Gifted & Talented Identification Process

If you think your child might be gifted, please make a referral to our school.

Here is what you need to know:

Colorado law requires all public schools, including charter schools, to identify and serve students between the ages of five and twenty-one.  Although Douglas County School District offers the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) as a screener for possible gifted identification at 3rd grade and in either 5th or 6th grade (whichever is the last grade of elementary school for a student), if a student demonstrates gifted abilities identification may occur at any time.

A child might be referred for gifted identification by a teacher, specialist or support teacher, or by a parent.  As a parent, if you would like to refer your child for possible gifted identification, please click here and make a copy, or print and fill out the referral form (Spanish).  Return it to Dr. Jill Adams, Gifted Education Facilitator for Castle Rock Middle School. 

 Here is our gifted identification timeline: 

Identification Timeline

 A referral made for possible gifted identification does not necessarily lead to the administration of specific cognitive or achievement assessments. The identification team will carefully consider the referral, examine current assessment data the student may have and then determine appropriate next steps. This may or may not include administering additional tests to the student. 

Colorado law specifies an identification team has a timeline of no more than 30 school days after a referral is received to determine whether a student will be formally identified or if more time is needed to continue with identification assessment. The team’s decision should be communicated to the parent, student and other educators. This does not mean an identification determination must be made within 30 days, rather all stakeholders should receive information on intended next steps of the identification process within this time frame. 

For further information on the Gifted Identification Process, please contact Dr. Jill Adams at [email protected], please visit the Colorado Department of Education's Gifted Identification Guidebook, or please visit the Colorado Department of Education's Gifted Identification frequently asked questions