Gifted Testing Begins Next Month At Both Campuses

We wanted to share information about the gifted testing process at ANCS. Eligibility to test is based on this school year’s fall and winter MAP scores. Students in grades 1–7 who score at the 90th percentile or higher in reading and/or math are eligible to move forward with gifted testing. Parent or teacher recommendations or requests will not be accepted.

Parents/guardians of eligible students will be notified and have the option to opt out of testing if they choose. Students who move forward will complete the CogAT (Cognitive Abilities Test), be evaluated using the Gifted Evaluation Scale, and take the Torrance Test of Creativity.

To qualify for gifted services, a student must meet three of the following criteria:

• Score at the 90th percentile or higher on the MAP
• Score at the 90th percentile or higher on the Gifted Evaluation Scale
• Score at the 90th percentile or higher on the Torrance Test of Creativity
• Score at the 96th percentile or higher on the CogAT

Parents/guardians will be notified of their child’s eligibility for gifted services by the end of April or beginning of May.

The gifted program will officially begin next school year. Students will be served within their classrooms using a cluster grouping model. We are actively working to ensure that the majority of our teachers are gifted-endorsed so students can be appropriately supported in a heterogeneous classroom setting. Students will not be pulled out of class for gifted services.

This model allows students to be supported in their specific area(s) of giftedness while maintaining our current instructional approach. The addition of a gifted program will not change ANCS’s instructional model or philosophy around teaching and learning.