• The CogAT provides a measure of a student’s learned reasoning abilities. Subtests are Verbal, Quantitative and Nonverbal
• It is a norm-referenced test and the national average is the 50th percentile
• Typical score range of those students identified for services: CogAT Composite SAS between 132-160 (98-99 Age Percentile Rank)

For more information about the CogAT visit: https://www.riversideinsights.com/solutions/cogat?tab=0

CogAT Standard Age Score Conversion to Percentile Ranks

Standard Age Score (SAS) is a normalized standard score, with a mean (average) of 100. Standard Age Scores of 89-111 are all within the average range. For example:

• A student with a SAS of 100 has the rate and level of development of reasoning skills that are typical for his/her age group.
• A student with a SAS of 125 has a faster rate and higher level of development of reasoning skills than the typical student in his/her age group.
• A student with a SAS of 132 or above has an exceptional rate and level of development of reasoning skills that are considered to be in the highly capable range for his/her age group.

• The Iowa Assessments provide a measure of a student’s achievement across a continuum of rigorous learning standards. LWSD administers the Reading, Vocabulary and Math subtests.
• They are norm-refernced nationally standardized tests to allow comparison of each student's performance to that of students across the nation. The national average is the 50th percentile.
• Typical score range of those students identified for services: Total Reading score at or above 98 percentile and Math score at or above 95 percentile OR Math score at or above 98 percentile and Total Reading score at or above 95 percentile.

For more information about the Iowa tests visit: https://www.riversideinsights.com/

• Typical score range of those students identified for services:
  • K5HC Reading: Total Reading score at or above 95%
  • K5HC Math: Math score at or above 95%
  • Pull-out Quest: Total Reading score at or above 98% and Math score at or above 95% OR Math score at or above 98% and Total Reading score at or above 95%
  • Full-time Quest: Total Reading score at 99% and Math test score at or above 98% OR Math test score at 99% and Total Reading score at or above 98%

• FastBridge is a district-based assessment given in the student’s classroom.
• Typical score range of those students identified for services: Minimal Risk.

• Typical score range of those students identified for services: Level 4 in SBA ELA and Level 4 in SBA Math

Lake Washington School District provides a continuum of services to meet the learning needs of highly capable students residing in our district. Quest offers two elementary program options for highly capable students in second through fifth grade: a one day per week program, which provides additional enrichment through pull-out services, and a self-contained, full-time program, which provides an accelerated curriculum in literacy and math. Quest offers a Middle School option for highly capable students in sixth through eighth grade, which offers accelerated classes in Language Arts, Social Studies, Science and Math. Quest programs serve students who:

• Demonstrate reasoning ability well above their grade level.
• Perform well above their grade level in reading and/or math achievement on standardized tests.

Kindergarten-5th Grade Highly Capable (K5HC) Services support the most highly capable students in kindergarten through fifth grade. This program provides students enrichment in reading and/or math via 30 minute weekly small group sessions. General education teachers also receive support to enhance in-class differentiation for highly capable and high ability students.

During the first half of the 2019-20 school year, highly capable kindergarten-5th grade students will be identified in reading and/or math. Services for identified kindergarten students will begin sometime during the second half of the year. Services for identified 1st-5th grade students begin the following school year.

Services will take place in the student’s neighborhood school during the regular school day. The K5HC Facilitator/Teachers will provide resources and strategies to the student's classroom teacher to assist the teacher with accelerating instruction. K5HC Facilitator/Teachers will provide math and/or reading enrichment services.

A student who participates in the K5HC program in kindergarten will continue services through fifth grade unless the student qualifies for another highly capable program, such as Pull-out Quest or Full-time Quest.

The Quest program serves some of the most highly capable students in the district. One way to explore if this program would be a good fit for your student is to discuss your student’s academic abilities and performance with his or her teacher(s). Aside from high academic performance, here are some typical intellectual characteristics of highly capable children:

• Unusually large vocabulary for their age
• Ability to read earlier than most children
• Greater comprehension of the subtleties of language
• Longer attention span, persistence and intense concentration
• Ability to learn basic skills more quickly and with less practice
• Wide range of interests
• Highly developed curiosity and a limitless supply of questions
• Interest in experimenting and doing things differently
• Tendency to put ideas together in ways that are unusual and not obvious (divergent thinking)
• Ability to retain a great deal of information
• Unusual sense of humor

For more information on traits of highly capable students, see Traits of Giftedness.

The application period for the next school year's program is held in the fall of each school year. It is open to students in first through seventh grade applying for the highly capable program. Check the Accelerated Programs website for dates.

The highly capable application is submitted online. If you do not have access to the internet, or need an application in a language other than English, please contact the Accelerated Programs office for an application form. If you need assistance uploading required documents, please contact the Accelerated Programs Office.

No. Applications are only accepted from students who reside within Lake Washington School District boundaries. To reside in the district means that the student lives at an address within the school district.

Parents are not allowed to observe highly capable classrooms. Visitors can be a distraction to any classroom so it is important to keep visits to a minimum.

The Gifted Education Advisory Council (GEAC) is a good source of information about the highly capable program, especially from the perspective of parents. GEAC holds monthly general meetings, provides parent information and support and maintains a GEAC Facebook page.

A goal of the Highly Capable Services Continuum is to provide maximum choice at the high school level to enable students to tailor their program of advanced studies as much as possible based on their post-secondary goals. To that end we offer a variety of rigorous options at the high school level that our highly capable students can participate in including Advanced Placement (AP) course options, Honors Courses, Choice Schools and programs, Running Start and Early College in the High School. Each of our high schools provide accelerated course enrollment options. This approach ensures that students are not required to attend school at a specific location to participate in accelerated learning options.

Yes. Screening requirements vary by grade level, so read the application materials very carefully. All applicants must meet the screening requirements to be assessed for the highly capable program. Visit Washington Administrative Code Chapter 392-170 and Revised Code of Washington Chapter28A.185 for information on Washington state regulations for highly capable services.

For students in Kindergarten and Grade 1, please upload the following documents when you complete the online application:

• Proof of Residency – Residency Verification Form with two documents listed on the Residency Checklist. These documents must be for the location where the student resides.
• Proof of Age – a copy of your child’s passport or birth certificate

For students in Grades 2 to 3, please upload the following documents when you complete the online application:

• Proof of Residency – Residency Verification Form with two documents listed on the Residency Checklist. These documents must be for the location where the student resides.
• Proof of Age – a copy of your child’s passport or birth certificate

For students in Grades 4 to 7, please upload the following documents when you complete the online application:

• Proof of Residency – Residency Verification Form with two documents listed on the Residency Checklist. These documents must be for the location where the student resides.
• Proof of Age – a copy of your child’s passport or birth certificate
• Standardized test results (such as the SBA or other state assessment or the Iowa Assessment) from the previous school year

NOTES:

1. If your school does not give any form of standardized testing such as state testing or the IOWA, please submit a letter from your school on school letterhead, stating that the school does not administer any state or standardized testing to your child.
2. Please make sure you have all of the documents assembled before you begin the application.  If you have any trouble uploading required documents, please contact the Accelerated Programs Office.

For students in Kindergarten and Grade 1, please upload the following documents when you complete the online application:

• Proof of Residency – Residency Verification Form with two documents listed on the Residency Checklist. These documents must be for the location where the student resides.
• Proof of Age – a copy of your child’s passport or birth certificate

For students in Grades 2 to 3, please upload the following documents when you complete the online application:

• Proof of Residency – Residency Verification Form with two documents listed on the Residency Checklist. These documents must be for the location where the student resides.
• Proof of Age – a copy of your child’s passport or birth certificate

For students in Grades 4 to 7, please upload the following documents when you complete the online application:

• Proof of Residency – Residency Verification Form with two documents listed on the Residency Checklist. These documents must be for the location where the student resides.
• Proof of Age – a copy of your child’s passport or birth certificate
• Standardized test results (such as the SBA or other state assessment or the Iowa Assessment) from the previous school year.  If your child did not participate in any standardized testing, please upload at letter in lieu of the standardized test results stating that your child is home-schooled and did not participate in any standardized testing during the previous school year.

NOTES:

1. If your school does not give any form of standardized testing such as state testing or the IOWA, please submit a letter from your school on school letterhead, stating that the school does not administer any state or standardized testing to your child.
2. Please make sure you have all of the documents assembled before you begin the application.  If you have any trouble uploading required documents, please contact the Accelerated Programs Office.

For students in kindergarten, no additional documentation is needed. 

For LWSD students in Grade 1, no additional documentation is needed. Your child will take the District-wide First Grade CogAT Screening Form at his or her school. If your child meets the screening criteria, you will be invited to complete an online application in November.

For students in Grades 2 to 7, please upload the following documents when you complete the online application:

• Standardized test results (such as the SBA or other state assessment or the Iowa Assessment) from the previous school year

NOTES:

1. If your school does not give any form of standardized testing such as state testing or the IOWA, please submit a letter from your previous school on school letterhead, stating that the school does not administer any state or standardized testing to your child.
2. Please make sure you have all of the documents assembled before you begin the application.  If you have any trouble uploading required documents, please contact the Accelerated Programs Office.

All students with complete applications will be scheduled to take the CogAT Screening Form. Students who meet the screening criteria will then be scheduled to take the Full CogAT (if needed) and the Iowa Assessments.

Testing dates for the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) and the Iowa Assessments are generally determined and announced before the application window opens.  

For the 2020-21 school year, assessment dates will be posted as an update on the Accelerated Programs main page when determined.  

If your child meets the screening criteria, you will receive an email with the date, time and place of assessment. Applicants who do not meet the criteria will receive an email notification stating that their child does not qualify for the highly capable program.

Appeals will not be considered for illness. Please email quest@lwsd.org before the test begins if your child is going to miss a scheduled test due to a documented illness. Students who are not feeling well on the date of the original test are given one opportunity to test on the makeup date. Only one makeup date will be scheduled for each test. The district sets the date for that makeup test. Applications for students who miss a regularly scheduled test and the makeup test will be closed.

Please email quest@lwsd.org before the test begins if your child is going to miss a scheduled test due to a documented family emergency. Your child will be given one opportunity to test on the makeup date. One makeup date only will be scheduled for each Quest test. The district sets the date for the makeup test. Applications for students who miss a regularly scheduled test and the makeup test will be closed.

No. The district does not accept private testing results in place of the highly capable identification process. All students must go through the district’s identification process to be eligible for highly capable programs.

Highly Capable assessment criteria are applied equitably to all applicants. Appeals for reconsideration of students who have not met the assessment criteria are reviewed by the Multidisciplinary Selection Committee after notification of screening results and after notification of the Multidisciplinary Selection Committee placement decision. Appeals must be submitted to the Accelerated Programs Office in writing within 10 calendar days of notification of results using the online LWSD Highly Capable Program Appeal Form. If you do not have access to a computer, please contact the Accelerated Programs Office at 425-936-1238 or email quest@lwsd.org. Appeals must be based upon a specific criteria related to the screening/testing conditions, or to a misapplication or miscalculation of the scores. The decision of the appeal review team is final.