math, science, and current events in an organized and logical way.

• Interest Statement: You'll submit a statement about your interest in the AET program and which pathway you want to pursue (Engineering or IT/Computer Science).

• Academic record: Your grades, coursework, and overall academic trajectory matter. The admissions team looks at whether your transcript shows you can handle the rigor of the AET curriculum.

The combination of these factors determines whether you're admitted. Standardized test scores and the writing assessment carry real weight in the evaluation.

How PSAT/SAT/ACT Scores Factor In

Let's talk about the testing piece more specifically, because this is where Advanced AET diverges most sharply from the standard AET admissions process.

When 8th graders apply to AET through the fall cycle, they take the STEM Thinking Skills Assessment --- a specialized test that measures analytical reasoning and critical thinking in STEM contexts. That test is the primary academic metric used in fall admissions.

Advanced AET replaces that entirely with PSAT, SAT, or ACT scores. The logic here is straightforward: by 10th grade, you've already taken the PSAT (most LCPS students take it in October of 10th grade), and possibly the SAT or ACT as well. These tests provide a ready-made measure of academic ability without requiring a separate specialized exam.

What this means practically:

• If you're a strong standardized test taker, Advanced AET admissions may actually play to your strengths more than the fall cycle would have.

• PSAT scores from 10th grade are typically what most applicants use, since the PSAT is administered to all LCPS students.

• SAT or ACT scores can substitute if you've taken either of those tests. If your SAT or ACT score is stronger than your PSAT, submit that instead.

• Prep matters. Since your standardized test score is a major admissions factor, investing time in PSAT/SAT/ACT preparation before the Winter cycle opens is a smart move.

How Advanced AET Differs from Standard AET Entry

It's worth being clear about what changes --- and what doesn't --- when you enter AET through the Advanced pathway versus starting as a 9th grader.

What's different:

• You skip the first two years of AET coursework. Standard AET students take specialized integrated math, science, and engineering/IT courses during 9th and 10th grade. Advanced AET students don't get that foundation --- they enter directly into the upper-level curriculum.

• The admissions criteria are different. No STEM Thinking Skills Assessment. Instead, PSAT/SAT/ACT scores, a writing assessment, and your high school transcript.

• You're entering an established cohort. Your classmates will have been in the program for two years already. They know each other, they know the campus, and they've built working relationships with AET faculty. You'll be catching up socially and academically.

What stays the same:

• Same alternating day schedule. You'll attend the ACL campus on A days and your home high school on B days, just like every other AET student.

• Same core tracks. You choose from Engineering or IT/Computer Science --- the same core pathways available to students who started in 9th grade.

• Same graduation path. You graduate from your home high school with AET coursework reflected on your transcript.

• Same caliber of instruction. The faculty, labs, and resources are identical whether you entered as a 9th grader or an 11th grader.

Is Advanced AET Right for You?

Advanced AET makes the most sense for students who fit one of these profiles:

• You didn't apply to AET in 8th grade --- maybe you weren't aware of the program, or you weren't sure what you wanted. Now you know, and you're ready.

• You applied to AET in 8th grade and weren't admitted. You've had two more years of academic growth. Your grades are strong. You want another shot.

• You've developed a strong interest in engineering or IT during high school and want a more rigorous, specialized program than what your home school offers.

• You're a strong standardized test taker and feel confident that your PSAT/SAT/ACT scores will present you well.

Advanced AET is probably not the best fit if:

• You're struggling to maintain C or above grades in your current coursework. The academic bar at AET is high, and entering mid-stream makes it even harder to keep up.

• You're not genuinely interested in engineering or IT. Don't apply just because it looks good on a college application --- apply because you want to do the work.

• You're not prepared to juggle two schools. The alternating day schedule is manageable, but it adds real complexity to your life. Make sure you're ready for that.

1. Advanced AET is the only way to enter AET after 9th grade. It's open exclusively to current 10th graders in LCPS.

2. It's part of the Winter Admissions Cycle, with applications typically opening in late November or early December and offers going out in March.

3. Advanced AET applicants are evaluated on PSAT/SAT/ACT scores, a Writing Assessment, an interest statement, and academic record --- NOT the STEM Thinking Skills Assessment.

4. Strong standardized test scores are critical. If you're planning to apply, invest in PSAT/SAT/ACT preparation early.

5. You'll be entering an established program mid-stream. Be realistic about the adjustment, but don't let that intimidate you --- students who are genuinely motivated and academically prepared can absolutely thrive in Advanced AET.