We will begin the school year in August with our first round of testing for grades 1st-5th. The referral period for Kindergarten will be in March 2017. If you would like to refer your 1st grade through 5th grade student for testing, please email Ms. Muzio (marybeth.muzio@cowetaschools.net) between August 3rd-15th.
Referral Dates:
1st-5th grades: August 3rd-15th
1st-5th grades: January 1st-16th
Kindergarten: March 1st-31st
What is a gifted student?
“A gifted student is one who demonstrates a high degree of intellectual and/or creative ability(ies), exhibits an exceptionally high degree of motivation, and/or excels in specific academic fields, and who needs special instruction and/or special ancillary services to achieve at levels commensurate with his or her abilities.” – Georgia State Rule 160-4-2-.38
What is taught in REACH?
In Coweta County, we have adopted one of the state’s most recommended curriculum methods. We teach broad-based interdisciplinary units, which, simply put, means that we teach general units that include all subjects intertwined. There are not set times in the day for subjects. All of the subjects are mixed together and we move from one activity to another, not one subject to another. The units are based on broad topics, such as Survival, and have materials that are gathered by gifted teachers in our county. We have the ability to pick and choose activities and units based on our knowledge of our students. Beyond the units– students are given activities in critical thinking, logic, spatial thinking, and other activities that stretch their mind and force them to challenge themselves. Students also have a more flexible classroom setting in which they can choose to work in groups for many activities.
What is the testing like?
During the evaluation process, information will be gathered for your child in the areas of mental ability, achievement, creativity, and motivation. Part of this process will involve the administration of standardized tests. These will be administered in small groups and individually in sessions of approximately 30 minutes by trained examiners. Every effort is made to make the testing situation as comfortable as possible so that students are relaxed and perform well. The following tests can be used to test students in these areas. The test selected is determined by the student’s grade level.
Mental Ability: CogAT (Cognitive Abilities Test) (K-2) or OLSAT (Otis-Lennon Standard Achievement Test) (3-5)
Achievement: Woodcock-Johnson (K-2) or Stanford 10 (3-5)
Motivation: interview
Creativity: TTCT (Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking)
Students can qualify for gifted in two different ways. The majority of students qualify under Option B that is listed below.
Option A: Student has 99%tile in mental ability (K-2) or 96% in the composite score in mental ability (3-12) and a 90%tile in total math or total reading in achievement.
Option B: Student has 3 out of the 4 qualifying scores.
96%tile or higher in any area in mental ability
90%tile or higher in total reading or math in achievement
90%tile or higher in motivation
90%tile or higher in creativity
When can my child be referred?
The county sets the referral periods for each grade level. Students may only be referred during their open time.
1st-5th graders may be referred either in August or January.
Kindergarten students may be referred in March. (K students are not served until 1st grade.)
***Your child can be tested for gifted every two years if he or she meets the county criteria for testing.
What is the CogAT test?
The CogAT is a test used by many school districts to qualify children for their gifted and talented programs. The test measures reasoning and problem solving skills in the areas of 1) verbal, 2) quantitative (mathematics), 3) spatial or non-verbal (using shapes and figures to solve problems). This is not an achievement test or an intelligence test. It assesses reasoning abilities in the verbal, mathematical and spatial arenas.
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ III) Subtest Descriptions:
The Woodcock-Johnson Test measures cognitive ability, scholastic aptitude, intellectual ability and oral language.
Reading tests cover: Letter-Word Identification, Reading Fluency, and Passage Comprehension.
Math tests cover: Calculation, Math Fluency, and Applied Problems.
Should my child be tested in Kindergarten or 1st Grade?
Many parents struggle with the decision of whether or not to have their child tested in Kindergarten or wait until 1st grade. Most of the concerns center on the fact that they cannot be retested until 2nd grade if they don’t qualify in Kindergarten. Students who test in Kindergarten and qualify would be eligible to receive services the whole year in first grade.
Students will need to be able to talk about themselves and answer test questions verbally. Students will also have to bubble in answers for portions of the tests. You as a parent know your child the best and if he/she is mature enough to handle standardized testing. If you have any questions or concerns, please email Ms. Muzio, marybeth.muzio@cowetaschools.net.
