FAQs – Admissions – Stargate School

Will Stargate be a good fit for my child?

Is my kindergarten student old enough to apply?

What if my student was already identified as gifted by another Colorado school and has an Advanced Learning Plan?

A student with an existing Colorado Advanced Learning Plan (ALP), may be considered to have met eligibility requirements. Stargate reserves the right to request supporting documentation with regards to the ALP. Please submit your student's ALP with their application. If additional documentation is needed, you will be notified via email.

Students that are identified as gifted and are applying from outside the state of Colorado will need to submit the current GT identification as well as the supporting body of evidence as outlined on the How to Apply page.

What is a body of evidence (BOE)?

A body of evidence or BOE is the name given to the multiple data points collected about a student to demonstrate giftedness or the potential for giftedness.

Stargate School utilizes a body of evidence to determine if a student meets the criteria for admission.

The body of evidence includes, but is not limited to, the following qualitative and quantitative measures:

Cognitive Assessment:

A cognitive assessment evaluates cognitive skills such as problem solving, reasoning, and verbal/non-verbal comprehension.

Standardized Academic Assessments:

Academic scores from up to two forms of achievement data may come from the following assessments:

CMAS, ATI-Galileo, NWEA/MAPS, iReady, PSAT, SAT, ACT, Renaissance STAR, ITBS and others.

Student Ability Rating:

Once the application is submitted, Stargate will send a student ability rating scale directly to the teacher listed on the application. Please provide the teacher's name, current school and email address.

Advanced Learning Plan:

A student's identification with an Advanced Learning Plan (ALP) from a Colorado school/school district as intellectually gifted may be submitted as a student's body of evidence.

Assistance for establishing the required body of evidence is available for applicants. Stargate will also provide assistance for MLL students to assure that language access does not distort this process.

What is a cognitive assessment?

A cognitive assessment evaluates cognitive skills such as, problem solving, reasoning, and verbal/non-verbal comprehension. The results of this assessment are an indicator of cognitive functioning and could suggest a potential of giftedness. Parents may have their child evaluated independently or may request that Stargate provide a cognitive assessment at the school. Stargate does not adhere to cut-off score practices.

How do I schedule a cognitive assessment for my child?

A cognitive assessment is one piece of the body of evidence that is required to complete your student's application to Stargate. Applicants may be re-tested with the same instrument, after one full calendar year, but no sooner. If an applicant has two of the same cognitive assessments administered in less than one full calendar year, the results from the first assessment will be used for the body of evidence.

There are 3 options for the cognitive assessment:

Option 1: Private psychologist administers the cognitive assessment

Applicants may choose to get an outside cognitive assessment administered by a private psychologist. Applicants who choose this option must upload the cognitive assessment with the results to the application. Costs incurred are the responsibility of the family.

Option 2: Stargate School administers the cognitive assessment

After submitting an application, applicants can request a cognitive assessment administered at Stargate. However, assessment slots are limited. If you choose this option, families are strongly encouraged to submit their applications as soon as possible, as assessment availability at Stargate is not guaranteed. Once the student's application is reviewed, and all other required information is submitted, a sign up to schedule the assessment will be sent via email. Once testing slots are filled, Stargate can not guarantee any additional slots.

Option 3: Previous cognitive assessment administered by a school

Applicants can submit a previous cognitive assessment taken through their school. All students in the State of Colorado take a cognitive assessment in 2nd grade and 6th/7th grade. Contact your students' school and ask for the results of their cognitive assessment. You may also access these results though your parent portal on Infinite Campus. Upload the scores to the application before submitting it.

An Advanced Learning Plan (ALP) from a Colorado school with cognitive scores listed, can also be submitted.

All options are equal. No advantage is received in the admissions process based on your testing source.

How often can my child take a cognitive assessment?

Is there a minimum cut-off score required in order to be eligible for admission to Stargate?

Does a previously waitlisted applicant have priority over new applicants?

If one sibling gets offered a seat at the lottery, does the other sibling automatically get offered a seat?

How do I know if my application is complete?

You will receive an email and text message through SchoolMint when you submit your application. Please make sure your SchoolMint settings are updated to receive emails AND text messages.

Once you submit your application, you will receive an email through SchoolMint to confirm submission of the application.
Once your application has been reviewed by the Admissions Office, you will receive another email to confirm the application is complete (this may take up to 7 business days to receive).
If your application is missing documentation, you will receive an email identifying what is required to complete the application.

Failure to provide the missing documentation by the application deadline (Important Dates) will render the student's application as incomplete and it will be cancelled.

Can I drop off my forms?

The admissions window is closed, can I still apply or be placed on the waitlist?

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