Dear Elementary and Middle School GT Site Coordinators:
As you remember, we received CogATs right before the holiday break. Some of
you came to pick them up, but many will be sent out through district mail
tomorrow. Below is some very important information regarding CogAT scores:
Regarding the package you will receive:
 The parent reports are alphabetical by school, so you will have to sort
them by class. Please send these reports home as soon as you can.
 The white folders contain class reports. The teachers’ names are on the
reports. Please pass these out to your classroom teachers.
 The green folder contains a building report. This is for your principal.
Regarding distribution and communication with parents:
 Attached is a letter for both 3rd grade parents and parents of students in
grades 4-9. I will also be sending out a signed copy of each with your
CogATs. Please send these letters home with CogAT profile sheets.
 Also attached is a description of our identification process in PSD. This
letter must also be sent home to parents.
 It is a good idea to make copies of score reports that are sent home to
parents to keep at your school for the following year in case parents have
questions. In the past, they sometimes have called but not had the score
report, and it is much easier to work with the parent if you also have a
copy.
 I have sent the attached letters in for translation into Spanish and will
email them out to everyone once I have them.
Regarding interpretation of results:
 Each school will receive an Interpretive Guide for School Administrators.
Please inventory this book through your media center and let your
principal (and teachers) know that it is available. CogAT is a great test for
gifted identification, and it is also a great measure of thinking and
reasoning abilities. All other standardized tests measure achievement
(what you know), and this assessment could be a great resource for
teachers when differentiating instruction and considering ABILITY and
how the student thinks.
 When looking for scores in the 95th percentile, we only use AGE
percentile scores for identification. You will see that there are
GRADE percentile scores listed also. Please do not confuse the two
percentile scores.
 Some schools will now have enough information for some students to
have an ALP. While our district’s practice has been in the past to only
identify at the beginning of 4th grade, the state law requires K-12
identification. If a student has 2 scores in the 95th percentile or higher in at
least 2 areas of the body of evidence, the student qualifies for gifted
services and therefore an ALP. If they are in 3rd grade and already have
the necessary scores, but you do not typically serve 3 rd grade students in
the same manner as you do 4th and 5th graders, please discuss with your
principal what you will do. Gifted services do not have to be the same for
all gifted learners in your school.

For any new students identified, please complete the profile sheet
(attached) that you received at our last district meeting. I’d love
feedback on the form as we try to find the best way to document
identification. At this point, make one copy for the cumulative file
and send one copy in to me.
Please email all students who will have a new ALP based on
these scores. Attached is a spreadsheet to fill out and email
back to me. As we transition to Exceed, I am backing up our list
of GT students and working with IT to make sure they are in
SILK. This list is very helpful and necessary in this process.
Thank you!
Mary