Cogat Grade2
Administered to all Grade 2 students in February; score reports posted to ParentVUE around Q3 report cards
LCPS gifted program
LCPS gifted screening, FUSION, and SPECTRUM facts.
LCPS gifted identification centers on a Grade 3 universal evaluation, with CogAT, NNAT2, MAP, and portfolio evidence feeding the decision. This guide separates current LCPS facts from older FUTURA-era shorthand.
CogATNNATMAP
Last verified: July 2, 2026
LCPS gifted screening at a glance
- District
- Loudoun County Public Schools
- Program
- Gifted and Talented Education: SEARCH, FUSION, DCI, EDGE, and SPECTRUM
- Tests named
- CogAT (Cognitive Abilities Test) — administered by LCPS to ALL Grade 2 students, typically in February, across 3 batteries (verbal, quantitative, nonverbal); NNAT2 (Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test, 2nd ed.) — administered to all Grade 3 students in the fall (per multiple lcps.org pages via search); Achievement data: current Reading and Math MAP scores, used alongside ability tests and a portfolio/work-samples component in the Grade 3 gifted evaluation
- Grades tested / screened
- Grade 2: universal CogAT (February). Grade 3: universal NNAT2 (fall); ALL Grade 3 students are universally screened/evaluated for gifted services in spring of Grade 3 (opt-out available), combining CogAT, MAP, and portfolio data; eligibility begins Grade 4. Grades 4-5: referral-based evaluation windows for new-to-LCPS or reevaluation. Grades 6-8 (SPECTRUM): referral/evaluation windows for incoming 6th graders and reevaluation requests.
- Universal vs referral
- Both. LCPS universally tests all Grade 2 students (CogAT) and all Grade 3 students (NNAT2), and universally evaluates ALL Grade 3 students for gifted eligibility in spring (opt-out, not opt-in). Outside the Grade 3 universal event, families/teachers/students may submit referrals (one per student per school year) at other grades.
- Last verified
- July 2, 2026
How the LCPS elementary gifted cycle is sequenced
NNAT2 Grade3
Administered to all Grade 3 students in the fall
Grade3 Universal Evaluation
Portfolio/work samples collected during the year; holistic committee review in spring; eligibility results emailed to parents of eligible students in early June (per available example-year school communications)
Appeals 2025 26
Elementary appeal (current 3rd-5th graders): electronic form due June 8, 2026; decisions via Permission Click by June 30, 2026. Middle school appeal (current 6th-7th graders): form opens May 29, 2026 4:00pm, due June 12, 2026; decisions by June 30, 2026
LCPS does not currently publish the old referral-pool threshold on live pages.
Current LCPS pages describe a holistic committee decision using CogAT, MAP, and portfolio/work-sample evidence. Older internet references to a 97th-percentile CogAT referral-pool rule are not restated on current live LCPS gifted pages, so this guide does not treat them as current policy.
For parents, the practical point is that Grade 3 evaluation is not a single-score lookup. Current LCPS materials point families back to the full evaluation profile.
LCPS gifted services and names parents will see
SEARCH (K-3): bi-weekly push-in thinking-skills lessons; not itself an identification decision, but where teachers begin screening observations
FUSION (grades 4-5, formerly FUTURA): school-based collaborative small-group gifted program at the home school (push-in/pull-out)
DCI — Differentiated Classroom Instruction (grades 4-5): single-subject track (ELA and/or Math) for students needing differentiation in one domain
EDGE (K-5): talent-development program for historically underrepresented groups; explicitly NOT a gifted service itself
SPECTRUM (grades 6-8): ~45 minutes every-other-day gifted programming built around 4 rotating themes
High school pathways referenced: TJHSST, Academies of Loudoun, Summer Residential Governor's School
What LCPS says about appeals
LCPS describes appeals as a way to raise a thoughtful concern that something important was overlooked. The appeal form asks for a written explanation; LCPS says no additional evidence is collected for the appeal.
The useful LCPS-specific details
LCPS has a distinctive pipeline: K-3 SEARCH exposure, a universal Grade 3 evaluation, then FUSION/DCI in elementary and SPECTRUM in middle school. The name changes matter because older parent discussions often use labels LCPS no longer leads with.
LCPS renamed its grades 4-5 school-based gifted program: what parent forums/older documents call 'FUTURA' is now officially 'FUSION' — same program.
EDGE is explicitly NOT a gifted-identification service (LCPS states this directly) — it's a separate talent-development on-ramp for underrepresented groups, distinct from the SEARCH→FUSION/DCI→SPECTRUM pipeline.
Grade 3 is the pivotal universal-screening year: all 3rd graders are evaluated for gifted services unless a parent opts out — even though the feeding ability tests are given a year apart (CogAT grade 2, NNAT2 grade 3).
LCPS's appeal process is unusually narrow: no new evidence is collected, only a written explanation of concern — materially lighter-weight than FCPS's or APS's 'must submit new information' standards.
The LCPS site underwent a URL/CMS redesign; many older 'lcps.org/Page/#####' gifted links across the internet now 404 — current content lives under lcps.org/o/dtl/page/... paths.
Updates
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LCPS parent questions
Is LCPS FUTURA the same thing as FUSION?
LCPS now uses FUSION for the grades 4-5 school-based collaborative gifted program. Parents may still see FUTURA in older discussions, but current LCPS materials use FUSION.
Does every LCPS third grader get evaluated for gifted services?
LCPS says all Grade 3 students are universally evaluated for gifted services in spring unless a family opts out. The evaluation uses ability, achievement, and portfolio evidence.
Is EDGE a gifted program placement?
No. LCPS describes EDGE as a talent-development program for historically underrepresented groups, and explicitly distinguishes it from gifted services.
Does LCPS publish a current gifted cutoff?
The current LCPS pages reviewed for this guide do not publish a live single cutoff. They describe holistic committee review using CogAT, MAP, and portfolio data.
Can families add new test scores during an LCPS appeal?
LCPS says no additional evidence is collected for the appeal. Families submit a written explanation of the concern and receive the appeal decision through the district process.
Official LCPS sources used
CogAT® and Cognitive Abilities Test™ are trademarks or registered trademarks of Riverside Assessments, LLC (Riverside Insights), used here for identification purposes only. Reasonwell Press is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or licensed by Riverside Insights, and Riverside Insights was not involved in producing our materials. Our practice materials are original CogAT®-style items, not actual test questions, and do not guarantee any score or placement outcome.
NNAT® is a registered trademark of NCS Pearson, Inc., used here for identification purposes only. Reasonwell Press is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or licensed by NCS Pearson, Inc., which was not involved in producing our materials. Our practice materials are original NNAT®-style items, not actual test questions, and do not guarantee any score or placement outcome.
MAP® Growth™ and NWEA® are trademarks of NWEA. Reasonwell Press is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NWEA. This page is an independent parent guide and does not reproduce NWEA norm tables.