In accordance with WAC 392-170-055, the Bellevue School District uses multiple objective criteria for identification of students who are highly capable.  No single criterion may disqualify a student from identification.

Evidence of need for advanced learning services is determined by a district-level multi-disciplinary team who consider a portfolio of evidence. All decisions are based upon multiple criteria to include State assessment scores, district-level achievement measures, ability scores on the cognitive abilities test, and achievement scores in reading and math on the Star or Iowa Assessments. The cognitive abilities test and achievement test scores assist the multi-disciplinary team by providing information about each students’ ability and achievement level in comparison with their peers locally and nationwide.  Decisions are based upon whether the total package of evidence indicated a need for services beyond the scope of the general education classroom.

The following assessments are administered in school and student performance levels are utilized by the multi-disciplinary team,

Test Grades Administered
Text Reading Comprehension (TRC) (English and/or Spanish) K – 2
Mandarin Literacy Assessments K – 5 at multi-lingual language Elementary Schools/Programs
Star Math 2 – 8
Star Reading 3 – 8
Smarter Balanced Assessment 3 – 8 & 10

There are no weights assigned to various data points.  Many are utilized in order to provide a clear picture of each student’s ability.  Qualifying decisions are based upon whether the total package of data indicates a need for services beyond the scope of the general education classroom.


Current Score Range of Students Identified in Need of Advanced Learning Services:

Domain-Specific Services in Elementary and Middle School (Grades K – 8)

  • Literacy (Verbal) Domain:
    • Cognitive abilities test demonstrating ability 2+ standard deviations above the norm in verbal domain, for example, 132 SAS or above on cognitive ability Verbal sub-section
    • Achievement results demonstrating 95%+ or academic grade level equivalency in reading 2 years above grade level, for example, Star at or above 95%
  • Math (Quantitative) Domain:
    • Cognitive abilities test demonstrating ability 2+ standard deviations above the norm in quantitative domain, for example, 132 SAS or above on cognitive ability Quantitative sub-section
    • Achievement results demonstrating 95%+ or academic grade level equivalency in mathematics 2 years above grade level, for example, Star at or above 95%

Centered Services in Elementary, Middle, or High School (Grades 2 – 12)

  • Cognitive ability testing results showing 2+ standard deviations above the mean, for example, two of the three CogAT subtests (Verbal, Quantitative or Non-Verbal) scores at or above 132 SAS (Standard Age Score)
  • Cognitive ability testing results showing 2+ standard deviations above the mean, for example, CogAT Composite score at or above 2+ standard deviations above the mean, 132 SAS
  • Achievement results on the Star or IOWA Reading and Math assessments at or above 95%
  • Academic grade level equivalencies in reading and math 2 years above grade level
  • Other achievement data at or above 90% or Level 4

If your child is attending BSD on an approved nonresident transfer and is identified as in need of advanced learning, services are only provided through domain-specific services in the general education classroom at the current school setting for which that transfer applies.


Cognitive Abilities Test 7/8 (CogAT 7/8)

The Bellevue School District’s advanced learning services are designed to meet the academic needs of students determined through academic and cognitive testing to be 2 standard deviations or more above the mean, or roughly the 98th percentile and above when compared to the general population. The CogAT tests a child’s cognitive reasoning ability and is scored based on a child’s birthday. For example, if a 6 1/2 year old answered 20 questions correctly, he would have a higher Standard Age Score than a student taking the same test and getting the same number of items correct who is 7 years old. In fact, the test scoring is done by increments of 3 months. So that a 6 1/2 year old student would be scored with students who are between 6 years and 6 months old to 6 years and 9 months old.

The Standard Age Score (SAS) tells you how your child compares to the other students in their age group. It has a median score of 100 with a standard deviation of 16:

• Sixty-eight percent of the general population will fall between 1 standard deviation below the mean and 1 standard deviation above the mean, with a standard age score between 84 and 116.

• Ninety-five percent of the general population will fall between 2 standard deviations below the mean and 2 standard deviations above the mean, with a standard age score between 68 and 132. Therefore, 95% of students are typically served in the general education classroom.

• Students falling below or above 2 standard deviations (2.5% of the general population) tend to receive specially designed academic services. For example, an SAS score of 132 reveals that a child has an increased rate of development in reasoning skills that is beyond the norm for their age group.


CogAT Standard Age Score Conversion to Percentile Ranks

Standard Age Score (SAS) is a normalized standard score, with a mean (average) of 100. Standard Age Scores of 89-111 are all within the average range. For example:

  • A student with a SAS of 100 on the Verbal Battery has the rate and level of development of verbal reasoning skills that are typical for his/her age group.
  • A student with a SAS of 116 on the Verbal Battery has a faster rate and higher level of development of verbal reasoning skills than the typical student in his/her age group.
  • A student with a SAS of 132 or above on the Verbal Battery has an exceptional rate and level of development of verbal reasoning skills that are considered to be in the advanced range for his/her age group.
Standard Age Score Percentile Rank
100 50
101 52
102 55
103 57
104 60
105 62
106 65
107 67
108 69
109 71
110 73
111 75
Standard Age Score Percentile Rank
112 77
113 79
114 81
115 83
116 84
117 86
118 87
119 88
120 89
121 91
122 92
123 92
Standard Age Score Percentile Rank
124 93
125 94
126 95
127 95
128 96
129 97
130 97
131 97
132 98
133-134 98
135-160 99

Star Assessments (Star)

For every Star assessment, your child receives a scaled score (SS), which is based on the difficulty of the questions and the number of correct answers. Scaled scores are useful for comparing your child’s performance over time and across grades. Star Reading and Star Math scaled scores range from 0–1400. Some Star scores compare your child’s performance to a specific criteria or to a standard (criterion-referenced scores). Star reports also include scores which compare your child’s performance to other students who have taken the same test (norm-referenced scores). The criterion- and norm-referenced scores are based on the scaled score.


Iowa Assessments (Iowa)

The Iowa tests a student’s academic knowledge and is scored by grade level. The grade percentiles on the Iowa designate the percentile of students on the Standard Curve of the same grade as your child who obtained lower scores. The median is the 50th percentile; the highest score is the 99th percentile.


How Do I Appeal My Child’s Test Results?

Advanced Learning Department assessment criteria is applied equitably to all applicants. For students not meeting the entrance criteria, appeals for further consideration can be made.

Learn more about this process
The Bellevue School District acknowledges that we learn, work, live and gather on the Indigenous Land of the Coast Salish peoples, specifically the Duwamish and Snoqualmie Tribes. We thank these caretakers of this land, who have lived and continue to live here, since time immemorial.