Welcome to Quest!

Dear Kindergarten Parents,

You may refer your Kindergarten child for the Carroll ISD Gifted and Talented Program.  The referral form is open November 29 - December 10 and can be found here using the Referral Form Link.  The deadline is December 10 at 8:00 am.  No late submissions will be accepted.

The gifted program is called Quest at the elementary level.  It is an interdisciplinary program where students are encouraged to make connections and view the world in a more global manner.  Students will test in small groups during school hours in January and February.

District Screening Procedure for Kindergarten:

Elementary students in Kindergarten must score within a target range on the Phase I Abilities Test in order to move forward to the Phase II portion of the screening process.  Phase II involves the Iowa Assessments Achievement Test.  We will begin testing for Phase I in January, and testing will continue until all students have completed the first phase.  Testing occurs in small groups in my classroom during school hours. You will be notified of your child's testing status after Phase I testing is complete.  Testing will end for students whose scores do not fall within the target range for cognitive ability and those children will not qualify for placement in the GT program. 

Students that continue Phase II testing will sit for 2-3 additional testing sessions to complete the Iowa Achievement Test.  This included reading/vocabulary and mathematics/computation.  You can best prepare your child for testing by ensuring he/she sleeps well, eats a healthy breakfast, and arrives at school on time each day.

The GT testing process is quite rigorous.  Students must be able to listen carefully and sit quietly, without distracting other students, for an extended period of time, sometimes up to an hour.  Students should be reading on level or above in order to comfortably complete all portions of testing.  Please seriously consider the emotional toll that testing has on students of any age.  Many times before, Kindergarteners who are not fluent readers sit and cry throughout the test.  I would hate for that to be your child.  This testing scenario mirrors what is done at all grade levels.  There will be no talking, and due to the nature of the test, I am unable to do any explaining of the material.  If you feel that your child might qualify, but is unable to comply with what is listed above, it might be beneficial to wait until they are mature enough to handle multiple testing sessions.  Referrals open every fall for testing for that year. 

Phase One results will be shared by mail or email after the gifted screening committee decides who qualifies for Phase Two testing.  I shall inform you that they are coming home on the day of their dispersal.

Please note that I cannot mention information about the test, the form of the test, or anything else that would unfairly give your child an advantage over others.

For more information about the Quest program, you can visit the Carroll ISD Gifted and Talented webpage.

I am happy to answer any questions regarding the testing process and the GT program.  I can be reached at allyson.dickinson@southlakecarroll.edu.

Sincerely, 

Allyson Dickinson