Gifted and Talented Program

Elementary Gifted and Talented Program:

• Enriched Pull-Out Classes for Grades K-5: Elementary students who are identified as Gifted and Talented are served by a Gifted and Talented Facilitator in a weekly pull-out class on the student’s home campus. This program is designed to challenge and equip gifted students for maximum growth. Students participate in a variety of enriched activities designed to challenge the learner to cultivate problem solving capacity. Students work on thinking, reasoning, teamwork and developing social and emotional skills. The GT program has a strong focus on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) learning. Students are provided opportunities to work with other GT students on their home campus and throughout the district.
• Field Trips: Gifted and Talented students are provided the opportunity to enhance their learning by participating in field trips with other GT students throughout the district.

• Important Dates:
  • Referrals: September 3 - October 4
  • Screening: October-December
  • Testing: January - February (Grades Kindergarten & 5th)
                   March - April (Grades 1-4)
  • Students in grades K & 5 identified as Gifted & Talented will begin receiving services on or before March 1.
  • Students in grades 1-4 identified as Gifted & Talented will begin receiving services in the Fall of 2025.

• Screening Process:
  • i-Ready Reading Diagnostic
  • i-Ready Math Diagnostic
  • Teacher Observation
  • Parent Questionnaire
  • Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) Screener

If a student meets the requirements for any 3 of the 5 criteria above, they will move on to testing.

• Testing
  • Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT)

If a student meets the requirements for 4 of the 6 criteria listed above, they will be identified to receive services through the PAISD Gifted & Talented Program.

 

• Identification Instruments:
  • Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT):  

The Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) is a widely used standardized assessment that measures a student's cognitive development and reasoning skills. It is nationally normed, which means the test's results are compared to those of a representative sample of students across the United States, allowing for an accurate evaluation of individual performance relative to peers.

The CogAT evaluates three main areas of cognitive ability:

1. Verbal Reasoning: Assesses a student's ability to understand and analyze language-based concepts and relationships.
2. Quantitative Reasoning: Measures a student's ability to solve problems involving numbers and mathematical concepts.
3. Nonverbal Reasoning: Evaluates a student's ability to understand and analyze visual and spatial relationships.

Designed with cultural and linguistic diversity in mind, the CogAT aims to provide a fair assessment for all students by focusing on cognitive abilities rather than specific knowledge that may be influenced by a student's background. This approach helps ensure that the test is equitable and accurately reflects the cognitive potential of students from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.