CogAT Screener - Frequently Asked Questions

A short assessment that shows how students think and solve problems—not what they have been taught.

The CogAT Screener measuers:

• Words/Pictures (Verbal)
• Numbers (Quantitative)
• Pictures and patterns (Figure Matrices)

To help us:

• Understand how students learn
• Decide if more information may be helpful
• Plan instruction and advanced programming opportunities
   

May (grades K–5). Your school will share specific dates.
 

Families must opt in through WITS by April 24, 2026.
 

No. Families choose whether to participate.

The CogAT Screener takes approximately 30 minutes.

No, the CogAT screener does not affect a student's grades.

No.  This is not an assessment of what students have already learned, but how they use reasoning skills.
 

No. We will continue to use multiple measures to identify student needs.  Taking the CogAT will be necessary for consideration of new advanced learning opportunities that may be available in the 2026-27 school year for grades 1 - 6. 
 

Yes, for students with IEPs or 504s, testing accommodations will be provided.
 

The CogAT Screener is a computer based assessment. Students will have headphones and a device and will be monitored by a proctor. 

The assessment can be administered in multiple languages. The needs of all ENL students taking the test will be reviewed to determine the best language for administration.
 

No. There is no studying needed.
 

Yes. Reports will be shared with parents/guardians in late June.

No. It is one part of a larger process. No single test determines placement.
 

Some students may be recommended for additional assessment. Families will be notified before any next steps.
 

Students can still receive support through the district’s Levels of Service model. However, CogAT is used to consider students for advanced programming.
 

No. This test does not determine services on its own.

Accommodations will be available as needed including read-alouds (multiple languages) via headphones.
 

To give every student the opportunity to show how they think and to support fair access to advanced learning.

They show how your child approached different types of thinking tasks.

Thank you for your interest in your child's full-battery CogAT results. Because students across the district are completing the assessment at different times, score reports will not be available until the testing window closes during the final week of school.

Given the timing of the assessment and the review process that follows, results from the full CogAT assessment will be shared with families in the fall. 

We appreciate your patience as we complete testing and carefully review multiple sources of information to ensure that results are interpreted thoughtfully and used to best support students' learning needs.

No. The CogAT screening is only one source of information. The district uses many types of information when making decisions about student learning needs, services, and advanced programming.

No. A lower CogAT score does not mean a student is failing, will earn poor grades, or cannot be successful in school. The assessment provides a snapshot of how a student approached certain reasoning and problem-solving tasks on that day.

Children learn and grow at different rates, and reasoning skills continue to develop over time through learning and experience.

Families can support this growth by encouraging reading, curiosity, problem-solving, games, puzzles, and conversations that encourage children to explain their thinking.

If you would like to see examples of the types of questions students completed, sample CogAT questions are available on the District website.

This was the first year the District used the CogAT screening assessment. During this first year, all students in grades K–5 were invited to participate in the screening process.

Beginning with the 2026-27 school year, students in grades K, 2, and 4 will be invited to participate in CogAT screening during the District’s regular testing cycle in the spring. Students who are new to the District and enroll after the most recent testing cycle may also participate in screening at that time.

No. The CogAT is not an IQ test. It looks at reasoning and problem-solving skills in different areas.

The CogAT measures how students think and solve problems. School grades reflect many things, including what students have learned, classwork, homework, effort, participation, and tests.

Because they measure different things, CogAT scores and grades do not always match. It is common for students to have strong grades and average CogAT scores, or strong CogAT scores and average grades.

A CogAT score is only one piece of information and does not determine a student's success in school.

School staff may review CogAT results along with classroom performance, teacher input, student work, and other information to beer understand student strengths and learning needs.

Yes. Young children grow and develop quickly. Skills and scores may change over time as students gain new learning and experiences.

No. The CogAT screening is administered during a District testing window so that student results can be reviewed fairly and consistently across grade levels and schools.

If a student began the assessment but did not respond to enough questions to generate a score, the assessment cannot be restarted or readministered during the same testing cycle because the student has already been exposed to test questions.

Students who were absent or unable to complete the assessment during this year’s testing window may participate in future screening opportunities as outlined by the District’s testing schedule.