Admissions Process

Everything at Stargate - including our Admissions process - starts with the school's mission. 

Stargate School will provide a differentiated program designed specifically to meet the needs of identified intellectually gifted learners in order to challenge each student’s academic abilities, support their unique emotional needs, promote individual character development and encourage a life-long love of learning.

Consistent with the school's mission, Stargate requires that all prospective students be "qualified" as gifted. We recognize, however, that it can be difficult to generalize gifted students because their identifiers are personal and unique. Any family considering application to Stargate should consider how their child demonstrates giftedness.

Your Student Will Need a Body of Evidence to Support Gifted Identification 

Stargate School utilizes an intellectually gifted body of evidence to: 

• appropriately determine if a student meets the criteria for gifted identification 

• build a student profile of strengths and interests  

The body of evidence includes, but may not be limited to, the following qualitative and quantitative measures:

• • Cognitive Assessment: Stargate does not adhere to cut-off score practices. The scores guide the admissions process along with the comprehensive body of evidence. Parents may have their child evaluated independently or may request that Stargate provide a cognitive assessment at the school. 

  • Achievement Assessments: These assessment data are utilized to determine if a student demonstrates advanced ability in a specific academic area. Students who score at the 95th percentile or above and/or at an advanced/distinguished level may meet the criteria for gifted identification. Up to two forms of achievement data may come from the following assessments: CMAS, ATI-Galileo, NWEA MAPS, iReady, PSAT, SAT, ACT, ACT Aspire, Renaissance STAR and others.

  • Teacher Recommendation Form: Stargate uses a teacher recommendation form to gather evidence of gifted potential.  

  • GT Identification-Parent Form: Parents will complete an Adams 12 parent form.

  • Advanced Learning Plan: A student’s identification with an Advanced Learning Plan (ALP) from any Colorado school/school district as intellectually gifted transfers to Stargate School. 

Performance Evaluations May Offer Supplemental Evidence 

Gifted ability is often not measured on a specific assessment but rather demonstrated through some type of performance. Identifying a student with advanced abilities in a content area may require an evaluation of performance. These may include: 

• • Contest/Competitions: Evidence of top placement in a state or national academic contest (state science fair, spelling bee, national geography bee).

  • Portfolio: Student writing or other work will be reviewed using a rubric.

  • Classroom Performance: Qualitative data provided by a teacher of evidence of above-grade level performance.

Ensuring Equity in Identification of Gifted Learners

Scholarships and other assistance for establishing the required body of evidence are available for applicants. Stargate will also provide assistance for ELL students to assure that language access does not distort this process.

Portability means that a student’s identification with an Advanced Learning Plan (ALP) from any Colorado school/school district as intellectually gifted transfers to Stargate School. With a Colorado Advanced Learning Plan (ALP), students applying to Stargate will be automatically qualified as gifted and eligible for the lottery (assuming applications are complete and submitted by the deadline). For Out of State Gifted Identification, applicants will need to submit documentation that supports gifted identification from a different state and provide a body of evidence as outlined above.

Stargate has a rigorous pace of instruction, high expectations, and a level of independence that is sometimes required of students. Please consider whether your student will be an appropriate candidate for Stargate before applying. There is a significant difference between intellectually gifted and high achieving students. We want to be sure that your child is successful at Stargate School.

Generally, a high-achieving student is one who works hard to succeed; is attentive in class; learns with ease; memorizes facts; correctly answers questions; and earns good grades. In comparison, a student who might be considered gifted in a particular content area is performing at an outstanding level of accomplishment compared to grade level peers; generates complex, abstract ideas; comprehends complex ideas; infers and connects concepts; is self-directed in learning; and can answer content-related questions but also asks complex questions (Kingore, 2014).

On/before October 1 of the school year they are applying to: 

• Kindergarten applicants must be 5 ears old 

• First grade applicants must be 6 years old  

For example, students applying for the 2023-24 school year, should have reached the ages indicated above by 10/1/23. 

All applicants are required to submit an application through Stargate's online application system, SchoolMint.

New Family (never applied to Stargate)- you will need to create ONE SchoolMint account per family. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Previous Stargate Applicant (applied for a sibling, applied for this child, waitlisted, previously attended Stargate, etc)- you need to log into the SchoolMint account you created previously, whether it was created for this applicant or for another child in your family. If you forgot your password or username, you can reset it by clicking on “Forgot password” or “Forgot Username." If you are still unable to login, please email admissions@stargateschool.org.  Please do not create another account. Remember, you only need one SchoolMint account per family. 

Applying for More than One Child? If applying for more than one student, click the green “Add/Edit New Student Application" to add all of your students to one account. You'll use the same account to submit all of their applications.

Once you're logged into SchoolMint (either as a new or returing user), you'll need to:

• fill out the application 

• upload all required documents to the application, including:

  • • Cognitive assessment report with results (or Colorado Advanced Learning Plan)  - all applicants

    • Parent GT form (download from the application) - all applicants

    • Proof of residency (accepted documents) - all applicants

    • Academic Achievement Assessments (i.e. CMAS, PARCC, MAPs, iReady, other state assessments) - applicants for grades 2-10

Scholarships and other assistance for establishing the required body of evidence are available for applicants. Stargate will also provide assistance for ELL students to assure that language access does not distort this process.

Unless your student is already on an ALP (Advanced Learning Plan) in a Colorado school, a cognitive assessment is one of the bodies of evidence that is required to complete your student's application to Stargate. Applicants may get re-tested with the same instrument, after one full calendar year, but no sooner. If an applicant has two of the same cognitive assessments administered in less than one full calendar year, the results from the first assessment will be used for admissions. 

Option 1 - Private Psychologist Administers Cognitive Assessment

Applicants may choose to get an outside cognitive assessment (IQ test) administered by a private psychologist. Please click here for a list of some of the resources available. Applicants who choose this option must upload the IQ report with the results to the application before submitting it. Costs incurred are the responsibility of the family. 

Option 2 - Stargate Administers Cognitive Assessment

Applicants can request (on the application) a cognitive assessment administered at Stargate. However, assessment slots are limited. Families are encouraged to submit their applications, including requests for Stargate-administered cognitive assessments, as soon as possible. Once the application is received, if spots are available, a sign up to schedule the assessment will be sent. Once slots are filled, Stargate can not guarantee any additional slots. However, applicants may consider having an outside IQ test administered. You can not request an assessment at Stargate until after your application is submitted. 

Colorado ALP 

If your student is on an ALP (Advanced Learning Plan) in a Colorado school, this will be the only body of evidence you will need to submit on the application as your student has already been identified as gifted and talented in the state of Colorado. Your student does not need an additional cognitive assessment.

In addition to a cognitive assessment, all applicants applying to Kindergarten and 1st grade are required to come in to Stargate for an academic assessment, which is different from the cognitive assessment. The academic assessment will be scheduled after your student's completed application has been submitted to Stargate.

For applicants who have requested a cognitive assessment administered at Stargate, the academic assessment will be scheduled on the same day as the cognitive assessment. If an outside cognitive assessment has already been completed, only the academic assessment will need to be scheduled. 

Note - applicants in grades 2-10 are required to submit state Academic Achievement Assessments (i.e. CMAS, PARCC, MAPs, iReady, other state assessments), which are not required for Kindergarten/1st Grade applicants.

Applications must be complete and submitted by the application deadline in order to be considered for the lottery. No late applications will be accepted. A completed application consists of the application being submitted online (via SchoolMint) and all documents uploaded to the application.

Note: Failure to submit the proper documents (ie.cognitive assessment report with results and proof of residency), may delay your application and possibly make the applicant ineligible for admissions.

All complete applications received by the deadline will be reviewed by the Admissions Committee to determine if the student’s body of evidence demonstrates that the student is intellectually gifted and is therefore qualified for enrollment in Stargate School. Once determinations are made:

• Qualified-Not Qualified Email Sent to Families, usually in mid-January

• Appeals Due in Writing, usually within 2 business days of qualified/not-qualified emails

• Appeal Answers Emailed, usually within 2 business days of receipt by Stargate

Visit the Admissions Dates page for this year's calendar/schedule or the Admissions Policy page for more about how students are qualified. 

Qualification - Qualification does not guarantee a seat offer. Seats are subject to availability and assigned via a lottery that includes all other qualified applicants. Once an applicant has qualified for Stargate School, they are not ranked.

Non-Qualification - If a parent/guardian chooses to appeal the non-qualification decision, the appeal must be sent to admissions@stargateschool.org within 2 business days of notification of non-qualification. The letter of appeal should provide Stargate School with the reasons why the parent/guardian believes the child should be qualified for admission. The appeal letter will be reviewed by the Admissions Committee and the parent/guardian will be notified promptly of the decision.

Body of Evidence - an applicant's body of evidence must include measures and data sources, see "Identifying Gifted Learners - Qualitative and Quantitative Measures"; "Application Form & List of Documents for Upload": "Academic Assessment (K-1)"; "Cognitive Assessment (all)" 

Once a student has qualified, an analysis of space available is conducted that also includes these factors:

1. Sibling Status: Sibling status is applied if an applicant has an “enrolled sibling” at time of lottery pull. A qualified sibling of an enrolled student, regardless of residence status, receives first preference for admission. “Enrolled student” includes any student who is currently attending Stargate or has accepted a seat offer following the lottery. 

2. Stargate Employee: Qualified children of current employees, regardless of residence status, will receive next preference for admissions.

3.  Independent Board Member: Qualified children of current Independent Stargate Board members who have served on the board for at least 2 years and are in good standing, as defined by board policy, will receive the next preference for admissions.

4. In-District: A qualified applicant who resides in Adams 12 Five Star School District will receive next priority. Two proofs of residency, as approved per Adams District Five Star School District (water, utility, excel, mortgage bill, etc.), must be uploaded to the application system.

5. Out-of-District: Students who reside in a district other than Adams 12 Five Star School District will have last priority. An otherwise out-of-district student who has been enrolled in an Adams 12 school for at least one entire school year, will be classified for admissions purposes as an in-district student.

Note: Students who leave Stargate School for one year or less may reapply and be placed on a waitlist behind siblings of currently enrolled students and employee child(ren). After one year, students will need to reapply and will enter the lottery process along with new qualified applicants.

Openings in any grade level are distributed by a random computerized lottery with seats offered to qualified applicants based on priority and availability.

How Many Seats Are Available?

The number of seats available varies by year and by grade. For all grades except Kindergarten (where all seats are available), it is determined by the number of students not returning the following school year. 

Priority Applicants

Available seats will be offered to qualified sibling applicants first, qualified employee applicants second, qualified Independent Stargate Board member applicants third, qualified in-district applicants fourth, and qualified out-of-district applicants last. All qualified applicants will be entered into a random (computerized) lottery system and seats offered based on priority and availability.

Who's On the List?

The lottery list is comprised of previously qualified and newly qualified applicants. The order of the list is based on priority status as described above and then created based on the results from the random (computerized) lottery system.

Note: Stargate does not keep or roll the waitlist from year to year. Families need to apply each year they are interested. When applying, waitlisted applicants will not have to resubmit the body of evidence, as they have previously been qualified for admissions. An email will be sent to waitlisted applicants, usually around November 1, reminding them to re-apply, if interested.

Key Events:

• Lottery Pull, usually in late January

• Notification of Seat Offers and Waitlist Emailed, usually by early February

• Seat Offer Acceptance Due, usually within 2 business days of seat offer

Visit the Admissions Dates page for this year's calendar/schedule. 

Waitlists 

If the qualified applicant's name is not pulled in the lottery and a a seat is not immediately available for the upcoming school year, the applicant is placed on a wait list.

Declined Seats

If a seat offer is declined, the applicant voluntarily gives up their enrollment opportunity and must reapply for the following year. The seat will then be offered to the next qualified applicant on the waitlist.

Applying to Remain in the Lottery Pool

If the waitlisted applicant does not receive an offer prior to the beginning of the next admissions cycle, the parent/guardian must annually reaffirm the desire for their student to remain in the lottery pool via the electronic application system. Failure to indicate intent to remain in the lottery pool for the following year by the stated deadline will result in the application being removed from the electronic application system. Position on a waitlist does not carry over to the new application year. 

A New List Each Year

Stargate does not keep or "roll" the waitlist from year to year. As a result, position on a waitlist does not carry over to the new application year.  

Applying to Remain in the Lottery Pool

If the waitlisted applicant does not receive an offer prior to the beginning of the next admissions cycle, they will receive an email - typically around Nov. 1 - with an invitation to return to the lottery pool. The parent/guardian must annually reaffirm the desire for their student to remain in the lottery pool via the electronic application system However, because they've already been qualified for admission, waitlisted applicants will NOT have to resubmit the body of evidence for a second review by the the Stargate Admissions Committee.  

Failure to Apply

Failure to indicate intent to remain in the lottery pool for the following year by the stated deadline will result in the application being removed from the electronic application system. 

Once a student has been admitted to Stargate, the student's body of evidence provided with their application will be submitted to Advanced Academics & Gifted Services in Adams 12 to be evaluated for gifted identification.