TAG FAQs

All PGCPS grade 1 students will be tested with the Otis Lennon School Ability Test. All PGPCS grade 4 students who are not already identified for gifted services will be tested with the CogAT assessment. The school will release the exact test dates.

All new registrants to PGCPS in grades 2, 3, and 5 will be tested. The new 2nd and 3rd graders will take the Otis Lennon School Ability Test. The new 5th graders will take the CogAT assessment. If you register after the students have been tested, please contact the TAG Coordinator at your school to nominate your child and testing can still take place.

Cognitive ability assessments measure someone's reasoning skills. While it is not necessary to prepare for a cognitive ability assessment, younger students may benefit from completing some practice verbal, nonverbal, and quantitative problems. More information about the OLSAT and the CogAT can be found on the OLSAT Test Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and the CogAT Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) pages.

Students who are identified to receive gifted services this year will begin receiving gifted services next school year. 

PGCPS TAG staff will review any existing data to determine if it is comparable to our assessments. Assessment data is valid for 2 years.

Every elementary school offers one of three models for TAG services: Pull-Out, TAG in the Regular Classroom (TRC) or a TAG Center Program. 

Middle schools offer Honors Courses in English and Social Studies, TAG extensions are available in Science, and advanced math placement is available for students who meet the prerequisites.  

High schools offer open access to Advanced Placement (AP) and offer Honors Courses.  Many TAG students are interested in attending a variety of the High School Specialty Programs, such as Science and Technology, Academy of Health Sciences, and IB.

PGCPS Talented and Gifted Office will review all the existing test data from the previous district and the student will be screened based on the PGCPS criteria.

Yes, if a student receiving TAG services is underperforming (mostly Ds or Es), a student can be removed. More details can be found in Administrative Procedure 6142.2. Once the process has been completed and it is determined to remove the student from TAG services the student will no longer receive TAG Pull-out, TRC, or TAG Center services. If the student is in a TAG Center Program, the student would return to his/her homeschool.

If you have applied via lottery and have been notified that your child is on a waitlist for a TAG Center Program, contact Pupil Accounting and School Boundaries (PASB) at 301-952-6300 to find out your child’s number on the waitlist.   

The National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) has information for parents about advanced and gifted learners. Go to www.nagc.org and click on the parent tab.  Another source of information is the Council for Exceptional Children-The Association for the Gifted (CEC-TAG) at www.cectag.org.

November 1, 2025 - March 13, 2026

Students must be TAG-identified using PGCPS criteria in order to participate in the program. If your child is not yet identified as TAG, but is in the process of being screened, you may select TAG on your application. Students must be identified and coded TAG before lottery placement occurs. 

Applying to the Lottery | Lottery Process Explained

If your elementary age child has a documented disability and you suspect that he/she might also be gifted, contact the TAG Coordinator at your school. The coordinator will fill out and submit the Review Request for Twice Exceptional Identification and submit it along with any psychological reports that include cognitive assessments. The TAG Supervisor and the Special Education Specialist who is assigned to 2E hold monthly meetings to review all data related to each request. If the child meets PGCPS criteria for gifted, your child will be coded as TAG in the central database and we will let the school know the decision. If your child is identified as 2E, he/she will be able to participate in the TAG service model at your school.  If your child is in middle school, contact your child's counselor- the process is the same. The outcome in middle school may include your child's participation in an honors course.