Vanguard testing dates, the actual test composition (NNAT + CogAT + Iowa), free practice that mirrors what your child will see, and sprint-paced summer acceleration (3-day, 5-day, or 1-week sprints) built for Oak Forest Elementary families.
Each one is a full pillar — complete, schema-marked, citable. Free practice items embedded so you can see whether your child is ready right now.
Test composition (NNAT, CogAT, Iowa), the identification matrix, dates, sample matrices and verbal-analogy items with explanations. The single page that answers every HISD parent question about GT testing.
Free Verbal Analogies, Number Series, and Figural Matrix items in the exact format CogAT uses. Click an answer, see why it's right, build pattern recognition without buying a workbook.
What changes at 3rd grade: Iowa-style passage analysis, the Vanguard magnet school list, what STAAR-aligned readiness actually means in the HISD calendar.
Composite cutoffs vary by year. Always confirm with HISD's current Gifted & Talented Identification document — Cusp links to the official source on the pillar guide.
One email when major HISD GT/Vanguard policy changes happen — testing window shifts, calendar updates, new magnet school launches. No marketing fluff. Maybe four emails a year.