I am not in fairfax county, but read the info on their system because a friend is dealing with them.
Apparently the cutoff is a moving target, based on the scores of the group for the year. So one year your kid could be totally in and another year, totally not 'eligible'. Seems a bit harsh, but I guess they have a set number of slots. Still, with a score in the 99%ile I would imagine it would be hard to fall below the cutoff in any year. ????

I think I also read that retesting can be done every single year if a parent asks.

GISDeb, what you describe sounds similar. I imagine you are doing the best you can with what you've got, but it's still a sad state of affairs. frown