Frequently Asked Questions - Hi-Cap Program
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Highly Capable Program FAQs
General information
Edmonds School District provides a continuum of services to meet the learning needs of highly capable students residing in our district. We offer the Elementary Challenge Program housed at Terrace Park for highly capable students in first through sixth grade. This program is a self-contained, full-time program and provides an accelerated curriculum.
Gifted Middle School is for highly capable students in the seventh and eighth grade, which offers accelerated classes in English, Social Studies, and Science. All students receive individual math placement recommendations as they move from 6th to 7th grade. Most highly capable students place into Algebra in 7th grade. These students will demonstrate higher reasoning ability and perform well above their chronological grade level in reading and math achievement on standardized tests. This program is housed at Brier Terrace Middle School.
Gifted High School students will have the opportunity during their 8th-grade year to choose placement in one of the following 9th-12th grade Accelerated Program options:
- Enroll at Edmonds-Woodway High School to pursue the International Baccalaureate Full Diploma.
- Enroll at Mountlake Terrace High School to pursue the STEM Magnet Program.
- Enroll at Lynnwood High School to pursue the STEAM Magnet Program.
- Enroll at their neighborhood High School to pursue Honors in grades 9-10, and be guaranteed enrollment in available accelerated options including Advanced Placement (AP) and College in High School. Students will also be provided access to Running Start.
Is there an age or grade limit to test?
Students must be in kindergarten or above in order to be eligible for testing.
Is there a fee to have my child tested for the program?
No. The Highly Capable Program is fully funded by the state as Basic Education.
How do I know if my student is a good candidate for the Challenge program?
The Challenge program serves some of the most highly capable students in the district. One way to explore if this program would be a good fit for your student is to discuss your student’s academic abilities and performance with their teacher. Aside from high academic performance, here are some typical intellectual characteristics of gifted children:
Unusually large vocabulary for their age
Ability to read earlier than most children, often before entering school
Greater comprehension of the subtleties of language
Longer attention span, persistence, and intense concentration
Ability to learn basic skills more quickly and with less practice
Wide range of interests
Highly developed curiosity and a limitless supply of questions
Interest in experimenting and doing things differently
Tendency to put ideas together in ways that are unusual and not obvious (divergent thinking)
Ability to retain a great deal of information
Unusual sense of humor
When is the referral period?
The referral period for the following school year's program is held each year from June through October 31st and is open to all students in kindergarten through seventh grade residing in the Edmonds School District Boundary.
How do I get a referral?
Referrals will be made available on the Highly Capable website beginning in June and remain through the referral deadline of October 31st.
Can out-of-district students apply?
Only if they are currently attending an Edmonds School District school on an approved Choice Transfer Request.
We don’t live in Edmonds School District, but we are thinking of moving. Can we apply?
Not until you actually live in the district or attend an Edmonds School District school.
Are there any screening requirements for testing?
No. Only the completed referral form with report card needs to be submitted prior to the deadline of October 31st.
Can my child still take the CogAT test without report card grades and standardized test scores?
Yes, but they are very helpful to the Multidisciplinary Placement Committee and should be submitted if at all possible. Private school students should submit report cards and standardized test scores for those administered at the private school. All referral materials must be submitted by October 31st.
Does everyone who completes a referral and turns it in by the deadline along with report card grades get assessed?
Yes.
I had my child privately tested. Can I submit these results with the application?
No. Due to equity for all students, the district does not accept private testing results. All students must go through the district’s identification process to be eligible for Highly Capable programs.
My child is in a private school. What should we do?
The Highly Capable office reviews academic performance on your student's most recent report card and achievement or state test results if available. Along with the completed referral packet, submit copies of your child’s end of year report card, achievement or state test results along with proof of residency to the Highly Capable Program office before October 31st. It is helpful to the Multi-disciplinary Placement Committee if the former year or current teacher completes the Teacher Inventory Form.
If my child attends an Edmonds School District school, do I need to provide proof of residency?
No. Only those families that are currently attending private schools need to show proof of residency.
When are the tests given for the Highly Capable programs?
The Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) will be given to all students that have turned in a referral packet by October 31st. Testing is done in November and December during the school day at your child's school, if they attend one of the district's schools. If your student is a private school or a homeschooled student, then they will test on a Saturday in December. Testing dates are announced on the Highly Capable Program website as soon as they are determined, usually in late spring. Please save the date on your calendar as soon as possible as there will only be one make-up testing day for those students that fall ill during their testing day. Being on vacation or out of town is not an acceptable reason to miss the regularly scheduled testing date; your child will not be given a make-up test opportunity.
How and when will I know if my child is scheduled for testing?
If your referral packet has been received by the deadline, your child will be scheduled for testing and you will receive an email with the date, time and place of testing no later than the second Monday in November. If you do not receive an email by the second Monday in November, email the Highly Capable office immediately to verify your child’s referral has been received.
What is the testing process?
Students will be tested in a group setting unless they have an IEP or 504 stating otherwise. All students taking the CogAT will have the test directions read to them through headphones. Grades kindergarten through first are not timed and test questions are picture-based and/or read to them through their headphones. Third grade and higher students will be timed at ten minutes per section, and they will read the test questions themselves. Students taking the NNAT will see the directions and hear the directions read from a district proctor. There are 48 questions that will need to be completed in 30 minutes. All students will utilize their Chromebook to access the test.
What if my child is sick and cannot take the test on the scheduled date?
Students that are unable to attend testing due to illness, with a doctor’s note, will be given one opportunity for a make-up test as determined by the district. The make-up test will be scheduled during a Saturday in December or January. Parents must contact the Highly Capable office (via email) prior to the beginning of the test day in order to add their child’s name to the make-up testing roster. If a student is unable to test on the district scheduled make-up day, they may test the next year during the regularly scheduled winter testing cycle for potential placement the following school year.
We ask that families prioritize posted testing dates; therefore, make-up testing will not be offered in cases of personal scheduling conflicts or students arriving late for their testing appointment.
What if we have a family emergency and my child cannot take the test on the scheduled date?
Students that are unable to attend testing due to exceptional, unforeseen circumstances will be given one opportunity for a make-up test as determined by the district. The make-up test will be scheduled during a Saturday in December. Parents must contact the Highly Capable office (via email or voicemail) prior to the beginning of the test in order to get their child's name on the make-up testing roster. If a student is unable to test on the district scheduled make-up day, they may test the following year during the regularly scheduled winter testing cycle for potential placement the next school year.
We ask that families prioritize posted testing dates; therefore, make-up testing will not be offered in cases of personal scheduling conflicts or students arriving late for their testing appointment.
How will we be notified of the results of the Testing?
You will receive a Summary Letter in Parent Square during the last week of January. This letter will include the CogAT or NNAT3 results along with the recommendation of the Multidisciplinary Placement Committee. If your child was recommended for placement into the Challenge program you will also receive an invitation to attend the Prospective Family Tour, usually the second week in February. When dates are known, they will be made available on the Highly Capable website. No score results will be given over the phone. Written requests for emailed or faxed results will not be considered until the first week of February.
Can I appeal the results?
Decisions of the Multi-disciplinary Placement Committee (MPC) can be appealed only in the winter of the same school year in which the student was tested. Appeals may only be made based upon one of the following conditions:
- An extraordinary circumstance occurred during testing that may have negatively affected the validity of the test results (i.e., traumatic event or an illness preventing completion of the test).
- A misapplication or miscalculation of the assessment data by the selection committee due to an incorrect birth date or grade level used in calculating the student’s score.
The decision of the appeal review team is final and may not be challenged.
Can we observe Challenge classrooms?
Parents are not allowed to observe the Challenge classrooms. Visitors are a distraction to any classroom, so it is important to keep visits to a minimum. In February, after placement recommendation letters have been received by families, there will be group tours for those that have been recommended for placement in the program. These tours will be after school and prior to the deadline for submitting the decision letters.
How can I talk with parents of students in the program?
The Challenge Parents Association (CPA) is a good source of information about the Challenge program, especially from the perspective of parents. CPA holds monthly general meetings, has a parent representative at each school and maintains a website www.challengeparents.org.
We are moving into the Edmonds School District and my child attended a gifted program at their last school, do we need to wait until the winter testing cycle to have them assessed?
No. Once you move into the Edmonds School District, contact the Highly Capable office to have your child tested before registering them at your neighborhood school. Usually, testing can happen rather quickly so it shouldn’t delay getting your child into school.
My child was attending a highly capable program in their previous school and we moved into the district during summer break, who do we contact and when?
The Highly Capable office is open year round, just contact our office once you are living within the district boundaries to arrange testing.
My child was attending a gifted/highly capable program in their previous school district and we moved into the Edmonds School District mid-semester, what do we do?
Contact the Highly Capable office as soon as you are living in the district to arrange testing.
What documentation do I need to have my student tested outside of the annual testing window?
(This option is only for students previously placed in a gifted/highly capable program.)
- We will need proof of residency in the Edmonds School District (PUD bill, Rental or Homeowners Insurance, Lease or Mortgage Statement).
- Copies of the previously administered CogAT scores or other cognitive abilities test
- Standardized test scores
- Most recent report cards
- Letter of placement into previously gifted program
Highly Capable Program Specialist
425-431-7157
Last Modified on May 25, 2021