How are students identified for the QUEST program?
The Spring referral window for the 2026-2027 school year is open.
Referrals are due March 1, 2026.
Students can currently be referred for QUEST testing that will take place during the 2026 Spring semester only. LISD no longer has QUEST testing during the fall semester.
**For ALL QUEST screening requests, please submit the following referral forms:
GT Referral Form *To be completed by parents and teachers.
General Intellectual Scale *To be completed by parents and teachers.
Parent Referral Survey *For parents only!
Students in grades K-12 may be nominated at any time by teachers, counselors, administrators, parents, self, or peers. The person nominating a student should complete all of the above referral forms and submit them to the campus QUEST teacher, who will add names for next screening window.
Every Kindergarten student is screened in the second semester of his/her Kindergarten year.
To qualify for QUEST-gifted services, all students must score in the 95%ile or higher on a nationally-normed, standardized intellectual ability test, achievement test or other cognitive ability test.
Identification is a multi-step process:
Step 1: SCREENING
The purpose of the screening is to identify those students who demonstrate potential in the areas of
GENERAL INTELLECTUAL ABILITY
CREATIVE AND PRODUCTIVE THINKING
Step 2: IDENTIFICATION
If the student meets the criteria for the screening process, permission from the parent is requested for individual testing in the area of high general intellectual ability. Grades K-1 students are tested one-on-one in with the campus QUEST teacher. Grades 2-5 students test independently on a computer with the QUEST teacher serving as testing proctor.
Step 3: PLACEMENT
The QUEST resource teachers at each campus administer the screening and identification measures. The measures are evaluated and scored by the QUEST Identification and Placement Committee. This committee is made up of all the district K-12 QUEST teachers plus the district coordinator. All have at least 30 hours of training in gifted education plus additional hours of training in testing and identification of gifted students. Placement decisions are made by this committee.
Elementary QUEST Screening/Testing Windows are:
• Kindergarten screening and testing is in January-February.
• (NEW) **Grades 1-5 screening and testing takes place in the spring semester ONLY. There will no longer be a fall testing window starting in the 2025-26 school year.
QUEST testing is only done during the above times. The only exceptions are transfer GT students who provide documentation of participation in previous district.
**All spring test results will be shared with parents at the end of the school year (through email only).
Where can I find more information about the screening process?
Please go to the LISD website for more information about the QUEST G/T program here.