Parent Information about Private Testing
 

Is my child eligible for private testing?

Parents / Guardians seeking AG services ( including VS services) for their child may pursue individualized aptitude or achievement testing through a private contract with a licensed psychologist authorized to administer such tests and to have their results acknowledged in the state of North Carolina. While GCS does not endorse any private practitioner, we have provided a list of professions frequently contracted by members of the community for educational evaluations.  

Parents/Guardians who elect to pursue evaluation through the services of a private source knowingly do so at their own personal expense. Parents should consult with the school's TAG Chairperson before pursuing private testing. For a list of each school’s TAG Chairperson, please visit the Meet the Team page. Following consultation with the TAG Chairperson, the Private Testing Prior Notification Form must be completed and submitted. The AG Department does not guarantee that private test scores will be used for eligibility consideration if notification was not provided to the TAG Chairperson prior to the day of testing.

As stated in the Private Testing Prior Notification Form, to be eligible for private testing, at a minimum, the student must have scored at the 70^th percentile on the corresponding summative assessment administered by the child’s school or otherwise have AG Department approval.  A private test score may be submitted for only ONE criterion:

• Aptitude/Intelligence
• Reading achievement
• Math achievement
• Science achievement
• Social Studies achievement

What assessments should the psychologist administer?

A private test score must be from the most current edition of a test designed for individual administration and in the form of a national percentile.  The AG Department does not accept scores from group tests from private test administrators. The private professional should use their expertise to determine the assessments that are needed to obtain a comprehensive evaluation of the student’s aptitude ability or academic achievement for their age at the time of the assessment. After consulting with the parent to determine their reasons for seeking a private assessment, the psychologist will determine the need to include in their reporting to the AG Department comparisons to norm groups reflective of student's current grade, current age, and/or an above grade-level group. 

• • • • • • • Testing Window Dates

Beginning-of-Year (BOY) for Grades 4-12 : 1st Day of School - 30th Day of School

BOY for Grade 3: 30th Day of School - 60th Day of School

Middle-of-Year (MOY) for Grades 3 - 12 : First 30 School Days of the Grade 2 Initial Screening Window

End-of-Year (EOY) for VS eligibility only: May 1 - Last school day listed on the GCS Traditional Calendar

The AG Department accepts age-percentile scores from assessments that are nationally normed; specifically designed to assess a student’s aptitude or achievement as it relates to their performance in the public-school setting; and administered in the latest edition. The assessments that are widely used across the state and nation are:

Aptitude:

• Weschler Preschool and Primary Scales of Intelligence
• Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children
• Differential Ability Scales
• Stanford-Binet

Achievement:

• Test of Early Mathematics
• Test of Early Reading Ability
• Woodcock-Johnson Test of Achievement
• Wechsler Individual Achievement Test

Private professionals assessing students for AG eligibility determination should administer the assessment they believe will indicate the student’s superior performance.  As such, when assessing a student’s academic achievement abilities, the AG Department encourages practitioners to review the NC Standard Course of Study at a Glance documents to have a better understanding of the skills that are being expected of students in today’s reading (ELA) and mathematics classrooms.  Students are expected to demonstrate mastery on a wide range of skills, as such a single subtest score or a brief/short score will not be accepted as evidence of a child’s aptitude or achievement performance.

For many achievement assessments, the broad or comprehensive score is calculated by administering subtests that, when viewed collectively provide a better indication of the student’s ability to demonstrate a superior performance on the skills and concepts expected in the NC Standard Course of Study.  For aptitude assessments, the AG Department will accept a full-scale IQ age percentile score. In cases where the licensed psychologist deems the General Ability Index (GAI) score to be a more accurate measure of the student’s ability, the AG Department will consider the GAI percentile score, but only if it has been provided and is recommended for use in the body of the official score report. The AG Department will not calculate scores for any tests administered by any entity outside of our own AG Department.

The AG Department reserves the right to refuse private test scores upon discovery of unethical testing practices including, but not limited to, taking the same test more than once in a calendar year. The AG Department reserves the right to reverse eligibility decisions based on unethical testing practices.

How do I submit my child’s private test score?

The AG Department will consider data taken from an official score report provided directly from the licensed psychologist to the AG Department. The report must include the licensed psychologist's signature and license number. A parent’s copy of the score report will not be accepted. Once processed, the score report will be shared with the TAG Chairperson.  The school's TAG team may then evaluate the data as part of the student’s total body of evidence to determine eligibility for AG service. A private test score will be considered during the established AG screening and evaluation windows that occur at the beginning, middle, and end of each school year. Private test scores submitted between screening windows will be processed and held until the next screening and evaluation window. The AG evaluation windows are as follows:

• • • • • • • Testing Window Dates

Beginning-of-Year (BOY) for Grades 4-12 : 1st Day of School - 30th Day of School

BOY for Grade 3: 30th Day of School - 60th Day of School

Middle-of-Year (MOY) for Grades 3 - 12 : First 30 School Days of the Grade 2 Initial Screening Window

End-of-Year (EOY) for VS eligibility only: May 1 - Last school day listed on the GCS Traditional Calendar

Can you summarize the steps for the use of private test scores to determine eligibility for AG services (including VS service)?

1. Acknowledge that the AG Department only accepts ONE private test score.  This means the results of a private test will only be used to satisfy the eligibility requirements in ONE of the five areas (aptitude, math, reading, science, or social studies) that may be needed for your child’s pathway to AG eligibility.
2. Obtain guidance from the school’s TAG Chairperson (for currently GCS-enrolled students) or the AG Department (for NON GCS-enrolled students) regarding your interest in AG service and a possible pathway to AG eligibility using the data from a privately administered assessment. 
3. Schedule an appointment with a local licensed psychologist, and at your own expense, agree to pay any fees associated with the testing. 
4. Before the appointment, complete and submit Private Testing Prior Notification form to the TAG Chairperson at your child's school or to the AG Department if your child is not currently enrolled in a GCS school.  Be sure you are aware of when this form needs to be submitted to the TAG Chairperson/AG Department so that you will have it returned to you before your child’s appointment.  
5. At the testing appointment, share a copy of Private Testing Prior Notification with the practitioner so that they are aware of what type of assessment may lead to possible AG eligibility.
6. At the testing appointment, the parent/guardian must sign a release granting the psychologist permission to send the official score report directly to:

Academically Gifted Department

501 W. Washington St.

Greensboro, NC 27401

Attn: Private Test Results  

Phone: (336) 370-8361

aig@gcsnc.com

The score report must include the licensed psychologist's signature and licensing number. Once the report is received and processed by the AG Department, it will be shared with the school’s TAG Chairperson for eligibility decisions.

My child is not currently enrolled in GCS. What steps should I follow?

If you are seeking information about private testing for your child who currently attends school outside of the Guilford County Schools System (i.e., private school, charter school, home school, or school in another county, state, or country), refer to the New to Guilford County Schools tab in the menu to the left for additional information.