CogAT Testing

This year, the Howard County Public School System will be administering the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT)
to all students in grades 3 and 5. The CogAT is a group administered abilities test that measures student’s
reasoning abilities, which they develop through in-school and out-of-school experiences. It is not designed to test
a student’s academic achievement, but their potential. The test is made of three batteries - Verbal, Quantitative,
and Nonverbal. Each battery takes approximately 30 minutes to complete. The CogAT helps educators
understand a student’s cognitive strengths and weaknesses and assists with adapting instruction to meet the needs
and abilities of each student.
ALL STUDENTS in Grades 3 and 5 will participate in the testing. The CogAT will be administered at Running
Brook on December 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. No special preparation is required. Just send your child to school ready to
learn as you do daily. The Gifted and Talented Education Program will use the data from the CogAT as one
criterion for placement into fourth grade Gifted/Talented mathematics classes and middle school Gifted/Talented
content classes. Students’ individual scores will be reported to parents in late February/early March. Please
contact the school if you have any questions about your child’s involvement with the CogAT assessment.

Date

Tuesday, December 1, 2015 (All day) to Thursday, December 3, 2015 (All day)