Universal CogAT screening
Kindergarten and Grade 3
Annual cycle
All students in these grades are screened, but the district does not publish exact 2026-27 testing dates. Ask the school at the beginning of the year.
Verify with the district ↗Linden Public Schools parent navigator Last updated 09/09/2026
Gifted and Talented, Honors, AP, and IB,
made navigable.
Linden universally administers CogAT in Kindergarten and Grade 3, narrows a multiple-measure pool to roughly 8-10% per grade subject to space and performance, and notifies selected families in September. Grades 1-5 receive a weekly half-day pull-out.
Independent from Linden Public Schools. Official district instructions always control.
NJlocal district program
2026-27school year reviewed
3official sources reviewed
3deadlines or checkpoints
When your family may need to act
The published timeline, in one place.
Use the row that matches your child's grade and situation. Dates below come from the linked district instructions; confirm them before submitting.
Grade 3 re-evaluation
All Grade 3 students
Annual cycle
Re-evaluation occurs in spring for Grades 4-5 placement; existing participants are not automatically renewed.
Verify with the district ↗Selection notice and consent
Selected elementary students
Annual cycle
Families receive a September letter and must return permission by the stated due date or the child may lose the place.
Verify with the district ↗How Bloomfield Academy helps
Understand the program.
Manage the process.
Build the learner.
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 Gifted and Talented, Honors, AP, and IB into three clear layers of support.
01Parent GuideFree
Know what the program actually requires.
Get the local program name, grades, identification process, services, deadlines, parent steps, and official instructions—all in plain language.
02Navigator$79 / year
Turn the process into your family's plan.
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.
03Bloomfield Mentor$149 / year
Turn a future interest into work your child can do now.
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
Know the program.
Know the route.
Applicable school year: 2026-27. Bloomfield separates official requirements from our preparation guidance.
Who and which grades
Published coverageK-5 gifted; Grades 6-8 Honors; Grades 9-12 Honors, AP, and IB
How students are considered
Published processAll Kindergarten and Grade 3 students take CogAT. The district combines screening results with teacher evaluation, reading level, mathematics assessment, report cards, NJSLA where applicable, attendance, participation, behavior, curiosity, creativity, and investigative skills. Composite ranking narrows the pool to about 8-10% per grade, but admission also depends on space and classroom performance.
What service can look like
Published modelIdentified Grades 1-5 students leave their regular class for a rotating half-day each week in their home school. Kindergarten students receive an evaluated gifted curriculum. Grades 6-8 use Honors classes, and Grades 9-12 continue through Honors, AP, and International Baccalaureate options.
Your family's route
See the next move—and where Bloomfield helps.
This plan translates the published process without changing it. Confirm current district instructions before submitting.
Your next moveAsk the school for the Kindergarten or Grade 3 CogAT date, the spring re-evaluation calendar, and the September notification and consent deadlines.
How Bloomfield helps
Adds the date and task to one family plan, with alerts before it becomes urgent.
Your next moveRequest the CogAT report plus every reading, mathematics, NJSLA, report-card, attendance, behavior, creativity, curiosity, and teacher-rating component.
How Bloomfield helps
Turns the district language into a short list of questions to confirm with your school.
Your next moveAsk for the composite formula, local grade ranking, eligibility range, and how space and classroom performance affect final selection.
How Bloomfield helps
Provides guided prompts and one private place to organize authentic examples and documents.
Your next moveReturn the signed September permission form by its stated due date and keep proof of delivery.
How Bloomfield helps
Tracks forms, confirmations, and any related enrollment or transfer step.
Your next moveIf admitted, confirm the weekly rotating half-day and plan with the classroom teacher for work missed during pull-out.
How Bloomfield helps
Keeps the decision, follow-up, and appeal questions together so the next move is clear.
Your next moveBefore Grade 6 or Grade 9, request Honors, AP, and IB prerequisites and course-selection deadlines so the pathway continues without a gap.
How Bloomfield helps
Keeps the decision, follow-up, and appeal questions together so the next move is clear.
Application support
Prepare the story before you open the form.
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 →Parent observationFictional 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.”
01 Observable02 Child-led03 Need-focused
See why this works →Parent-to-parent
What would you tell another family?
Share practical, firsthand wisdom about Gifted and Talented, Honors, AP, and IB. Parent experience is kept separate from the official program facts above.
Opening the parent discussion…
Trust is part of the product
District rules and Bloomfield guidance stay clearly separated.
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.
Official requirement
Supported by the district links and applicable school year shown on this guide.
Bloomfield guidance
A plain-language explanation or constructive preparation recommendation.
Parent-reported insight
Shown only when it is dated, moderated, and clearly labeled—not as an official rule.
Primary sources
Read the published language yourself.
01Gifted and Talented ↗022026-2027 District Calendar ↗03Middle and High School Language Arts Pathways ↗
Last updated 09/09/2026. Program rules can change; verify the current school year with Linden Public Schools before acting.