Testing Frequently Asked Questions
Most students are referred for gifted testing by receiving a qualifying score on the MAP assessment. This score is a 90% or greater on the Reading or Math portion of the assessment.
Other students are recommended by their teacher because they show characteristics that are traditionally exhibited by gifted students, If your student was referred by a teacher, the school's eligibility team looked at school data to determine if your child was a good candidate for testing. If you have questions about that referral process or those characteristics, please reach out to your child's teacher and/or the Gifted Lead Teacher at the school.
You can find a list of Gifted Lead Teachers on the Testing Results page of this website.
After receiving a testing flyer, a parent may register for a testing session by using the link provided to access the testing calendar. All test sessions typically open two weeks before the first day of the month.
Once on the testing website, visit the Testing Calendar page to access the most up-to-date information about testing sessions.
You should look for the following three things to confirm you have successfully completed the registration process.
1) A Thank you message on submission.
When you submit your registration form, you should immediately see the following message:
Thank you for registering your child for HCSD Gifted Testing. Please make sure you write down the date, time and location you selected for testing. Please look for the response email from Google. Read the response email carefully. If you have questions regarding testing, please visit the Gifted Information & Registration Page. If you still have questions, please email the HCSD Gifted Department @Gifted_Co@hcbe.net.
2) Registration Response Email:
When you complete registration and click submit, you should receive an automatic response email from Google. This email is to indicate that you recently filled out and submitted a Google Form. It may contain all of the responses you submitted or it may simply indicate that you submitted the form.
(Please check the email address you used to sign in and register. The email will come directly from Google, <forms-receipts-noreply@google.com>. Please check your trash and spam folders. If you have an email filtering system, please check your blocked, bounced, and rejected folders.)
3) Registration Reminder:
At least one day before your testing appointment, you will receive an email from the Gifted Department. It will come from an @hcbe.net email address. It will go to the email address you listed as the regularly checked email address on your registration form. If you have registered for a testing appointment and do not receive this email by 3:00 pm, the day before testing, please email us using the form at the bottom of the page.
It is very important to record the date, time, and location of your testing appointment.
If for some reason you can't locate the response email, but you did see the thank you message, please know that your child is registered. Once you hit submit, the form automatically added your information to the registration sheet.
All testing sessions will open doors 15 mins before the start times listed.
Morning testing sessions: 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM ( 1st and 2nd Graders)
Afternoon testing sessions: 12:30 PM - 2:30 PM (3rd, 4th, and 5th Graders)
Middle School & High School: 8:30-12:00 PM
Items to bring:
# 2 Pencils
Snacks and a drink
A jacket or hoodie
The school will be notified about your student’s testing appointment.
If you select a morning testing session: Your student will go to the testing location for testing and then go to school. If your child does not return to school, after testing, they will be counted absent for the afternoon.
If you select an afternoon testing session: Your student will go to school first and then go to the testing location for testing. If your child does not go to school before testing, they will be counted absent for the morning.
There are specific arrival and dismissal procedures at each of our testing locations.
Houston County Annex Auditorium:
Arrival: Please form a line at the Gifted Testing sign that will be located on the sidewalk in front of the building. Once your student is checked in, you have received the pickup sheet with your student's name on it and you are aware of the pick up time, then you may leave.
Dismissal: We will bring the students out when they are finished. Please have the pickup sheet with your student's name on it for pickup.
Herman Ragin Conference Center:
Arrival: Please form a line at the Gifted Testing sign that will be located on the sidewalk in front of building D: Herman Ragin Center.
Once your student is checked in, you have received the pickup sheet with your student's name on it and you are aware of the pick up time, then you may leave.
Cary Martin Center:
Arrival: Enter through the W-3 entrance at the back of the building. Form a line in the lobby for check-in.
Once your student is checked in, you have received the pickup sheet with your student's name on it and you are aware of the pick up time, then you may leave.
Transportation to and from the testing locations is the responsibility of the parent/guardian.
It is up to you to make the decisions regarding who can drop off and pick up your child from gifted testing. Please make sure your child knows the drop off and pick up arrangements.
We understand that on a rare occasion a testing appointment may need to be cancelled or rescheduled (sick child, transportation issue, emergency in the family, field trip).
Please use the form that is located on the Cancel or Reschedule page. Please be sure to include student name, grade, school and date of appointment in your communication.
We do not have a waiting list for cancelled or rescheduled appointments. However, we will try to fit in cancelled or rescheduled appointments on the next available appointment dates.
Please allow nine weeks from your child's testing date to receive results.
Students who have been referred for testing, but were unable to make a testing appointment, will be given the opportunity to test beginning in August.
We do not have a waiting list.
We strive to keep the registration page up-to-date. If your grade level is listed as full, then all slots are filled for that testing session. Please check back to register for a testing appointment the following month. We provide testing from January - April for kindergarten, August - April for elementary school, and July - April for middle school and high school.
If you do not see your question above, please use the form at the bottom of the page.