MCPS Gifted Screening, GT Identification & CES — Parent Guide

Process clarity

How screening works

Program names

Keep GT, CES, and magnets separate.

MCPS describes gifted and talented identification as separate from elementary CES and middle school magnet admission.

MCPS uses Accelerated and Enriched Instruction as the official curriculum office context for enriched instruction.
MCPS says GT designation is not considered in elementary Centers for Enriched Studies or middle school magnet selection.
MCPS says GT designation can inform enriched and accelerated instruction decisions at the local school.

Source: MCPS AEI policy

GT screening

Who MCPS screens in 2025-2026.

MCPS says all Grade 2 students participate in universal screening for gifted and talented identification.
MCPS also lists screening for students currently in Grades 4 and 7 who are new to MCPS or who have not previously met the GT designation.
MCPS says parents receive a June letter with the gifted and talented identification designation.

Source: MCPS 2025-2026 GT document

Review factors

What the 2025-2026 GT review uses.

MCPS lists CogAT as the cognitive assessment for the 2025-2026 GT screening process.
MCPS lists DIBELS/Lectura, MAP Reading and Mathematics, and MCAP English/Language Arts and Mathematics as academic data sources.
MCPS lists teacher surveys, a parent input form, and an optional staff advocacy form as behavioral-checklist inputs.

Source: MCPS 2025-2026 GT document

CES

How the elementary CES review is described.

MCPS describes elementary Centers for Enriched Studies as a Grade 4-5 enriched-literacy program.
MCPS says Grade 3 students are reviewed centrally and no application is necessary for the elementary CES review.
MCPS says the CES review considers report cards, instructional reading level, locally normed Winter MAP-R, and student services information; eligible students enter a lottery.

Source: MCPS CES page

Contacts

Where families confirm details.

MCPS lists AEIQuestions@mcpsmd.org for GT and CES curriculum questions.
MCPS lists DCCAPS@mcpsmd.org for central review and lottery questions.
Families should also confirm details with the current MCPS pages because screening rules and windows are school-year specific.

Source: MCPS CES page

What varies

What we will not pretend to know

The useful answer is not a universal cutoff. MCPS publishes school-year-specific screening information, and the CES lottery is a separate process.

MCPS criteria are year-specific, so a prior year’s threshold should not be treated as current. Confirm the current details with MCPS.
CogAT level, form, and subtest configuration can vary by administration; confirm student-specific details with MCPS rather than assuming them from grade alone.
CES lottery odds, appeal odds, and future-year cutoffs are not fixed public facts on this page. Treat them as current-year MCPS details to verify before acting.
When a family needs an official answer, the safest path is the current MCPS page or school contact, not a prior-year summary.

What you can control

Keep preparation calm and finite.

You cannot control the year-specific criteria or lottery mechanics. You can control whether your child has seen the format, understands that these are reasoning puzzles, and practices in short sessions without pressure.

Free CogAT-style items CogAT sample questions

Original verbal and quantitative sample items with worked explanations.

Reasoning practice Practice Lab

Interactive figure, pattern, classification, and reasoning puzzles.

Math fluency Math practice

Numeris skill pages and games for MAP-adjacent math fluency.

FAQ

Parent questions

Is MCPS GT identification the same thing as CES admission?

No. MCPS states that gifted and talented identification is separate from the elementary Centers for Enriched Studies and middle school magnet admission processes.

Which ability test does MCPS list for 2025-2026 GT screening?

The MCPS 2025-2026 GT identification document lists the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) as the cognitive assessment for GT screening.

Does MCPS publish one evergreen gifted cutoff?

No evergreen cutoff should be treated as fixed. MCPS publishes year-specific criteria and families should confirm the current year with MCPS.

What can I do if I cannot control the screening criteria?

Focus on calm preparation: format familiarity, short practice sessions, and helping your child show their reasoning without anxiety.

Last checked

June 22, 2026

MCPS gifted identification, CES review, criteria, and windows are school-year specific. Confirm current details on the official MCPS pages or with the listed MCPS contacts before making decisions.

Related guides

Keep the district pages distinct.

FCPS FCPS AAP / NGAT guide

Separate Fairfax County AAP facts from MCPS GT and CES facts.

PGCPS PGCPS TAG guide

TAG screening uses a different district process and different grade-level testing.

National test CogAT guide

Publisher-level test information, separate from district eligibility rules.

Sources

Official 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.

Numeris is a Reasonwell Press math-practice line. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any standardized-test publisher. Practice materials are original and built for skill fluency.