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Kindergarten Screening & Testing

Kindergarten Universal Screening and Testing

Overview

  • i-Ready Math and Reading will be administered in January and will be used as the screening assessment.
  • Students who progress to full testing will take the full Cognitive Aptitude Test (CogAT).
  • Assessments will occur at your student's assigned school during the school day.  
  • Eligible students will begin Highly Capable Services in the Primary Enrichment Program (pull-out) in early March.
  • Please ensure contact information in Family Access is current.
  • Opt-Out of testing services by completing the following Opt-Out Form.

Timeline for 2024-25 

Phase 1 January 2025:  i-Ready
ENROLLED STUDENTS
  • Students will take the i-Ready Reading and Math Assessments in the classroom with peers during the district window.
  • The K-5 i-Ready Reading and Math testing window is January 6 – 24.
  • Staff will be trained to provide a standard testing environment and follow a standardized implementation plan.
PRIVATE SCHOOL AND HOME-BASED STUDENTS
  • i-Ready testing 1/7 and 1/24 at the Administration Building.
  • Pre-registration to participate online is HERE for Kindergarten families, starting in November 2024; window Closes on Dec 20th, 2024. 
  • Per Policy Change SY 2024-25: Private School families must submit students' valid Birth Certificates and current residency documentation to participate in testing. 
  • After submitting the pre-registration form from above, e-mail your student's documentation to HighlyCapable@issaquah.wednet.edu or mail it to the Highly Capable Office at 5150 220th Ave SE in Issaquah, Washington 98029.
Phase 2:
Late February
  • Eligibility decisions from the Multi-Disciplinary Committee will be shared with families through Family Access under Portfolio or by email (for private school families).
Early March
  • Monitoring of eligible students begins.

FAMILY LETTER

Re: Winter Kindergarten Highly Capable Screening

Starting in the 2022-2023 school year, overall winter i-Ready Reading and Math scores were used for Highly Capable Program universal eligibility screening. This year, all Kindergarten students will take the winter i-Ready Reading and Math assessments as part of the highly capable screening process. Kindergarten students will take i-Ready Reading and Math Assessments in the classroom with peers during the district windows. Staff will be trained to provide a standard testing environment and follow a standardized implementation plan. The K-5 i-Ready Testing window is in January. High-scoring students on these winter assessments will be invited to take the full Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT ). 

To designate students for Highly Capable program services, the District administers advanced versions of the CogAT to students identified through universal screeners. There are three parts to the CogAT: Verbal; Quantitative; and, Non-Verbal. The District administers this full battery of tests to students identified through the screening process with parent permission. Parents will be contacted for permission to test before the CogAT administration in February. CogAT testing will occur at your child’s school. A letter will be sent to families with test results in March. 

Information about the Highly Capable Eligibility Process and Program

The Issaquah School District Highly Capable Program provides a continuum of services to eligible students in grades K-2 that provides students with academic enrichment and added rigor.  

K-2 Primary Enrichment Program (PEP)

Students who meet eligibility assessment criteria for the Highly Capable Program are offered placement in PEP.  PEP is a pull-out/push-in program offered at all ISD elementary schools. Eligible kindergarten students attend PEP classes (beginning in the second half of their kindergarten year) for 30 minutes per week for math services and receive differentiated reading instruction in their classroom.

The Multidisciplinary Selection Committee (MSC) will review students’ assessment results from full eligibility testing to determine possible selection for the Highly Capable Program. After that an email that will include information about the student’s score report, notification of the student’s eligibility status for admission into the Highly Capable Program for the 2024-2025 school year, and if applicable, a Permission to Place.

Please do not contact the Highly Capable Program office or your school prior to receiving your student’s score report and eligibility letter, which will arrive in late February. The committee does not make final placement decisions before this time.

Sincerely,
Melinda Reynvaan
Executive Director of Elementary Education