• 5-7 Identification Process
     
    Students in grades five through seven may participate in the highly capable identification process in the winter of each school year.  This comprehensive identification process uses multiple, objective assessments. 
     
    Assessment
     
    Assessments used for placement in this program are:
    • TESTING PHASE I - Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) Form 7 (administered paper/pencil)

      • CogAT measures students’ learned reasoning abilities in the three areas most closely related to success in school.  See samples here.  

        • The Verbal Battery measures students’ abilities to reason with words and concepts. These reasoning abilities play an important role in reading comprehension, critical thinking, writing, and virtually all verbal learning tasks.
        • The Quantitative Battery measures students’ abilities to reason with quantitative symbols and concepts. These reasoning skills are significantly related to problem solving in mathematics and other disciplines.
        • The Nonverbal Battery measures students’ abilities to reason with geometric shapes and figures. To perform successfully, students must accurately implement strategies for solving novel problems.

        The three separate batteries provide a broad perspective on each student’s learned reasoning abilities, identifying cognitive strengths and weaknesses.

        Each subtest includes practice questions to help students become familiar with the content and format of the subtests. These practice questions help students gain familiarity with the item formats and how to complete the different reasoning tasks.

        Students read each question and the answer choices and then mark their answers by filling in a circle on an answer sheet. Each subtest takes 10 minutes.

        Students who meet the initial criteria for their grade level will be advanced to Phase Ii of the identification process, the Student Data Review.

    • PHASE II - Student Data Review
      • Achievement data, such as easyCBM (district benchmark testing), Smarter Balanced Assessments (state testing) etc., will also be considered from current and prior school years.
      • HOPE Teacher Rating Scale
        • the HOPE Teacher Rating Scale is designed to help guide teachers in identifying highly capable students.
    Selection
     
    A multi-disciplinary selection committee will review the collected assessment data and make placement decisions.  Services will commence in the following school year. Note: Students being considered for 8th grade highly capable math, must have successfully completed Algebra I prior to enrollment. 
     
    Exit Process and Appeals
     
    For information on the exit process and/or appeals, please refer to the Highly Capable Program Forms page.