Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s),

Your child’s third grade class is scheduled to take the online Cognitive Abilities Test ™ (CogAT). The CogAT is a nationally-normed assessment. Teachers can use CogAT scores to better understand a child’s pattern of strengths and weaknesses. Please see the back of this form for more information about the CogAT test.  

Our school district uses CogAT scores to identify cognitively-gifted students (1st, 3rd, 6th) as well as students who may need accelerated math instruction in middle school (6th grade only). CogAT scores that fall at or above the 96th percentile rank qualify a student in mental ability, one of the four areas that require assessment to determine gifted eligibility in Georgia. The score on the CogAT is only valid if the test is timed. Therefore, extended time and other accommodations (e.g., frequent breaks) that impact test time will render the results unusable.

Because your student may have scheduling accommodations on his/her IEP/504/ESOL plan for state tests, we need to make a decision about his/her participation in CogAT testing. There are two options:

1. Your child can take the test without extended time or frequent breaks.

2. You can utilize the option below for your child not to participate in this test.

Opting out of the CogAT will not impact gifted evaluation. Any child who is reviewed and referred for gifted evaluation and also has an identified disability documented by an IEP or 504 or ESOL  plan with testing accommodations will be given an individual measure of cognitive ability that is not timed.  

If you would like to opt out of this administration of the Cognitive Abilities Test ™, please sign the following statement and return it to school no later than Tuesday, September 6, 2022.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at aglenn@csdecatur.net.  

Sincerely,

Alexis Glenn

Director of Assessment and Accountability