Closter Public Schools parent navigator Last updated 09/09/2026
Closter uses the 12-point Northern Valley Identification Matrix for small-group HEP and TEP, with 10 points required. Grade 2 and Grade 5 reviews combine CogAT, Renzulli ratings, and achievement evidence; new students receive additional screening opportunities.
Independent from Closter Public Schools. Official district instructions always control.
When your family may need to act
Use the row that matches your child's grade and situation. Dates below come from the linked district instructions; confirm them before submitting.
Grade 2 for Grade 3 service
The district identifies spring CogAT and end-of-year achievement evidence but does not post one exact 2026-27 testing or notification date. Ask the school for the active calendar.
Verify with the district ↗Grade 5 for Grades 6-8 service
Grade 5 students are reassessed with CogAT, Renzulli, and NJSLA evidence. Prior HEP participation should not be treated as automatic TEP placement.
Verify with the district ↗New students in Grades 3-4 and 6-8
The current page confirms identification consideration for new students but posts no closing date; contact the school soon after enrollment.
Verify with the district ↗How Bloomfield Academy helps
Use the Parent Guide free. Choose Navigator when you want the process managed around your child. Choose Mentor when you want to connect that local opportunity to a longer-term interest, real projects, and a private record of growth. Bloomfield turns Hillside Enrichment Program (HEP) and Tenakill Enrichment Program (TEP) into three clear layers of support.
Get the local program name, grades, identification process, services, deadlines, parent steps, and official instructions—all in plain language.
Navigator adds a child-specific timeline, deadline and policy alerts, a guided checklist, and one place to organize forms, work samples, and questions for the school.
Mentor includes Navigator plus a 12-week pathway, four short weekly challenges, one substantial monthly project, a Friday parent insight, and a private Growth Portfolio.
What the official record confirms
Applicable school year: 2026-27. Bloomfield separates official requirements from our preparation guidance.
Published coverageK-8 continuum; small-group HEP/TEP serves Grades 3-8
Published processHEP review in Grade 2 awards up to four points each for CogAT SAS composite, the Renzulli Scale for Rating Behavioral Characteristics of Superior Students, and end-of-year reading and mathematics. Grade 5 TEP reassessment uses the same four-point CogAT and Renzulli components plus up to four points from NJSLA mathematics and language arts. A total of 10 of 12 points is required. New students in Grades 3-4 and 6-8 are also assessed.
Published modelAll K-8 students may receive differentiated whole-class enrichment, curriculum compacting, and acceleration. Small-group problem-solving instruction begins with HEP in Grade 3 and continues through Grade 8 as TEP. Teacher and enrichment-teacher observations supplement the formal matrix when service decisions are made.
Your family's route
This plan translates the published process without changing it. Confirm current district instructions before submitting.
Adds the date and task to one family plan, with alerts before it becomes urgent.
Turns the district language into a short list of questions to confirm with your school.
Provides guided prompts and one private place to organize authentic examples and documents.
Tracks forms, confirmations, and any related enrollment or transfer step.
Keeps the decision, follow-up, and appeal questions together so the next move is clear.
Keeps the decision, follow-up, and appeal questions together so the next move is clear.
Application support
District forms and prompts vary. This annotated, fictional example shows how to turn a real observation into useful evidence without copying language or inventing accomplishments.
Explore the annotated example →What have you observed that shows your child may need greater depth, complexity, or pace?
“After her model failed, Maya changed one part at a time, recorded each result, and explained why the designs failed differently.”
Parent-to-parent
Share practical, firsthand wisdom about Hillside Enrichment Program (HEP) and Tenakill Enrichment Program (TEP). Parent experience is kept separate from the official program facts above.
Trust is part of the product
The program facts above come from the linked official sources. Bloomfield's checklist translates those facts into practical next steps without predicting selection or presenting parent anecdotes as district policy.
Supported by the district links and applicable school year shown on this guide.
A plain-language explanation or constructive preparation recommendation.
Shown only when it is dated, moderated, and clearly labeled—not as an official rule.
Primary sources
Last updated 09/09/2026. Program rules can change; verify the current school year with Closter Public Schools before acting.