Gifted Testing in Your District

Finding an appropriate school for your child can be a difficult task. You need to balance the advantages and disadvantages of each school and then decide which one you believe will be the best and most comfortable option that will allow your child to develop and reach their potential. Location is always an important factor when choosing schools. You can click here to find your school district or search on the right-hand side list to discover a full description of the district's gifted programs, including:

• Types of tests used for identification
• Testing dates and timetable of application process
• Information about the best gifted schools and programs

Balancing this information, while taking into consideration the financial burden, characteristics of the school, and the different programs they offer requires a lot of time. We have gathered a list of some of the most renowned districts and schools along with a small explanation of how their gifted and talented programs operate.

Below you will find a summary of some of the many options available to you and your child in terms of school and district. 

California’s Schooling System: Elementary schools teach from kindergarten to either fifth or sixth grade. After that, middle schools teach grades five or six to eight. Finally, junior high school begins at grade seven and ends at grades eight or nine. This system serves millions of students across thousands of schools and employing hundreds of thousands of teachers. Parents looking for good public education for their children can benefit from the different choices available in California. There are also many private schools available across the state. California has three different types of school districts, namely: unified, elementary, and high school districts.

Houston Private Schools: The Houston Area Independent Schools (HAIS) is comprised of nearly 90 private schools around Houston and the surrounding area. Among its many options, there are both religious schools and preparatory schools. Most of the private schools in the area require testing from the HISD Vanguard programs (the OLSAT, ISEE, and HSPT are among the most popular required by schools). Admission is sometimes dependent on taking one of these tests and generally speaking, exams are administered during mid-January and mostly to students between fifth and eighth grade. 

​Virginia Beach City Public School System: This system has many gifted programs that are available for students in grades ranging from kindergarten to 12th grade. First grade students that can qualify for some of these programs are submitted to a screening process between October and November. Fifth grade students usually undergo this process between September and October. The qualities most valued for these programs are general intellectual aptitude and aptitude in the visual and performing arts. The test used for the screening process is the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT). Using this test, gifted students can be identified by means of their result on the test. Teachers typically refer appropriate students for these gifted testings. However, both students and parents may request multiple times throughout the course of their education. Alternatively, students between the first and fifth grade may be required to take the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) as part of the gifted testing process.

Plano Independent School District: Plano ISD is a school district that offers its services to a variety of schools within and surrounding the city of Plano. Students who demonstrate exceptionally high academic abilities and/or potential are often candidates for special programs such as PACE and the Middle School Honors Program. In addition to strong grades in specific subjects, students applying to these programs are evaluated on the basis of their scores on specific standardized tests, such as the CogAT, STAAR, and MAP.

Los Angeles Unified School: this district also has at its disposal many gifted and talented programs. Eligibility for these programs is subjected to testing, initially, the student is required to be identified as gifted. There are many categories that can be used to describe strengths in a child's giftedness such as: intellectual, creative ability, performing arts, visual arts, high achievement, leadership, and more. Standardized testing is used to determine which category fits each students. For example, the Otis-Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT) is used to determine students belonging to the High Achievement category. During the months of March and April, students in second grade take the OLSAT and subsequently receive their results two months later. Those students who have scored in the 95th percentile (or higher) are identified in this category and become eligible for some gifted programs. So long as the student remains in the LAUSD system, they will be required to prove that they are gifted during the course of the years.

Katy Independent School District: A public school district that lies within the boundaries of Houston, Katy, and their municipalities. Serving thousands of students from prekindergarten to 12th grade, one of its most impressive features is the student to teacher ratio that is roughly 15 to 1. Students at the KISD usually perform above average on nationally normed tests in math and reading. The KISD adapts to each and every students through proper time management, persistence, excellent problem solving skills, and teaching new coping skills to students.

Skokie School District 73.5: The Skokie School District 73.5 is located in Skokie Illinois, and consists of the Elizabeth Meyer School, John Middleton Elementary, and Oliver McCracken Middle School. To support students requiring a more challenging academic background, the district maintains an Extended Learning Program within each of its schools. Eligibility for this school is tested through the use of MAP and CogAT.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools: Located in Charlotte, North Carolina, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) is the second-largest school district in North Carolina, and serves thousands of students. To help make sure that each student reaches their best potential and receives optimal guidance from their instructors, the district utilizes MAP testing to better know how to help each individual. Currently, a gifted program tailored to students with exceptional academic potential is in development.

Littleton Public Schools: This district, also referred to as LPS, is located in Littleton, Colorado, and serves dozens of schools in the area. LPS is known for upholding its status of distinct accreditation by the Colorado Department of Education. LPS utilizes the MAP at the end of each semester to track student progress.

Appleton Area School District: As its name suggests, the Appleton School District serves the residents of Appleton, Wisconsin. The district consists of three high schools, three middle schools, and 15 elementary schools. The district utilizes MAP to measure literacy in grades K-2.

Community Consolidated School District 15: Also known as CCSD15, this district is the second-largest in the State of Illinois, and serves a diverse array of students all over the State. To match the variety of learning needs necessary for each student to succeed, the district offers exclusive programs, such as the Academically Talented and Gifted (ATG) Program. Due to the high quantity of students enrolled in the district, this program is highly competitive. To be eligible for the program, students' combined MAP and CogAT scores must fall above the 90th percentile.

City Schools of Decatur (CSD): An independent school district located in Georgia and serving residents within and surrounding the city of Decatur. The district has been praised for its highly qualified staff of instructors and its record of high performance on standardized tests. CSD has been recognized as an AP Challenge and AP Merit School. CSD's gifted program is highly competitive. Among other requirements, students applying to the program must have have CogAT scores at or above the 96th percentile and/or MAP scores falling in the 90th percentile or above in math and reading three consecutive times.

Coppell Independent School District: This district, also known as CISD, is located in Texas, and covers Coppell, the City of Dallas, Valley Ranch, North Irving, and Grapevine. CISD has received state-wise for its academic excellence. To best accommodate all student needs, the district utilizes the CogAT at the end of each semester to screen possible candidates for the gifted program.