TESTING AND PLACEMENT
GT TESTING
THE G/T PLACEMENT PROCESS
G/T Testing
According to Maryland COMAR, the placement process for Gifted and Talented (G/T) education programming shall "encompass all students" and must include "multiple indicators of potential aptitude, and achievement. The Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) serve as the required measure of student aptitude.
Most Howard County students have taken the CogAT test during the census testing conducted in 5th grade. No additional G/T testing is required for those students.
Students new to Howard County Public Schools or who did not take the CogAT in 5th grade may take the middle school level CogAT as a preliminary step in the G/T Placement Process.
Fall 2021 Testing for G/T Classes (For students new to HCPSS ONLY. Testing is requested at the time of enrollment.
Students who are new to Howard County or who did not take CogAT in 5th grade will be tested, if requested, when enrolled at Lime Kiln. Parents may request G/T testing at the time of registration or by emailing the school's G/T Resource Teacher, Mrs. Tracy Spillman, at [email protected]
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Placement in G/T Classes
If a student has previously taken the CogAT as part of the G/T Placement Process no further testing is required.
For those students who began at Lime Kiln in September, Placement Reviews are conducted TWICE a year: at the end of the first quarter for the current school year and at the end of the third quarter to make a decision for placement for the following school year.
Students currently taking a GT class in middle school maintain eligibility to take that class the following year and do not need to be retested for that class. However, a parent or teacher may nominate a student currently in one G/T class to be tested or placed in a new GT class that he or she currently is not taking.
G/T Placement Process
G/T Placement Committee
Once students have been tested for G/T content classes per Maryland COMAR, the G/T Placement Committee uses this data as one criterion in the G/T Placement Process. The committee uses multiple data points related to your child’s performance, including additional assessment scores, student work samples, Instructional Seminar participation, and report card grades. Parents, teachers, and students may make recommendations for specific G/T classes through this process. Please contact Ms. Spillman no later than TBD regarding a placement request.
For information on how parents may initiate the placement review process, please download the Parent Initiation for Placement Review Process.
Course Placement Review Form
If you disagree with the G/T Placement Committee’s decision, you have the option to complete the Course Placement Review form, which will place your child in the requested classes. Before completing the Course Placement Review, you are encouraged to speak with your child’s G/T Resource Teacher, classroom teacher, and/or administrator in order to understand the rationale behind the professional recommendation. If you opt not to place your child in G/T at this time, your child will continue to be re-evaluated throughout middle school.
Course Placement Review Forms may be obtained from HCPSS Website under Academics.
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