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Mission
Catalina Foothills School District, a caring and collaborative learning community,ensures that each student achieves intellectual and personal excellence,and is well prepared for college and career pathways.
Gifted Services
The district provides special programming for gifted students with specific academic needs that cannot be addressed within the scope of the general educational program. Gifted students at every grade level experience regular association with their intellectual peers as well as their age peers.
Programs and services to meet the needs of identified students vary at each level and may include the following:
- Acceleration
- Cluster classroom placement
- Pull-out programs
- Flexible grouping within or between classrooms
- Differentiated curriculum and instruction
- Honors classes
- Advanced Placement classes
Click HERE to access the Catalina Foothills School District Gifted Education Programming Framework.
Gifted Testing Information
Gifted students are defined as those who score at or above the 97th percentile on any test for gifted identification approved by the Arizona State Board of Education. Students may qualify in one or more of three areas: verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and nonverbal reasoning.
Catalina Foothills makes group testing available for students at their school sites three times per year. The test will be proctored at your child's school by the gifted specialist assigned to the school. Within 30 days after testing is completed, parents/guardians will be notified of the testing results and program options available to the student, if applicable.
Catalina Foothills uses the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT), a test measure recognized by the state of Arizona. The CogAT measures learned reasoning and problem solving skills in three areas: verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal. Reasoning abilities are good predictors of success in school and are important outcomes of a PreK-12 education. Qualifying scores for gifted identification are at or above the 97th percentile.
Non-identified students may only test once during a calendar year. Referrals for gifted testing come from teachers, parents, and students.
Students who have been tested independently, in other districts, or in other states may qualify for gifted services in Catalina Foothills. A list of Arizona approved gifted tests are listed HERE. To submit results for review, please contact the gifted specialist at your child's school.
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Canyon View Elementary |
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|
Testing Dates |
Grades Tested |
Time |
| August 6 and 7, 2025 |
Grade 3 |
7:15am |
| August 8 and 11, 2025 |
Grades 4 & 5 |
7:15am |
|
August 12 and 13, 2025 |
Grade 2 |
7:15am |
| January 6 and 7, 2026 |
Grades 3, 4 & 5 |
7:15am |
| January 8 and 9, 2026 |
Grade 1 |
7:15am |
| January 12 and 13, 2026 |
Kindergarten |
7:15am |
| May 4 and 5, 2026 | Grade 5 Retakes | 7:15am |
|
Manzanita Elementary |
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|
Testing Dates |
Grades Tested |
Time |
| August 6 and 7, 2025 |
Grade 3: Session 1 |
7:15am |
| August 8 and 11, 2025 |
Grades 3: Session 2 |
7:15am |
|
August 14 and 15, 2025 |
Grade 2 |
7:15am |
| January 6 and 7, 2026 |
Grades 3, 4 & 5 |
7:15am |
| January 8 and 9, 2026 |
Grade 1 |
7:15am |
| January 12 and 13, 2026 |
Kindergarten |
7:15am |
| May 4 and 5, 2026 | Grade 5 Retakes | 7:15am |
|
Sunrise Drive Elementary |
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|
Testing Dates |
Grades Tested |
Time |
| August 6 and 7, 2025 |
Grade 3 |
7:15am |
| August 8 and 11, 2025 |
Grades 4 & 5 |
7:15am |
|
August 12 and 13, 2025 |
Grade 2 |
7:15am |
| January 6 and 7, 2026 |
Grades 3, 4 & 5 |
7:15am |
| January 8 and 9, 2026 |
Grade 1 |
7:15am |
| January 12 and 13, 2026 |
Kindergarten |
7:15am |
| May 4 and 5, 2026 | Grade 5 Retakes | 7:15am |
|
Ventana Vista Elementary |
||
|
Testing Dates |
Grades Tested |
Time |
| August 6 and 7, 2025 |
Grade 3 |
7:15am |
| August 8 and 11, 2025 |
Grades 4 & 5 |
7:15am |
|
August 12 and 13, 2025 |
Grade 2 |
7:15am |
| January 6 and 7, 2026 |
Grades 3, 4 & 5 |
7:15am |
| January 8 and 9, 2026 |
Grade 1 |
7:15am |
| January 12 and 13, 2026 |
Kindergarten |
7:15am |
| May 4 and 5, 2026 | Grade 5 Retakes | 7:15am |
|
Esperero Canyon Middle School |
||
|
Testing Dates |
Grades Tested |
Time |
| August 5-6, 2025 |
Grades 6-8 |
2:40-4:00pm |
| March 15, 2026 | Grades 6-8 (new students) |
8:30-11:30am |
| March 16-17, 2026 |
Grades 6-8 |
2:40-4:00pm |
|
Orange Grove Middle School |
||
|
Testing Dates |
Grades Tested |
Time |
| August 13, 2025 |
Grades 6-8 |
7:20-9:30am |
| May 6, 2026 |
Grades 6-8 |
7:20-9:30am |
|
Catalina Foothills High School |
||
|
Testing Dates |
Grades Tested |
Time |
| March 16-17, 2026 |
Grades 9-11 |
4:15-5:15pm |
Resources:
Permission Form for Gifted Testing (English)
Permiso para Realizar Evaluaciones para Estudiantes Dotados (Spanish)
K-12 Gifted Education Programming Framework
State Board Approved Tests for Identification of Gifted Students in Arizona
What is Giftedness?
Project Bright Horizon Characteritics and Behaviors of Gifted Learners
Project Bright Horizon Gifted Characteristics Checklist
Arizona Association for Gifted and Talented (AAGT)
National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC)
For more information, contact Executive Director of Curriculum and Assessment Sheryl Castro at scastro@cfsd16.org.