GT Testing Results

Gifted and talented scores will be made available for viewing in the "Portfolio" area of Family Access.

Results will be sent to all guardians with email addresses provided. For this reason, it is important to set up your Family Access account and maintain a current email address.

Please note: You must be logged in as a parent or guardian in order to view these results. Logging in under the student account will not provide access to these results.

Allen ISD students will provide an opportunity to participate in assessment for G/T services once per academic year. Per the Texas State Plan for the Education of Gifted/Talented Students, Allen ISD's gifted/talented identification and assessment procedures and qualification criteria consist of a minimum of three quantitative and qualitative measures. These include aptitude and achievement assessment, creative and critical thinking tasks, and parent and teacher input.

Date                          Testing/Assessment/Information

November 8-12: Kindergarten phase I information sent home

December 6-13: Kindergarten phase I testing (districtwide universal screening, no registration necessary)

January 20:       Kindergarten phase I results shared via Skyward Messenger

January 20-24:  Kindergarten phase II registration for students meeting phase I criteria

Jan. 24-Feb. 18: Kindergarten phase II & alternative review (AR)

January 27:       Gifted/talented parent information meeting (Zoom)

Jan. 27-Feb. 7:   Phase I registration open (Grades 1-11)

February 8:        Middle school advanced academics parent meeting (Zoom)

February 24:       Notification of final kindergarten (Skyward Messenger)

Feb. 24-Mar. 3:   Phase II appeal window (kindergarten)

Week of Feb. 28: Kindergarten AIM begins for qualified students

March 21-29:      Phase I testing (school day testing at each campus)

March 24:          GATE Academy parent informational meeting (Zoom)

Mar. 24-April 4:  GATE Academy lottery application window

April 8:              Grades 1-11 phase I results shared via Skyward Messenger

April 8-14:         Phase II & AR registration window (Grades 1-11)

April 21:            GATE Academy lottery student status notification 

April 23:            Phase II & AR testing

May 18:             Grades 1-11 phase II results shared via Skyward Messenger

May 18-31:        Phase II appeal window (Grades 1-11)

August 2022:     Testing for all NEW AISD transfer students identified for G/T services in their previous district 

Overview

Districtwide testing for kindergarten students is administered in December/January. All kindergarten students for whom it is academically appropriate participate in phase I testing. District-wide aptitude screening occurs in February/March for students in Grades 1-11. Parents may refer their child for G/T assessment by registering to participate in testing (see link below). Guardians must provide consent prior to G/T assessment by registering their student for testing.  Students in grades 1-11 who meet criteria for services during the spring assessment window will begin services the following school year.

New Students

Families of students new to Allen ISD who were receiving G/T services in their previous school/district should email identification data to gifted@allenisd.org. Once these documents are received, the data will be assessed and next steps will be communicated to  families.

Allen ISD Criteria for G/T Services

Students must meet the criteria established by the District Selection Committee to receive AISD gifted and talented services. Students are selected based on both quantitative and qualitative measures.

Aptitude: 97 Age NPR +
Achievement: 97 PR +
Critical/Creative Thinking Portfolio: 4
Parent/Teacher Inventory: 4

District-Wide Assessment (phase I)

All kindergarten students will participate in phase I (aptitude) testing on December 6-13, 2021 at their home campuses. Notification of results will go home via Skyward Messenger on Jan. 20, 2022.

Phase II

Kindergarten students who meet phase I criteria are eligible for phase II testing. Phase II testing will take place on campuses during the school day from Jan. 24 - Feb. 18, 2022.

Guardians of kindergarten students who met the district criteria or wish to assess via alternative review (AR) must complete both the registration form and the parent inventory below. Please use Google Chrome if possible. Internet Explorer is not compatible.

Kindergarten phase II and AR Registration is currently closed. Registration will open from January 20-24, 2022.
Parent Inventory (form will be available from January 20-24, 2022).

Phase I Testing (Grades 1-11)

Students who are referred for phase I testing take an online ability assessment at n their home campus during the school day. Parents may refer their child for G/T assessment by registering to participate in testing (see link below). Guardians must provide consent prior to G/T assessment by registering their student for testing. Students who meet district criteria are referred for phase II testing.

Phase II Testing (Grades 1-11)

Students who meet criteria on phase I testing are able to participate in phase II testing, which includes an achievement test and a creative/critical thinking exercise. In grades 3-11, students respond to writing prompts and are scored holistically for purpose, organization, elaboration, depth, and complexity.

Phase II also includes  observation inventories completed by teachers and parents. These inventories rate students on observed traits and characteristics and allow for additional qualitative feedback regarding a student’s skills and abilities. 

Alternative Review (AR) Process (upon completion of phase I testing)

Alternative Review offers an additional opportunity to assess for students who scored within three percentile points of the 97th percentile (i.e., 94th, 9th, 96th) during phase I testing. Requests for alternative review must be received within ten days of receipt of your student's phase I testing results. Directions to apply for alternative review are included in your student's phase I testing results, which are uploaded via Skyward. Students who participate in the alternative review process are not eligible to file an additional appeal.

Appeal Process (upon completion of phase II testing)
The appeal process provides an additional opportunity to consider a body of evidence demonstrating a student’s need for G/T services.  Typically, strong cases for appeals feature scores that near the 97th percentile (i.e., 94th, 95th, 96th). Appeals will be reviewed by the district selection committee.

The District Selection Committee makes the final decision on student identification and qualification for gifted services. The District Selection Committee includes classroom teachers, gifted specialists, counselors, campus administrators, and district instructional specialists and coordinators.

To pursue a phase II appeal you must email gifted@allenisd.org no later than midnight on: 

March 3, 2022 for kindergarten students who completed phase II testing during March 21-29, 2022.
May 31, 2022 for students in grades 1-11 who completed phase II testing on April 23, 2022. 

A final decision will be made by the District Selection Committee over the summer. Notification of the committee decision will be communicated before the new academic year begins. 

Furlough & Exit Procedures

Please email gifted@allenisd.org for information on furlough or exit procedures.

A furlough may be granted at the request of a teacher and/or campus committee, student (K-12) and/or parent. Per the

Texas State Plan for the Education of Gifted/Talented Students,

A student may be furloughed for a period of time deemed appropriate by the selection committee, but a furlough will last no longer than the current academic year. At the end of the current school year, the student’s progress will be reviewed.  At that time, the student will either re-enter G/T services for the following school year, or permanently exit services. Any student who exits gifted/talented services must reassess in order to re-qualify for future services.

• Elementary: A student may furlough once in grades K-6.
• Middle School: A student may furlough once in grades 7-8.
• High school: Identified students may choose the gifted course or other option and will remain in G/T services through graduation.

Gifted and talented scores will be made available for viewing in the "Portfolio" area of Family Access.

Results will be sent to all guardians with email addresses provided. For this reason, it is important that you have set up your Family Access account and maintain a current email address. 

Please note: you must be logged in as a parent or guardian in order to view these results. Logging in under the student account will not provide access to these results.

Alternative Review Process for Phase I (CogAT)

If your child did not meet the district minimum standard of 97 APR but scored a 94-96 APR in any of the tested areas, they are eligible to complete an alternative review (AR). If your child qualified for AR and you would like them to complete the process, you must email gifted@allenisd.org no later than midnight on: 

• Monday, January 24, 2022 for kindergarten students who  completed the district-wide assessment in December.
• Thursday, April 14, 2022 for students in grades 1-11 who are completing spring 2022 assessment in March 2022.

Phase II Appeal Process

If your child did not meet the district minimum standard of 97 percentile and/or a scores of 4> on creative/parent/teacher inventories during phase II testing, but scored a 94-96 percentile in any of the tested areas, they are eligible to appeal. If you would like them to complete this process, you must email gifted@allenisd.org no later than midnight on: 

• March 3, 2022 for kindergarten students who completed phase II testing during March 21-29, 2022.
• May 31, 2022 for stuents in grades 1-11 who completed phase II testing on April 23, 2022. 

A decision will be made by the District Selection Committee over the summer. Notification of the committee decision will be communicated before the new academic school year begins. 

Registration for phase II testing will open for qualified students on April 8, 2022, and will close at midnight on April 14, 2022.

To qualify for phase II testing, students must score a 97 Age Percentile Rank (APR) or higher in one or more assessed areas of the CogAT in the current school year (unless otherwise ntoified via a district selection committee decion on a previously filed appeal).

Students who qualify for phase II testing through the spring 2022 CogAT will be notifified via Skyward messenger on or about April 8, 2022.

For a qualified child to participate in phase II testing, their parent or guardian must complete both the phase II registration form and parent inventory link below. Both forms are due by midnight on April 14, 2022.

• Phase II registration form (currently closed)
• Parent inventory form (currently closed)

Phase II and AR for qualified, registered students will take place on Saturday, April 23, 2022. Test day details will be emailed to families of registered students the week of April 18, 2022.

Notification of final testing results will be communicated via Skyward messenger on or about May 18, 2022. Students who are ultimately identified as gifted will begin receiving gifted services during the 2022-2023 school year. Secondary students (grades 7-12) who have already made course selections will have an opportunity to change their schedules to accommodate gifted coursework.

Each year, Allen ISD hosts an informational meeting for parents providing information on the district's Gifted and Talented services. 

The 2021-2022 meeting will take place via Zoom on January 27, 2022.

The 2020-2021 informational meeting was held via Zoom webinar. If you were not able to attend the meeting, or if you'd like to rview the presentation materials, please visit the links below:

recording of 2021 parent information meeting

2021 parent information meeting slides

2021 parent information meeting FAQs

In order to register for testing, students must:

• be enrolled in and attending an Allen ISD school at the time of registration and testing
• currently in grades 1-11
• not already be identified gifted/talented in Allen ISD
• not have participated in phase I testing during the 2021-2022 academic year

Allen ISD administers the computerized version of the Cognitive Abililites Test (CogAT) for all students in grades 1-11 who test for potential gifted identification. All students interested in participating in phase I of testing for potential gifted identification will take this administration of the CogAT on their home campus during the school day.

Registration for phase I testing for students currently in grades 1-11 will be open from January 27, 2022 through February 7, 2022. Please use Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or Safari, if possible. Internet Explorer is not compatible. If you your child is registered to test, you will soon reveive more information about the specific date and time of their testing session.

Notification of phase I testing results will be communicated via Skyward messenger on or about April 8, 2022.

District-wide Assessment (Phase I)

All kindergarten students will participate in phase I (aptitude) testing on December 6-13, 2021. Notification of results will go home via Skyward messenger on Jan. 20, 2022.

Phase II

Kindergarten students who meet Phase I criteria are eligible for phase II testing. Phase II testing will take place on campuses during the school day from Jan. 24 - Feb. 18, 2022.

Kindergarten students who met the district criteria of 97 age percentile rank or above need to complete both the registration form and the parent inventory below to register your eligible kindergarten student for phase II or alternative review (AR) testing. Please use Google Chrome if possible. Internet Explorer is not compatible.

Kindergarten phase II and AR Registration is currently closed. Registration will open from January 20-24, 2022.

Parent Inventory (form will be available from January 20-24, 2022).

Notification of final results via Skyward messenger: Feb. 24, 2022.