Austin Independent School District parent navigator Last updated 09/09/2026
Austin ISD accepts K-12 Gifted/Talented referrals from August 18 through October 16, 2026 and identifies students by subject area using observations, ability testing and sometimes work samples.
Independent from Austin Independent School District. 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.
K-12
Submit the district's online G/T Referral Form between August 18 and October 16, 2026. The campus G/T Advocate receives the referral and coordinates the assessment process.
Verify with the district ↗All referred students
Complete the observation form requested after referral and confirm receipt with the campus G/T Advocate; the district may also request a student work sample.
Verify with the district ↗All referred students
The district page does not state one districtwide result date; ask the campus G/T Advocate for the testing, committee and written-notification dates when the referral is acknowledged.
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 Gifted/Talented and Talent Explore 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-12
Published processStudents may be identified in G/T STEM, G/T Humanities, Talent Explore STEM or Talent Explore Humanities. The campus G/T Advocate coordinates screening. Qualitative evidence includes a parent or caregiver observation form and teacher observation forms, and the advocate may request a work sample; quantitative evidence includes an ability test.
Published modelAll campuses provide G/T identification and services. Elementary students learn with a G/T Foundations-trained teacher in a cluster group and receive a grade-level G/T Learning Plan plus a service summary each semester. Secondary options include Advanced and AP courses, campus magnet or IB programs, dual credit, advanced CTE, G/T Learning Plans and Texas Performance Standards Projects, subject to each program's prerequisites.
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 Gifted/Talented and Talent Explore. 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 Austin Independent School District before acting.