• 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.

View information on CogAT and Iowa Assessment Forms and Levels.

• Typical score range of those students identified for services: Total Reading score at 99% and Math test score at or above 95% OR Math test score at 99% and Total Reading score at or above 95%

• 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 chronological grade level.
• Perform well above their chronological grade level in reading and/or math achievement on standardized tests.
• Demonstrate the creative characteristics of highly capable students.

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

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. Any supplemental documents must be sent to the Accelerated Programs office. 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, has a parent representative at each Quest school 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 application screening process. Private school students should submit report cards and scores for the standardized tests administered at the private school. If the school does not give report cards, contact the Accelerated Programs Office for a Report Card Supplement. Have your child’s current teacher complete the form and return it to the Accelerated Programs office before the application period closes. All application materials must be submitted by the deadline.

No. For students in grades two through seven, the application will be reviewed based on the screening criteria to determine if your child will be scheduled for assessment. For students in kindergarten and first grade, applicants will be screened using the CogAT.

The Accelerated Programs Office reviews academic performance on your student's most recent report card and achievement/state test results if available. Submit copies of your child’s end of year report card and achievement/state test results along with proof of residency to the Accelerated Programs office before the end of the online application period. Letters of recommendation from your student’s teacher(s) are not reviewed or considered in the application process.

An energy bill with your current address, lease agreement, or mortgage statement can be used as proof of your address within our school district. These documents must be for the location where the student resides.

Testing dates for the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) and the Iowa Assessments are determined and announced before the first day of school.

If your child meets the screening criteria and is scheduled for assessment, 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 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 screening and eligibility assessment criteria are applied equitably to all applicants. Appeals to screening and eligibility determinations will be scheduled and addressed by the Multidisciplinary Selection Committee. Appeals are considered based on specific criteria related to the testing conditions, or to a misapplication or miscalculation of the score. The decision of the appeal review team is final and may not be challenged.