"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 field(s) and needs special instruction and/or ancillary services to achieve at levels commensurate with his or her abilities.
- State Rule 160-4-2-.38
This site is designed to assist parents who are interested in gifted testing. It is organized by the most frequently asked questions (in blue). Please Note: All information applies to the Coweta County School System which abides by the gifted standards set by the state of Georgia.
When can I refer my child for gifted?
Referral times depend on your child's current grade level.
New students
Students who are new to the county or state may be referred from Aug. 6th - 27th or during the referral window closest to the time they enroll in school. This includes students coming from private schools or home school. However, please note that if your child has test scores that are current and are from appropriate standardized tests the scores will have to be applied to their eligibility for gifted.
2nd and 4th
Students in 2nd and 4th are automatically tested at the beginning of each year. Your child will take the CogAT (Cognitive Abilities Test) in September.
If your child is in 2nd grade, you can refer from Oct. 13th - 31st for testing in addition to the CogAT.
If your child is in 4th grade, we will use the CogAT from 4th and ITBS scores from 3rd. If your child qualifies or needs further testing, then you will be notified by letter and will be sent consent paperwork. If you do not hear from us, then your child did not qualify.
3rd and 5th
3rd graders who were tested in 2nd grade last year cannot be tested again this year. (If your child was tested, you would have signed a consent form and he or she would have been pulled out of class.) Test scores are valid for two years. We will update your child's file with his or her new ITBS scores from this year; however, this is the area that most students have already met. Your child will be tested with the CogAT again in 4th grade.
3rd graders who were not tested in 2nd last year will have their 3rd grade ITBS score added to their 2nd grade CogAT score. You will be notified if further testing is needed or eligibility has been met.
Students who are in 5th grade will have their 5th grade ITBS added to their 4th grade CogAT score. You will be notified if further testing is needed or eligibility has been met. If your child is not eligible, you can request he or she be tested again in middle school.
Kindergarten and 1st
Students currently in 1st grade can be referred from January 5th-23rd and Kindergarteners can be referred from March 16th-April 3rd.
What scores does my child need to qualify?
Understanding qualifying scores is not a simple process. Below, you will find an overview of eligibility in the simplest terms possible.
Students are tested in four areas: mental ability, achievement, motivation, and creativity.
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), OLSAT (Otis-Lennon Standard Achievement Test), WISC III (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children)
Achievement: ITBS (Iowa Test of Basic Skills), Woodcock-Johnson, Stanford
Motivation: Renzuli scale of motivation, CAIMI (Children's Academic Intrinsic Motivation Inventory), product performance interview
Creativity: Renzuli scale of creativity, GIFT, product performance project
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
Was my child tested for gifted?
If your child has attended 2nd-5th grade in Coweta County, then yes, he or she has been tested in these grades at the beginning of the year. The gifted program uses scores from CogAT (Cognitive Abilities Test) and the ITBS (Iowa Test of Basic Skills). If your child had some qualifying scores or needed further testing, then a letter of consent was sent home. If you did not receive anything, then your child did not have qualifying scores. We do not announce to the students that these scores are used for gifted and do not need parental consent because everyone in 2nd-5th grade in Coweta County takes the tests. Your child will be tested in these grades automatically to insure equal access to the program. Please remember that scores are valid for two years.
When can my child be tested again?
Your child can be tested for gifted every two years. Most students fall in the category of county-wide testing because we use CogAT scores from 2nd and 4th grades and ITBS from 3rd and 5th grades. Every child 3rd-5th will have both of the tests on record and will not need further testing. You can request testing again once your child enters middle school. Students who are tested in 1st grade will have their mental ability score (CogAT) updated in 2nd grade, but this is the only additional testing that will be done. Students in Kindergarten can only be retested in 1st grade if they met 2 out of the 4 standards during Kindergarten testing.
My child was in the gifted program in another state, isn't he or she eligible here?
Students coming from out-of-state are not automatically eligible for gifted in Georgia. There is no reciprocity between states. We will have to wait to get records from your child's previous school and then we will have to use the most current test scores from that state, if available. These may not be the scores that initially qualified your child in that state. We will then do additional testing for Georgia if your child is missing any of the four areas of testing (mental ability, achievement, motivation, and creativity). Georgia's requirements abide by national guidelines, but may be higher than your previous state so your child may not be eligible here. He or she will have to meet all of the eligibility requirements for this state to be eligible for services.
Students coming from another county in Georgia who have previously qualified for gifted are still eligible for services in Coweta County. However, for your child to receive services, we will have to have his or her gifted records on file at the school before he or she can attend REACH.
My child gets straight A's, doesn't that count toward gifted eligibility?
No, elementary schools cannot use grades as a referral or qualifier for the gifted program. In fact, just because a child gets all A's does not necessarily mean they will qualify. Some students are really great students and are extremely bright, but are not gifted. They will still excel in everything they do, even though they do not qualify and are still extremely good students regardless of their test results for gifted!
Middle schools and high schools can use grade point average as one qualifier for gifted, so please keep that in mind when your child enters those schools.
