Highly Capable - Dieringer School District

Overview of Highly Capable Services

In Washington State, WAC 392-170-035, Highly Capable students are defined as "…students who perform or who show potential for performing at significantly advanced academic levels when compared with others of their age, experiences, or environments." Outstanding abilities are often observed in academic performance, creativity, and general intellect.

Dieringer School District offers a variety of programs and models for students identified as eligible for highly capable services at no cost to families. These models vary across grade levels in order to meet the changing needs of students.

IMPORTANT DATES

Important Dates

We will be taking nominations for students who are NEW to the Dieringer School District for Fall/Winter. Dates to come.
Nominations will be open in late spring (Dates to be determined) for ALL students, excluding any who have been nominated within the past 2 consecutive years.
Students already identified under Highly Capable do not need to reapply.
Highly Capable Ability Testing (CogAT)
- Nomination windows opens: TBD
- Nomination window closes: TBD
- Evaluation for nominated students will begin the week of TBD
Program notification - To be announced

COGNITIVE ABILITIES TEST (COGAT)

2nd-5th Grade CogAT Screener (SY 2021-2022)

All 2nd grade students (and any 3rd-5th grade student new to the Dieringer School District) will automatically take the short CogAT screener. More information about this screener may be found below.

Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT)

The CogAT is an aptitude assessment with three sections or batteries - Verbal, Quantitative, and Nonverbal. The questions on the CogAT do not look like other reading or math questions students may have encountered and instead measures verbal and quantitative/mathematical reasoning in a more abstract way. The Nonverbal battery of the CogAT is the section of the test that research has found to be most highly correlated to giftedness and success in the highly capable program. This section measures logic and abstract reasoning and contains problems different from what students may have previously encountered. The Nonverbal battery measures reasoning using pictures and geometric shapes. The Nonverbal battery also appraises the student’s ability to use her/his cognitive resources in new situations.

CogAT appraises the cognitive development of students from first through eighth grade. The test measures student’s learned reasoning abilities. The questions on CogAT require students to demonstrate their verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal reasoning abilities.

The Verbal Battery assesses students’ abilities to use search, retrieval and comparison processes that are essential for verbal reasoning.

The Quantitative Battery assesses students’ abilities to reason about patterns and relations using concepts that are essential in quantitative thinking.

The Nonverbal Battery assesses students’ abilities to reason with somewhat more novel questions that use spatial and figural content.

PLACEMENT NOTES AND ABILITY TESTING

Placement Notes

Students who qualify for highly capable programs will remain in program and progress through this continuum without retesting unless they exit highly capable services. Students who qualify based on this year's referral and testing will automatically be placed into programs for the next school year.

Ability Testing

Ability testing for all referred students will take place at the student's school during the school day. The school will schedule testing as well as notify parents of testing times. Parents must give permission for testing. Testing will occur in early Spring of 2022. The test used for ability testing is the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT). Listed below information that shows CogAT scores typical for students who qualify.

High Verbal: Student earns 129 (97th percentile) or higher in the Verbal section (with at least a 113 in Quantitative section).

High Quantitative: Student earns a 132 (98th percentile) or higher in Quantitative section (with at least a 113 in the Verbal section)

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