Traverse City Area Public Schools (TCAPS) will administer the Cognitive Ability Test (CogAT) in February 2026 for all current 3rd-grade students interested in the Talented and Gifted (TAG) program next school year. Registration for testing is mandatory and the deadline is Wednesday, January 21, 2026.
TCAPS will administer the CogAT for any 3rd grade student interested in applying to the TAG program. Testing will take place at the student's home school from Monday, February 2 to Friday, February 13, 2026. To ensure your student is tested, the online registration form must be completed and submitted by the deadline. To access the form, please email Kelly Walter at walterke@tcaps.net.
Families within TCAPS will receive detailed testing information from your student’s school by email. Families outside TCAPS will be contacted to confirm their testing location after online registration and will receive specific testing details at that time.
Students identified through the testing will be invited to attend TAG programming for the 2026-2027 school year at one of two locations: Eastern Elementary or Silver Lake Elementary. The TCAPS TAG Program (Accelerated/High Achieving/Gifted) is designed to challenge students with a faster pace, less repetition, and a focus on higher-order thinking skills. The curriculum strikes a balance between rigor, engagement, and enjoyment, emphasizing a growth mindset philosophy that incorporates productive struggle. Students benefit from challenging projects, practical homework assignments that build responsibility, and extensions like Perennial Math, Noetic, Spelling Bee, Science Fair, and Battle of the Books.
An optional Virtual Informational Meeting about the TAG Program will be held on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. You can join the live stream meeting using this link: https://stream.meet.google.com/stream/dfdfe4fc-9020-4544-9cd2-b494b2f74809. The meeting will be recorded and posted on the district’s website for families unable to attend.
For additional information, visit www.tcaps.net/TAG. Questions can be directed to the Office of Curriculum and Instruction at 231. 933.1775 or walterke@tcaps.net.