“A Magnet School for Gifted and High Potential Students”

Aurora Quest K-8 is a magnet school in the Aurora Public School District. The staff of Aurora Quest K-8 is charged with the mission of meeting the needs of gifted and high-potential learners through a rigorous and advanced academic curriculum which provides authentic learning experiences and advanced opportunities for students of similar abilities.

While any student residing in the district may apply for admittance into Aurora Quest K-8, the purpose of the admissions process is to select highly gifted and high-potential students who demonstrate a need for specialized programming due to their exceedingly high cognition and/or academic achievement. 

The admissions process at Aurora Quest K-8 is an equitable process based on a whole-child, robust body of evidence approach to highlight student need for specialized programming.  This admissions process is designed to draw from all qualified candidates across the school district and to reflect the demographics of the district.

PLEASE READ THOROUGHLY

Who should apply?

• Four-year-olds applying for Kindergarten who will be five by October 1, 2024 (please see Parent Inventory Form to identify advanced characteristics). 

• Students currently in grades K-7th who have been identified as gifted or high potential learners.

  • • In-district students must have gone through the gifted and talented identification process and been identified as gifted or high potential before applications are due January 26, 2024, in order to apply.

    • Parents of APS students currently attending Kindergarten - 7th grade interested in applying to Quest who are not currently identified as gifted and talented or high-potential, must notify their school’s Gifted and Talented (GT) Facilitator by December 1, 2023, so that the GT identification process (the testing and identification) can be completed before applications are due.

Prospective Parents

Aurora Quest K-8 offers multiple Parent Information Sessions each application season.  Parents who are interested in applying to Aurora Quest are highly encouraged to attend one of these sessions to learn more about Aurora Quest K-8, gather more information about the application process and understand the selection process for admission at Aurora Quest K-8. The dates for the 2024-25 school year are as follows:

●      Thursday, September 28, 2023 from 6:00 – 7:30 PM at the Aurora Quest K-8 Media Center, 17315 E. 2nd. Ave., Aurora, CO 80011

●      Thursday, October 5, 2023 from 6:00 – 7:30 PM at the APS Professional Learning and Conference Center- Mt. Harvard Room, 15771 E. 1st Ave., Aurora, CO 80011)

●      Thursday, November 9, 2023 from 6:00 – 7:30 PM at the Aurora Quest K-8 Media Center, 17315 E. 2nd. Ave., Aurora, CO 80011

Please call the Aurora Quest K-8 Front Office at 303-343-3664 for more information.

Application Requirements

Students entering grades Kindergarten- 8th grade may apply for admittance to Aurora Quest K-8.  While priority will be given to students who reside within the Aurora Public Schools boundaries, students who live outside of Aurora Public Schools boundaries are also encouraged to apply.

Application packets can be downloaded from the “Apply” page on the Aurora Quest K-8 website, or the Advanced Academics and Gifted Services website.

Application packets and all supporting documentation must be submitted in one of the following ways:

• In-person at Aurora Quest (17315 E. 2nd Ave., Aurora, CO 80011) between the hours of 8:00 AM -3:00 PM on any regular school day.

• Online

It is HIGHLY recommended that you do not delay in the submission of your application, as applications turned in by the due dates below will receive priority over applications turned in after the deadline. 

**Only complete applications packets will be reviewed by the application committee.**

Application Process Timeline

Quest has a rolling application process, with priority given to completed applications turned in by the grade-level deadlines listed below.  Applications submitted after the deadlines will be given consideration based on availability.

Application Dates and Deadlines

SEPTEMBER 29, 2023, FRIDAY at 3:00 PM – Applications for the 2024-2025 school year become available online.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2023 at 3:00 PM – Kindergarten applications due.

Completed applications for entering Kindergarten in the 2024-2025 school year are due to Aurora Quest K-8, by 3:00 PM. Applications turned in after the deadline will be placed on the application waitlist. Applications must include a two self-addressed stamped envelopes.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 26, 2024 at 3:00 PM – Grades 1-8 Applications due.

Completed applications for grades 1-8 are due to Aurora Quest K-8, by 3:00 p.m. Applications turned in after the deadline will be placed on the application waitlist. Applications must include two self addressed stamped envelopes.

Assessment and Screening Dates

SATURDAY, JANUARY 13 and SATURDAY, JANUARY 27, 2024, by appointment for Kindergarten Applicants only– Cognitive testing for students applying to attend Kindergarten in the 2024-25 school year.  Cognitive testing for students applying to attend Kindergarten in the 2024-25 school year with a school psychologist.  Parents will be contacted to schedule appointments for cognitive testing.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 27, 2024, by appointment – Testing for students applying for grades 1st-8th who have not taken the Cognitive Abilities Test. Parents will be contacted to schedule appointments for testing and screening.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2024, by appointment – Additional Kindergarten Screening for students who have an overall full-scale cognitive score of 84th percentile or above.   Parents will be contacted to schedule appointments for testing and screening.

Notification of Acceptance

WEEK OF MARCH 14th, 2024– Notification (accepted or wait-listed) letters will be sent to parents.  Notification dates subject to change.

Please note that Registration for 2024-25 school year will take place during April-May of 2024.

It is very important that application deadlines are met.

Applications turned in after the deadline will be placed on the application waitlist.

COMPLETED APPLICATION PACKET CONTENT REQUIREMENTS

• Aurora Quest K-8 Application Family Contact Information Page

• Parent Questionnaire

• Student Work Sample- should be a piece of work the student is proud of or that represents the student’s area of giftedness or interest

• Student Work Sample Reflection

• Student Application

• Two Teacher Recommendations, one of which must be current classroom or homeroom teacher

• GT Facilitator Form

APPLICATIONS TURNED IN AFTER THE DEADLINE WILL BE PLACED ON THE APPLICATION WAITLIST.

• Parents must turn in their part of the application (Application for Admission page and the Parent Inventory Form) to Quest. DO NOT give to the current school or classroom teacher to deliver to Quest. Turn your part in directly to Quest by January 26, 2024, even if you haven’t received notification of your child’s identification status.

• Parents must give their child’s current teacher the Teacher and Additional Teacher recommendation forms and the GT Facilitator form.

• Aurora Quest staff members will check applications for completeness and indicate the application was received by deadline.

• Applications must include a self-addressed stamped envelope. Out-of-district applicants needing testing must include two self-addressed stamped envelopes.

Testing Information:

Once applications have been received, those students needing additional testing will be notified. Out-of-district students are charged a $100 testing fee.

Who decides which students are admitted?

A committee of school and district educators are given the responsibility of gathering and analyzing applications and selecting students for admission. An established procedure is followed and each completed application is reviewed.

What criteria are used to qualify students?

The following Body of Evidence is used to determine eligibility for admission and must include:

●  A ‘Far Above Average’ to ‘Superior’ Levels of Cognitive Abilities, as indicated by a full-scale score of the 84th percentile or above on a gold-standard IQ test or approved cognitive assessment (i.e., CogAT, NNAT, DAS, WISC, WPPSI, etc.)

●  Recommendations from parents and teachers

●  Report card

●  State assessments

●  Performance-based measures

●  Student work, reflection and questionnaire

●  Other

All in-district students who meet the criteria will be given first consideration to attend Quest. Out-of-district students will be considered for admission to Quest if space is available.

Determination Process:

Once all applications and any additional assessments and screenings have been completed, determination for admission into Aurora Quest K-8 will be approached in the following manner:

Students must meet the minimum criteria in the following three categories to be considered for admittance:

• Far Above Average to Superior Levels of Cognitive Abilities, as indicated by a full-scale score of the 84th percentile or above on a gold-standard IQ test or approved cognitive assessment.

• Far Above Average to Superior levels of Academic Achievement, as indicated by academic assessment scores in reading and/or mathematical achievement that are at or above the 84th percentile or greatly exceed grade level expectations.

• Any qualitative information obtained throughout the process that speaks to a robust body of evidence about the child’s superior abilities and/or talents. 

If a child is identified for gifted services through the Rapid English Language Acquisition (RELA) process, the body of evidence will be reviewed based on the standards outlined in Colorado Department of Education guidance.

Once all student data has been collected, application packets and student Bodies of Evidence will be divided into one of the following categories:

• Tier 3- High Level of Need

  • • These application packets and bodies of evidence will have met all of three criteria listed above.

• Tier 2- Moderate Level of Need

  • • These application packets and bodies of evidence will have met the criteria of a score of the 84th percentile or above on a gold-standard IQ test, as well as one other of the criteria listed above.

• Tier 1- Universal Level of Need

  • • These application packets and bodies of evidence have met the criteria of a score of the 84th percentile or above on a gold-standard IQ test, but do not meet any of the other criteria.

• Does Not Meet Criteria

  • • Student has not been identified as Gifted and Talented, or High-Potential, and does not have a body of evidence, including a full-scale cognitive score of 84th percentile or above, that would indicate a future identification.

Transportation:

Limited transportation is available for Aurora Public Schools’ students who attend Quest pending budget allocations. Bus stops and schedules are available in the office. Out-of-district students must have their own transportation.

Any students currently enrolled in an APS school, including APS Charter Schools, should request testing at their school by November 4th, 2023.  If schools cannot do testing, please contact the Quest main office.

Any students currently NOT enrolled in an APS school (home school, private school, out-of-district) will require $100 testing fee as part of the application process.