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Talented and Gifted (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

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

TAG Audits

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

Mashari Whitfield
Instructional Specialist for Gifted and Advanced Academic Programs
(703) 619-8193
mashari.whitfield@acps.k12.va.us