Palatine CCSD 15 · IL

What matters most here

The earliest test that affects placement is Early Entrance / Grade Acceleration battery (MAP Reading, MAP Math, CogAT Verbal, CogAT Quantitative), starting in Kindergarten.

The bar: Published and unusually precise: each of the four tests yields a percentile score from 1 to 99, summed to a total score ranging from 4 to 396. A total score of 350 or above qualifies; 349 or below does not.

≈ Typical practice — not verified for this district

What schools usually do with these scores

Grouping. Screener results sort kids into small skill groups for reading and math. Groups are re-dealt after each testing window — fall, winter, spring — so a score follows your kid for about a trimester, not a year.
Extra help and enrichment. Kids below benchmark usually get small-group support, checked every week or two. Kids far above it are the pool schools draw on for enrichment.
Placement. Advanced-track decisions almost never hang on one test. Districts combine an ability test, an achievement measure, and teacher input into a matrix — which is why each score below earns its keep.

The path to the advanced track

K–8 · Early Entrance / Grade Acceleration battery
2–4 · CogAT
2–8 · NWEA MAP

Your kid's grade

Pick a grade — the page narrows to what your kid actually takes.

K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Show all

What 2nd Grade takes

5 of Palatine CCSD 15's 8 assessments apply to 2nd Grade. Tap a test for what it measures and why it matters.

CogAT (Cognitive Abilities Test)
2–4 · February
What it measures: Verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal aptitude. ATG screening uses two subtests: Verbal and Quantitative, with Nonverbal substituted for Verbal for students not yet proficient in English.
Why it matters: Measures reasoning, not what was taught — the test type gifted and advanced-placement decisions lean on most.
Affects placement: Second stage of ATG identification, given only to students who cleared the MAP bar. Retest requests must be made within one week of the test date and are granted only for a significant testing disruption. Parents are notified of ATG eligibility at the end of April. Three official CCSD15 sources disagree on which grades are screened and are recorded as found rather than resolved: the live ATG program page says grades 2 and 3; the district's Assessments & Testing page lists CogAT as "Targeted Grades 2 & 4 (full battery)"; and the Parent ATG Handbook (updated Aug 2024) says students in grades 2, 3, and 4 are screened in the fall and that "the highest performing 15% of students" are offered the CogAT. The ATG program page is the newest of the three and is treated as primary.
Threshold: Published as a rank, not a cut score: the top 25 second graders by combined MAP and CogAT scores enter ATG in 3rd grade, and the top 10 third graders by combined score enter in 4th grade. No percentile or scaled-score minimum is published for the CogAT itself.
⏱ Last confirmed 2025-26ccsd15.netchecked Aug 2026
Early Entrance / Grade Acceleration battery (MAP Reading, MAP Math, CogAT Verbal, CogAT Quantitative)
K–8 · Early entrance: applications Jan 1 – Jun 1. Grade acceleration: applications accepted year-round through Apr 1.
What it measures: Four tests scored together for early entrance to kindergarten or first grade and for grade acceleration: MAP Reading, MAP Math, CogAT Verbal, and CogAT Quantitative. MAP for Primary Grades is substituted for younger children, and CogAT Nonverbal replaces Verbal for students not proficient in English.
Affects placement: This is CCSD15's implementation of the Illinois Accelerated Placement Act (the district cites Public Act 100-0421), covering early entrance to kindergarten or first grade and both whole-grade and single-subject acceleration for higher grades. The child must reside in District 15 and be registered to attend a D15 school. Appeals are due within 10 calendar days of receiving results; the district warns that appeals filed after July 15 may not be reviewed before school starts.
Threshold: Published and unusually precise: each of the four tests yields a percentile score from 1 to 99, summed to a total score ranging from 4 to 396. A total score of 350 or above qualifies; 349 or below does not.
⏱ Last confirmed 2025-26ccsd15.netchecked Aug 2026
NWEA MAP (Measures of Academic Progress)
2–8 · Fall and Spring (2nd–8th grade, two or three times a year); ATG screening uses the August–September administration
What it measures: Adaptive assessment of reading, language, and math achievement.
Why it matters: Tracks your kid's growth against national norms through the year. Often one of the numbers behind advanced-placement decisions.
Affects placement: The fall MAP is the entry point to the Academically Talented and Gifted (ATG) program for every 2nd and 3rd grader — it is universal, not opt-in. MAP results and CogAT eligibility are shared with parents in October. MAP is also one of the four tests scored in the district's early entrance and grade acceleration battery, which is recorded as a separate row.
Threshold: Published and specific: the 95th national percentile or above in BOTH Reading and Math automatically qualifies a student for the February CogAT. The 95th percentile in one subject plus the 90th percentile or above in the other qualifies only by parent referral, due by November 1. Students below both bars are not eligible for CogAT testing.
⏱ Last confirmed 2025-26ccsd15.netchecked Aug 2026
Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM)
K–2 · Screening measure (windows not published)
What it measures: Short screen of early reading skills: alphabet recognition and sounds, phonemic awareness, and oral reading fluency.
Why it matters: A quick skills check, not a graded test. Schools use it to catch kids who need extra help — or a bigger challenge — early, and to set reading and math groups.
⏱ Last confirmed 2025-26ccsd15.netchecked Aug 2026
FastBridge
K–8 · K–2: Fall · Winter · Spring. Grades 3–5: Fall and Spring for selected students, Winter for students receiving intervention. Grades 6–8: varies by grade.
What it measures: Early literacy and math development, reading fluency, and math automaticity. The district states each assessment typically takes under 10 minutes per student.
Why it matters: A quick skills check, not a graded test. Schools use it to catch kids who need extra help — or a bigger challenge — early, and to set reading and math groups.
⏱ Last confirmed 2025-26ccsd15.netchecked Aug 2026

Got a score report?

Your kid's scores come home without context. Check one against the published bar — free, no account.

Not every test here has a published benchmark — where there isn't one, we won't invent a bar. And one score is one data point: schools decide from several measures across the year, plus the teacher's judgment.

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