Screening for QUEST Gifted/Talented Services
Referrals are open for the 2026-27 year
Referrals for the 2026-27 school year are now open!
Referrals will close on March 1, 2026.
Parents who refer will be notified by April 1, 2026 if their child moves to testing.
Results will be sent home before the last day of school.
All results go out on the same day, usually during the last week of school.
Referral to the QUEST Program:
Referrals are accepted all year long.
Leander tests students for the Gifted program once a year, in spring.
Please be aware that one of the parent referral forms is quite long requiring multiple specific examples.
Clear examples can be easier to spot and describe when given a few weeks to view your child's behavior so consider starting the 3-part Referral Form early.
Contact keni.renner@leanderisd.org with questions.
Common Academic indicators of Gifted children:
Scores at the 90%ile or higher on ISIP reading assessment
OR scores 1 full grade level or higher above "advanced level" on Running Records reading assessment
OR scores at the 90%ile or higher on MAP math assessment
Ability to comprehend material several grade levels above their age peers
Absorbs information quickly with few repetitions needed
Common Personality indicators of Gifted children:
Intense focus on things of interest to them, to the exclusion of other things like eating, play and social time. Might be 1 particular topic.
Surprising emotional depth and sensitivity at a young age
Strong sense of curiosity
Quirky or mature sense of humor
Creative problem solving and imaginative expression
Self-aware, socially aware, and aware of global issues
Asynchronous development in intellectual, physical and social/emotional areas.
This is a perfect description of my child!
Please complete this 3-part Referral Form in order for them to be screened.
Any adult may refer a student to the QUEST GT program.
Only REFERRED students in Grades 1-5 will be screened.
Every Kindergarten student is screened but we'd love your input anyway so help us see the "whole child".
Step 1 - Screening:
All students are screened using multiple quantitative (academic) and qualitative measures.
The purpose of screening is to identify students who demonstrate potential in areas of general intellectual ability through district selected achievement and observation feedback tools.
One of the first steps in screening is the referral process (linked above)
Students moving on to the testing / "assessment" phase, score at the 90%ile on ISIP, MAP, or score 1 full grade level above "advanced" on Running Records.
Step 2 - Assessment:
Students meeting the screening process criteria will be assessed for gifted services once permission from the parent/guardian is received.
Assessment tools may include, but are not limited to, the following:
achievement tests
nationally age-normed intelligence tests
creativity tests
behavioral checklists
student/parent conferences
student work products
Step 3 - Identification:
The QUEST teachers at each campus administer the screening and assessment measures.
These are evaluated and scored by the QUEST Identification and Placement Committee.
Placement decisions are made by a committee of district K-12 QUEST teachers. All have extensive training in gifted education.
Step 4 - Placement: Once identified, QUEST-G/T students are NOT re-screened or retested, unless they have exited from the program.
Screening and assessment will be done for placement in the fall, with the exception of Kindergarten.
In Kindergarten, screening happens in Dec., Jan., and Feb., with QUEST classes beginning March 1.
Transfer Students
Transfer identified G/T students will have records reviewed following the District’s assessment procedures. Students demonstrating a need for G/T services will be placed upon completion of the record review process. Please send student records to keni.renner@leanderisd.org
Students may be nominated at any time by teachers, counselors, administrators, parents, self, or peers. The person nominating a student should complete this QUEST referral form (note that there are a total of THREE forms to complete).
LISD provides at least one screening, assessment, and identification opportunity per year. This is a multi-step process, outlined below. Additional information can be found on the district website.
Every Kindergarten student is screened in the 2nd semester of their kindergarten year