Fairfax County Public Schools
Advanced Academic Programs (AAP): Access to Rigor, Subject-Specific, Part-Time and Full-Time services; open-enrollment secondary advanced coursework
District gifted testing
Compare gifted testing rules by school district.
Gifted identification is local. Start here to see which tests each district names, which grades are screened, whether a referral is needed, and whether the district publishes cutoff-style criteria.
District guides ready for parents
Loudoun County Public Schools
Gifted and Talented Education — SEARCH (K-3 thinking-skills/screening exposure), FUSION (grades 4-5 school-based collaborative gifted program — formerly named FUTURA), DCI/Differentiated Classroom Instruction (grades 4-5 single-subject ELA and/or Math track), EDGE (K-5 talent-development on-ramp for underrepresented groups — explicitly NOT itself a gifted service), and SPECTRUM (grades 6-8)
Arlington Public Schools
Advanced Academics & Talent Development (also 'Gifted Services'); identification categories: (1) Specific academic aptitude in language arts, math, science, and/or social studies (K-12), (2) Visual and/or performing arts aptitude (grades 3-12)
Montgomery County Public Schools
Accelerated and Enriched Instruction (AEI), within the Division of Teaching and Learning; sub-programs include Centers for Enriched Studies (CES), Elementary Center Programs for the Highly Gifted, Gifted & Talented/Learning Disabled (GT/LD, 'twice-exceptional') services, and magnet/Signature programs
Alexandria City Public Schools
Advanced Academic Services (AAS) — renamed from Talented and Gifted (TAG) Services under the updated Local Plan for the Gifted 2023-2028, approved by the ACPS School Board on June 1, 2023
Falls Church City Public Schools
Advanced Academics (formerly ACE, Academic and Creative Endeavors; the current pages are at fccps.org/page/advanced-academics)
Howard County Public School System
Advanced Academic Programs (AAP), formerly Gifted and Talented (G/T)
Prince William County Public Schools
Gifted Education & Talent Development (K-12 gifted resource services); governed by the Local Plan for the Education of the Gifted (2022-27, approved by School Board Oct 4, 2022)
Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District
Gifted and Talented (GT) Services, including Advanced Learner Services
Beaverton School District
Talented and Gifted (TAG), plus Summa, a separate program for some TAG-identified students in grades 6–8
Tahoma School District
Highly Capable Program: Explorer classrooms (grades 1–5) and the self-contained Discovery program (grades 3–5)
Asheville City Schools
Academically/Intellectually Gifted (AIG), with identification in reading, math, intellectual ability or a combination
Woodridge School District 68
Gifted Services: the Gifted Differentiated Engagement Block in grades 3–6 and advanced junior-high course options
Alamance-Burlington School System
Advanced Learners (AIG): Academically and Intellectually Gifted, with reading, math, intellectual and combined pathways
Which test, which grade, and how selection is framed?
The table is wider than this screen: swipe or scroll it sideways to see every column.
| District | Tests named | Grades / timing | Universal or referral? | Cutoff framing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FCPS | NGAT for Grade 2 and selected referred students; paper CogAT only as an accommodation | Grade 2 universal screener; grades 3-7 by referral for Full-Time AAP | Universal Grade 2 pool plus staff, family, or self-referral | No public cutoff; central holistic portfolio review |
| LCPS | CogAT in Grade 2 (plus a first-year NGAT pilot in 2026-27), with MAP and portfolio evidence | All Grade 3 students evaluated for services unless a family opts out | Universal testing and evaluation in the elementary pipeline; referrals outside that cycle | No current live cutoff; eligibility described as holistic committee review |
| APS | NNAT in Grade 1 and CogAT in Grade 2, named on APS school pages | Universal screening at multiple elementary and middle grades; K-12 referral possible | Automatic benchmark screening plus April 1 referral pathway | No public cutoff; holistic case-study committee |
| MCPS | CogAT screener in Grade 2; MAP-R and academic data for Grade 3 CES review | Grade 2 GT screening and Grade 3 CES Central Review | Universal Grade 2 and Grade 3 processes; referrals for other situations | No rank-order cutoff; CES candidate pool uses lottery when seats are limited |
| ACPS | CogAT, NNAT, MAP Growth, and gifted rating scale data | Grade 3 automatic-referral screening; K-8 referral and Young Scholars pathways | Grade 3 automatic referrals (score triggers, Young Scholars, current GIA students) plus an annual referral window | Publishes referral triggers, not a final eligibility cutoff |
| FCCPS | NNAT3 in Grade 1, CogAT in Grade 2, STAR, SOL, rating scales, and accepted outside tests | Grade 1 and Grade 2 universal tests; grades 3-8 referrals for Level Two or Three | Universal early testing with referral-based later placement review | Publishes numeric criteria bands, but no single score is decisive |
| HCPSS | CogAT in Grade 3, MAP Math, MCAP, and performance measures | Universal screening in Grade 3 (Maryland requires it no later than Grade 3); middle-school placement uses those Grade 3 CogAT scores | Universal Grade 3 review, then course placement review or requests | Publishes percentile criteria for some placements; Accelerated Math has a higher bar |
| PWCS | NNAT3 in Grade 2, CogAT in Grade 3, NNAT3 also listed for Grades 6 and 9, plus KBIT-2R in committee contexts | Grade 2 NNAT3 and Grade 3 CogAT universal screening; K-12 referral possible year-round | Universal ability testing in two grades plus year-round referral | No public cutoff; holistic committee profile |
| CFBISD | NGAT (Verbal, Nonverbal and Quantitative) for kindergarten and grade 5; MAP and other evidence in formal review | Universal kindergarten and grade 5 screening (non-LEAP students in the 2026-27 calendar); other grades by referral | Universal kindergarten and grade 5 screening with no referral needed, plus parent and staff referrals | Publishes screening benchmarks (NGAT composite 116, or MAP "89%"), not a final eligibility cutoff |
| BSD | One NGAT test a year: Nonverbal in grade 3, Verbal in grade 4, Quantitative in grade 5; CogAT no longer given | Universal in-class NGAT testing in grades 3, 4 and 5 | Universal grades 3-5 testing plus a TAG referral form; BSD-enrolled students only | No single TAG cutoff; Summa (grades 6-8) publishes percentile charts by entry year |
| Tahoma | NGAT Nonverbal screener in grades 2 and 5, full NGAT in a second round; NGAT for referred grades 6-7 | Universal screening in grades 2 and 5, with an opt-out; K-7 parent referrals in a set window | Universal two-stage screening plus a K-7 parent-referral window (November 1-December 31, 2026) | Achievement and ability tests plus observed strengths; the top 5-7% Discovery description is not a cutoff |
| ACS | Full NGAT at the end of grade 2 and NGAT Nonverbal in grade 6, with achievement data | Universal NGAT in grades 2 and 6; yearly data review in grades 3-7 | Universal grades 2 and 6 plus teacher, caregiver and student referrals | Grades 3-8: 2 points in the area within two years; point routes include 95th-percentile scores |
| Woodridge 68 | NGAT for every grade 2 and 6 student and nominated students, plus achievement and rating-scale evidence | Universal grades 2 and 6; nominations in grades 3, 4, 5 and 7 | Universal grades 2 and 6 plus nominations; every nominated student continues through identification | Panel review of a profile; names a 93rd-percentile local achievement level, not an NGAT cutoff |
| ABSS | Online NGAT or paper/pencil CogAT for the grade 2 screen; Iowa, BOG and EOG achievement tests | Universal grade 2 screen each spring; referrals in grades K-12 | Universal grade 2 screen plus K-12 referrals; a referral does not guarantee testing | Talent pool from the 80th percentile, then several pathways; the district page and plan give different bands |
Useful cross-district patterns
Districts that use the NGAT
8 of the 14 districts we cover name the NGAT on their official pages, in different grades and roles: a universal screen, one test a year, a second round, or a pilot.
- FCPS: Fairfax County Public Schools
- LCPS: Loudoun County Public Schools
- CFBISD: Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District
- BSD: Beaverton School District
- Tahoma: Tahoma School District
- ACS: Asheville City Schools
- Woodridge 68: Woodridge School District 68
- ABSS: Alamance-Burlington School System
Districts that test every 2nd grader
These districts name a universal Grade 2 testing or screening point on their official pages.
- FCPS: Fairfax County Public Schools
- LCPS: Loudoun County Public Schools
- APS: Arlington Public Schools
- MCPS: Montgomery County Public Schools
- FCCPS: Falls Church City Public Schools
- Tahoma: Tahoma School District
- ACS: Asheville City Schools
- Woodridge 68: Woodridge School District 68
- ABSS: Alamance-Burlington School System
Districts with public numeric criteria or referral triggers
Most districts do not publish one final gifted cutoff. These guides include public numeric criteria, referral triggers, or placement bars that parents can read carefully.
- ACPS: Alexandria City Public Schools
- FCCPS: Falls Church City Public Schools
- HCPSS: Howard County Public School System
- CFBISD: Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District
- BSD: Beaverton School District
- ACS: Asheville City Schools
- Woodridge 68: Woodridge School District 68
- ABSS: Alamance-Burlington School System
A cutoff is not always a cutoff.
Some districts publish referral triggers, some publish placement criteria, and some explicitly decline to publish a single score. The district pages separate those cases because the parent decision is different in each one.
Updates
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