• Typical score range of those students identified for services: Two subtest scores between SAS 135-160 (99 Age Percentile Rank) OR CogAT Composite SAS between 135-160 (99 Age Percentile Rank)

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.

• Typical score range of those students identified for services:
  • Between a 3.5 and a 4.0 mean in all strands of each of the following: language arts and math (Grades 5 and 6)
  • B+ or higher in language arts and math (Grade 7)

• 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.

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 Quest program. Check the Accelerated Programs website for dates.

The Quest 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.

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 Quest 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 Quest 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 Quest 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 applicants in grades two through seven, report card grades are part of the identification process. For applicants in grades four to seven, standardized test scores are a part of the screening and identification process.  Private school students should submit report cards and scores for the standardized tests administered at their private school. If the school does not give report cards and/or standardized tests, please submit a letter from your child's school on school letterhead stating that the school does not use report cards and/or does not administer any standardized tests.

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.

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
• Report Card from the end of the previous school year

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
• Report Card from the end of the previous school year
• 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 issue Report Cards, please submit a letter from your school on school letterhead, stating that the school does not issue report cards. 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
• Report Card from the end of the previous school year if one exists.  If one does not exist, please submit a letter in lieu of the report card stating that your child is home-schooled and no report card is available.

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
• Report Card from the end of the previous school year if one exists.  If one does not exist, please upload a letter in lieu of the report card stating that your child is home-schooled and no report card is available.
• 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 issue Report Cards, please submit a letter from your school on school letterhead, stating that the school does not issue report cards. 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 kindergarten students, no additional documents are required. 

For LWSD students in Grade 1, no additional documentation is needed. REMEMBER – LWSD first grade students do not complete the online application in October. 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 December. 

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

• Report Card from the end of the previous school year

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

• Report Card from the end of the previous school year
• 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 issue Report Cards, please submit a letter from your school on school letterhead, stating that the school does not issue report cards. 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.

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 and is scheduled for assessment, you will receive an email with the date, time and place of assessments. Applicants who do not meet the criteria will receive an email notification stating that their child does not qualify for highly capable services.

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 Quest identification process. All students must go through the district’s identification process to be eligible for Quest 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.