Olentangy Local Schools gifted services and CogAT guide.

Olentangy Local Schools calls its program Gifted Services. Ohio law defines gifted students as those who perform, or show potential to perform, at remarkably high levels compared with others their age, and it recognizes four areas: superior cognitive ability, specific academic ability, creative thinking ability, and visual and performing arts. Olentangy identifies students in all four areas, and the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) is its main test for superior cognitive ability.

This guide is written for Olentangy families. Every 2nd grader takes the CogAT at school in the spring, so for most families 2nd grade is the first big identification year.

What gifted services give your child in Olentangy

1. Direct gifted services starting in grade 3: in grades 3 to 5, students who qualify get direct services in reading and math. They are deliberately grouped in classrooms with teachers who get ongoing training and support in gifted education from a gifted specialist, with compacted, rigorous lessons.
2. Cluster grouping in grades 3 to 8: identified students are placed together in one teacher’s classroom so the teacher can give them instruction and curriculum at their level.
3. Direct services in four subjects in grades 6 to 12: reading, math, science, and social studies.
4. Acceleration from kindergarten through 12th grade: early entrance, subject acceleration, whole grade acceleration, or early graduation, decided by an evaluation and a team.
5. Classroom differentiation and a Gifted Intervention Specialist (GIS) in every building: all identified students get differentiated work from their classroom teacher, and each elementary school has its own gifted specialist who supports teachers.
6. Advanced courses in middle and high school: Honors courses, 21 Advanced Placement (AP) courses, dual enrollment, and College Credit Plus.
7. A Written Education Plan (WEP): served gifted students have one, and parents can view it in PowerSchool.
8. Identification that lasts: once a student is identified in an area, the identification stays in effect for the rest of their K-12 school years.

How Olentangy tests 2nd graders

Olentangy gives whole-grade tests to every student in grades 2, 3, and 6 each spring. In 2nd grade that means two tests:

1. The CogAT: the Verbal, Quantitative, and Nonverbal batteries, on three separate days. It is used for superior cognitive ability and, in grades 2 and 3, for creative thinking.
2. The Iowa Assessments: in grades 2 and 3, the district’s assessment inventory lists Science and Social Studies. A score at or above the 95th percentile identifies a student in that subject.

For reading and math, the district’s assessment inventory says Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Growth, which 2nd graders take in September, January, and May, is used for gifted identification, and the district plan lists MAP at the 95th percentile.

Outside the whole-grade years, children can be referred in writing at any time by a parent, a teacher, another student, the child, or others such as a principal or psychologist. The district provides at least two testing opportunities each year for referred students, asks parents to sign a permission-to-test form returned to the building gifted specialist, and notifies parents of results within 30 days of a referral. Olentangy also accepts scores from Ohio-approved tests given outside the district within the past 24 months.

How Olentangy decides who is identified

Ohio sets the rules, and Olentangy uses fixed cutoff scores rather than a points matrix. When a score on an approved identification test meets the cutoff, the student is identified. A score just below the cutoff (the screening range) leads to more testing. For the CogAT, the district plan lists:

1. Superior cognitive ability, 2nd grade: identification at 128, with 126 to 127 as the screening range.
2. Composite options: the plan allows Verbal and Nonverbal (VN) or Quantitative and Nonverbal (QN) composite scores where appropriate, so a strong score does not have to come from all three batteries.
3. Creative thinking: a CogAT score of 112 (2nd grade) plus a qualifying teacher rating on a creativity scale.
4. Specific academic ability: the 95th percentile or higher on an approved achievement test in reading, math, science, or social studies.

Identification and direct services are different steps. To receive direct gifted services in grades 3 to 5, a student needs both a CogAT score of 128 or higher and a 95th percentile score or higher in reading and/or math. The district’s FAQ names the Iowa Assessments for the reading and math score; ask your building gifted specialist which reading and math test counts for your child now.

At the 2nd grade level the CogAT uses pictures, so reading is not needed. The district’s elementary calendar lists the 2nd grade CogAT as untimed, and the 3rd grade CogAT as timed at about 30 minutes per battery. The district does not publish whether the test is given on paper or on a computer. See NNAT® vs CogAT® vs OLSAT® for how the CogAT compares with other gifted tests.

Results, appeals, and retesting

Gifted identification letters are posted in PowerSchool: sign in through the district website (not the mobile app), choose Registration and Forms, then Completed Forms. Letters are available for students in grades K-11 with at least one area of identification. Olentangy does not publish a date for spring whole-grade results. New direct services that come from testing start at the beginning of the next school year.

To appeal any part of the process, including the test used, scheduling, placement, or services, send a letter to the superintendent or designee describing the concern. The superintendent or designee meets with the family and gives a written final decision within 30 days. A student who scores in the screening range just below a cutoff is reassessed, and parents can refer a child for more testing at any time.

Questions Olentangy parents should ask

1. What date will my child take each CogAT battery this February, and what are the makeup days?
2. When will spring 2027 gifted identification letters be posted in PowerSchool?
3. Which reading and math test does the district use now for gifted identification and for direct services in grade 3?
4. What would direct services in reading and math look like at our school next year?
5. When is the next referral testing window if my child scores in the screening range?

Our broader questions to ask your school guide can help you turn those into one clear conversation with your building gifted specialist.

How to prepare effectively for the CogAT

1. Learn the format. Go through the three parts of the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT): verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal, and after every question talk through the rule: what changed and what stayed the same, not just which answer is right.
2. Practice 10 to 15 minutes a day, for as long as you can. Reasoning skills build like a muscle, a little at a time. A few weeks of practice helps, but months of short, steady sessions build much more. With Olentangy testing in late February, starting in the fall gives your child several months.
3. Spend extra time on the weakest type. Most children find one or two question types harder. Focus there once the basics feel familiar. Because Olentangy allows VN and QN composites, strong nonverbal skills matter in both.
4. Take full, timed practice tests: at least two, and more is better. A full test is where your child learns pacing and how to work alone on a long task, the way test day works. Take several along the way, and save the last two for the final few weeks as a dress rehearsal.

Olentangy spreads the CogAT over three mornings, one battery a day, so practice sessions that match one battery at a time are a good fit for the real schedule.

Practice teaches your child what the questions look like and gives them ways to approach and think through them, so test day feels familiar instead of surprising.