Talented & Gifted Education (TAG)

General Overview

Differentiated services beyond the regular curriculum will be provided for children in grades K-12 whose accomplishments and/or demonstrated abilities indicate the need for such services.

"Gifted students" means those students in public elementary and secondary schools, beginning with kindergarten through graduation, whose abilities and potential for accomplishment are so outstanding that they require special programs to meet their educational needs.

2022-2023 Talented and Gifted Automatic Referral Scores

The 2022-2023 Talented and Gifted (TAG) automatic referral scores for Grades 1 and 3 are listed below.

Your child's school will be sending home official test results from either the CogAT or NNAT tests. If your child was automatically referred for TAG screening, you will receive a letter requesting permission for screening from the TAG office.

Grade 1 for General Intellectual Aptitude (GIA) Screening

NNAT of 96th percentile or higher

Grade 3 for Specific Academic Aptitude (SAA) Grade 4 Screening:

NNAT—96th percentile or higher
COGAT Verbal—96th percentile or higher
COGAT Nonverbal—96th percentile or higher
COGAT Quantitative—96th percentile or higher
COGAT VQN—96th percentile or higher
MAP Score—95th percentile or higher on the Fall 2022 Math or Language Arts tests

Talented and Gifted (TAG) Screening Procedures for the 2022-2023 School Year

We want to inform you that during the 2022-2023 school year, The Talented and Gifted (TAG) referral deadlines for this school year are the following:

The TAG screening referral deadline varies by grade level and type of service:

Grades 4–8 Specific Academic Aptitude Services (SAA): September 30, 2022
Grades K–3: General Intellectual Aptitude (GIA) services: November 28, 2022
Grades 3–rising grade 4 (2023–2024) SAA: February 1, 2023

In addition, parents in Grades K-8 may refer for the following services:

Grades K-3: General Intellectual Aptitude (GIA)

General Intellectual Aptitude services are enriched and integrated classroom activities designed to enhance creativity and problem solving without being specifically tied to one subject area.

Grades 3*-5: Specific Academic Aptitude (SAA) *For current 3rd graders, a referral is required to be screened for 4th Grade SAA services which begin in the 2023-24 school year.

Math and Language Arts: Direct instruction from a teacher specializing in teaching talented and gifted children with an enriched or accelerated curriculum and significantly above grade-level expectations.
Science and Social Studies: Differentiated Educational Plans (DEPs) outline individual enrichment and extension activities to be completed in the general education classroom.

Grades 6-12: Specific Academic Aptitude (SAA)

Students in middle school and high school have access to online courses, Honors and Advanced Placement (AP) classes, independent study, Dual-Enrollment in college courses, or access to summer residential Governor's School.

Referral and Overview Information

Parents/guardians or teachers may submit TAG referrals through PowerSchool forms translated into the following languages: English, Spanish, Amharic, Arabic, and Dari. Parents may find and submit the form by logging into their child's PowerSchool account, selecting their child's name, then click on the Forms tab, click on the form titled "ACPS Referral of Students for Talented and Gifted Services," and fill in and submit the form.

In addition, anyone who would like to refer for TAG services and does not have access to PowerSchool may contact the TAG Screening Lead at the child's school to receive a paper copy of the referral form.

In addition, your child's school will be hosting a TAG overview meeting in the coming weeks. Please be on the lookout for more information from the school on the meeting's date, time, and location.

For more detailed timeline of screening, please see the chart below.

Screening Timeline for the 2022–2023 School Year

Timeline

Timeline

Timeline	Topic	Purpose	Grades
September 2022	Talented and Gifted (TAG) Services Overview	Schools will host a TAG services overview meeting for parents and/or guardians, and will provide information via school newsletters.	Grades K–8
September 30, 2022	Grades 4–8 Specific Academic Aptitude (SAA) Referrals Due	All TAG referrals for grades 4–8 SAA services are due by September 30, 2022, at 11:59 p.m. Parents/teachers may submit electronic referral forms via PowerSchool. Parents/guardians who require a hard copy of the referral form should contact the TAG Screening Lead at their child’s school.	Grades 4–8
Early to Mid-October 2022	Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT) Testing	Universal ability testing will take place for all grade 1 students.	Grade 1
October–November 2022	Grades 4–8 SSA Screening	Schools will collect information and determine eligibility for SAA services in grades 4–8 for any student referred before the deadline.	Grades 4–8
October–November 2022	Grades 4–8 SAA Placement	A student found eligible for SAA services will start TAG services upon the school receiving the signed permission of services form.	Grades 4–8
Mid-October– November 18, 2022	Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) Testing	Universal ability testing will take place for all grade 3 students.	Grade 3
November– December 2022	Appeals Committee Meets	The TAG Appeals Committee will meet to review appealed SAA screening files from students in grades 4–8. Parents/guardians will receive eligibility notification within 15 instructional days of the appeals meeting. Students eligible through the appeals process may begin services once their parents/guardians give permission for services to the school.	Grades 4–8
November 22, 2022	Grades K-3 General Intellectual Aptitude (GIA) Referrals Due Date	All TAG referrals for GIA services are due by November 22, 2022, at 11:59 p.m. Parents/teachers may submit electronic referral forms via PowerSchool. Parents/guardians who require a hard copy of the referral form should contact the TAG Screening Lead at their child’s school.	Grades K–3
November 2022 – February 2023	Screening Eligibility	Schools will collect information and determine eligibility for GIA for any student referred for GIA services before the referral deadline.	Grades K–3
January–February 2023	Placement	A student found eligible for GIA services will start TAG services upon the school receiving the signed permission of services form.	Grades K–3
February 2023 – March 2023	Appeals Committee Meets	The TAG Appeals Committee will meet to review appealed GIA screening files. Parents/guardians will receive eligibility notification within 15 instructional days of the appeals meeting. Students eligible through the appeals process may begin services once their parents/guardians give permission for services to the school.	Grades K–3
February 1, 2023	Rising Grade 4 (Current Grade 3) SAA Referrals	All TAG referrals for 2023–2024 grade 4 SAA services are due by February 1, 2023. Parents/teachers may submit electronic referral forms via PowerSchool. Parents/guardians who require a hard copy of the referral form should contact the TAG Screening Lead at their child’s school.	Grade 3
February – April 2023	Grade 3 SAA Screening for Grade 4 Placement	Schools will collect information and determine eligibility for SAA for students entering grade 4 in the 2023–2024 school year, with placement beginning in fall 2023.	Grade 3
May 2023	Grade 3 SAA Screening for Grade 4 Placement Appeals Committee Meets	The TAG Appeals Committee will meet to review appealed SAA screening files. Parents/guardians will receive eligibility notification within 15 school days of the appeals meeting. Students eligible through the appeals process may begin services once their parents/guardians give permission for services to the school.	Grade 3
August 2023	SAA Services Placement	A grade 3 student found eligible for SAA services will begin grade 4 SAA services in fall 2023, upon the school receiving the signed permission of services form.	Grade 3

Overview of TAG Program Screening Process

Who can be eligible for the TAG Program?

A student who shows evidence of superior performance and exceptional academic potential. This includes:

All ACPS students, K-12
All genders, cultures & backgrounds
All English Language Learners
Students receiving specialized services

When does the TAG Program support students?

Kindergarten through 3rd grade: those who exhibit superior General Intellectual Aptitude (GIA)

4th through 12th grade: those who show superior achievement in Specific Academic Aptitude (SAA) (in language arts, math, science or social studies)

ACPS TAG Program services include:

Grades K-3: General Intellectual Aptitude (GIA)

Enriched & integrated classroom activities designed to enhance creativity and problem-solving without being specifically tied to any one subject area.

Grades 4*-5: Specific Academic Aptitude (SAA)

Math and Language Arts
Direct instruction from a teacher who specializes in teaching talented and gifted children with a curriculum that is accelerated and significantly above grade-level expectations.

Science and Social Studies
Differentiated Educational Plans (DEPs) outline individual enrichment & extension activities to be completed in the general education classroom.

* For rising 4th grade GIA students, a new referral is required to transition to SAA services, otherwise GIA services continue.

Grades 6-12: Specific Academic Aptitude (SAA)

Students in middle and high school have access to online courses. Honors and Advanced Placement (AP) classes, independent study, Dual-Enrollment in college courses or access to summer residential Governor's School.

Online Courses
Honors and Advanced Placement (AP) Classes
Independent Study
Dual-Enrollment in college courses
Access to Summer Residential Governors School

Young Scholars (K–8)

The Young Scholars Model is designed to help identify students from historically underrepresented populations for gifted services. The model provides additional opportunity to nurture talent and build confidence so that students can meet their potential. The goal is to prepare Young Scholars for challenging courses and success in the future. The Young Scholars model supports the notion of providing equity of opportunity to students so that any child who has an exceptional ability to think, reason, and problem-solve will be able to participate in advanced academic classes.

There are no referrals needed for Young Scholars. Schools take the lead on identifying students.

Talented & Gifted (TAG) Program Contacts

ACPS Contacts

ACPS Contacts

TAG Resources

Gifted Organizations, Contacts and Research Centers

TAG Audits

June 2019

March 2019

October 2017

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ACPS believes that students among all ethnic, racial and socioeconomic groups should be provided with an education that enables them to achieve excellence, developing their abilities to the fullest.

Contact Information

Megan Tempel-Milner, Ph.D.

Director of Gifted and Advanced Academic Programs (K-12)
Alexandria City Public Schools
1340 Braddock Place
Alexandria, VA 22314

megan.tempel-milner@acps.k12.va.us