Plano Independent School District Gifted Programs & Testing
Find out everything you need to know about Plano ISD’s talented and gifted programs, including the PACE Program and Honors Program. We offer prepping material for tests necessary for these programs, including CogAT and MAP!
- About the PLANO Independent School District
- PLANO ISD Elementary Schools
- PLANO ISD Middle Schools
- Plano ISD High Schools
- About the PLANO ISD PACE Program
- How to Prepare for the PLANO ISD PACE Test
- About the PLANO ISD Honors Program
- How to Prepare for the PLANO ISD Honors Test
- Preparing for PLANO ISD Program Admissions with TestPrep-Online
About the PLANO Independent School District
PLANO ISD offers education for residents of Plano and several cities surrounding. Its goal is to offer every student the education they require to prosper and succeed in life.
To help each student properly see his or her potential to its max, PLANO ISD offers two competitive, worthwhile programs, including the PACE Program and the Honors Program.
PLANO ISD Elementary Schools
Aldridge | Andrews | Barksdale |
Barron | Bethany | Beverly |
Boggess | Brinker | Carlisle |
Centennial | Christie | Daffron |
Davis | Dooley | Forman |
Gulledge | Haggar | Harrington |
Haun | Hedgcoxe | Hickey |
Hightower | Huffman | Hughston |
Hunt | Jackson | Mathews |
McCall | Meadows | Memorial |
Mendenhall | Miller | Mitchell |
Rasor | Saigling | Schell |
Shepard | Sigler | Skaggs |
Stinson | Thomas | Weatherford |
Wells | Wyatt |
|
Taken from PLANO ISD's School Directory Page.
PLANO ISD Middle Schools
Armstrong | Bowman | Carpenter |
Frankford | Hendrick | Murphy |
Otto | Renner | Rice |
Robinson | Schimelpfenig | Wilson |
Taken from PLANO ISD's School Directory Page.
Plano ISD High Schools
Clark | Jasper | McMillen |
Shepton | Vines | Williams |
Taken from PLANO ISD's School Directory Page.
About the PLANO ISD PACE Program
The Plano Academic and Creative Education (PACE) Program is a course designed to challenge exceptionally talented students and help them realize their skills and abilities.
The course can continue for several years, starting from kindergarten and continuing all the way up to high school. As students progress through the academic ladder, they receive more and more PACE time, starting with 30 minutes a week and eventually becoming a daily course.
The course is there to cultivate above-average cognitive abilities and personal growth for each and every one of the students. With this course students are able to delve into literature, history, and culture through a unique, intersubjective lens. Read more about the course here.
How to Prepare for the PLANO ISD PACE Test
To get accepted into the PACE Program students are required to display high skills through academic grades and standardized testing.
The CogAT is the main test used for PACE testing. PLANO ISD administers the CogAT to grades 1, 3, 5, and 7 as well as students applying to the PACE Program.
Remember: Since PACE classes are designed to maintain a small number of students, admission goes to the students who show the highest abilities and possess the highest CogAT scores. Therefore, it is highly important to practice, practice, practice before the exam.
You can read more about the PACE Program on the Official Plano Website.
About the PLANO ISD Honors Program
The Honors program offers a student the opportunity to fully fulfill his or her academic potential. Starting 6th grade, students can receive advanced course work in math and later, in 7th and 8th grade advanced course work in math, English, and science. Read more about Plano ISD's Middle School Honors Program here.
How to Prepare for the PLANO ISD Honors Test
The Honors Program, like the PACE Program, is a competitive program, which requires specific grades on the STAAR, MAP, and CogAT, depending on a student’s grade level and the advanced course s/he is applying for:
CogAT Requirements for Plano ISD Honors Program
CogAT Grades required remain fixed.
| Subject | CogAT Batteries Assessed | Scores Required |
| English | Verbal or Nonverbal | 116 or higher |
| Mathematics | Quantitative or Nonverbal | 116 or higher |
| Science | Quantitative, Verbal, or Nonverbal | 116 or higher |
MAP Requirements for Plano ISD Honors Program
Since MAP is an exam designed to appraise not only a student’s abilities, but also his or her growth, score improvement is taken into account as well. See below:
Acceptance into Advanced Mathematics
| Grade | MAP Mathematics Score Winter | MAP Mathematics Score Spring |
| 6 | 236 (Gr 5) | 240 (Gr 5) |
| 7 | 243 (Gr 6) | 246 (Gr 6) |
| 8 | 250 (Gr 7) | 253 (Gr 7) |
Acceptance into Advanced Science
| Grade | MAP General Science Score Winter | MAP General Science Score Spring |
| 7 | 221 (Gr 6) | 222 (Gr 6) |
| 8 | 224 (Gr 7) | 225 (Gr 7) |
Read More about the MAP, CogAT, and STAAR requirements on the official PISD Website.
Preparing for PLANO ISD Program Admissions with TestPrep-Online
The Plano Ind pendent School District offers plenty of special opportunities for a student to grow and reach his or her true potential. Because of these programs’ benefits, competition is not small. To feel more able and more confident come test day, we recommend exploring our MAP, CogAT, and MAP & CogAT Bundle Packs.