Gifted screening in Ontario, board by board
Most Ontario boards start gifted identification with one group reasoning test, given in Grade 3 or Grade 4. Which grade, which test and when depends on the board. Here is what each board says in its own public documents. Last updated 27 September 2026.
Grade 3 boards
- Toronto District School Board (TDSB)
- CCAT-7, given to every Grade 3 student in the fall, usually October. It is opt-out: a letter goes home in late September, and your child takes the test unless you tell the principal in writing.
- York Region District School Board (YRDSB)
- CCAT, given to all Grade 3 students in late November to early December — about six weeks after TDSB.
- Durham District School Board (DDSB)
- CCAT, by nomination rather than for everyone. Nomination forms go home with every Grade 3 student in early September, and a parent or teacher can nominate — at most twice. Results come home in mid-January to early February. A score in the 95th to 97th percentile can lead to an individual assessment.
- Simcoe County District School Board (SCDSB)
- OLSAT rather than CCAT, for all Grade 3 students whose parents consent. The consent form goes out through SchoolCash Online in September, due by 30 September, and the test is given in the fall.
TDSB families: we have written about the CCAT-7 letter and what TDSB says about preparing in more detail.
Grade 4 boards
- Peel District School Board (PDSB)
- CCAT-7, given in Grade 4.
- Halton District School Board (HDSB)
- CCAT-7. All Grade 4 students are invited to take it, in October, and a copy of the results is sent home in late November.
- York Catholic District School Board (YCDSB)
- Universal screening in Grade 4, the first step towards its PACE program for gifted students.
A Grade 4 board gives a higher level of the same test. On the CCAT-7 that is Level 10 rather than Level 9 — see what’s on the CCAT-7.
Boards we could not confirm
- Toronto Catholic (TCDSB): its gifted pages describe a universal assessment, but we could not confirm the grade or the test from the board’s own material.
- Ottawa-Carleton (OCDSB): the board is phasing out its primary gifted classes as current students leave them, under its 2025 elementary program review. Its CCAT-7 criteria are published for secondary gifted placement only.
- Hamilton-Wentworth (HWDSB): its gifted program runs from Grade 5 to Grade 8, but we could not find which test it screens with, or when.
If your board isn’t listed, your school’s special education resource teacher will know.
What the boards have in common
- The group test is a first screen, not the decision. At TDSB and Durham, for example, a high result leads to further steps — at TDSB a teacher rating, then an individual assessment by a psychologist — and in Ontario a placement committee (IPRC) makes the identification.
- The CCAT-7 looks at reasoning with words, numbers and pictures rather than at schoolwork. In TDSB’s own words, it “does not test the Ontario Curriculum”.
- Several boards, TDSB among them, ask families not to practise the test itself. What they do recommend at home — word games, number games, puzzles, and asking your child to explain how they got an answer — is on our page about TDSB’s policy.
Where Cub Climb fits
Cub Climb is a set of original reasoning puzzles with words, numbers and pictures, for Grades 3 to 8. A child finds the answer, then names the rule behind it — the explaining that boards themselves suggest. It is not a copy of any test and makes no promise about results. See the nine puzzle types.
Sources
- TDSB, Universal Screening (public parent page) — tdsb.on.ca
- TDSB Ward 13, Universal Screening and Gifted Programming, Ward Forum deck (PDF) — jamesli.net
- YRDSB, Gifted Screening Procedure — www2.yrdsb.ca
- DDSB, Gifted Program — ddsb.ca
- SCDSB, Harvest Hills PS, Consent for OLSAT Ability Test — scdsboncahhl.ss14.sharpschool.com
- Peel DSB, The Canadian Cognitive Abilities Test 7 (PPTX) — peelschools.org
- HDSB school special education site, Gifted Screening (2022-23) — sites.google.com
- YCDSB, Gifted Screening Process for Entry into the PACE Program (PDF) — ycdsb.ca
- OCDSB, Elementary Program Review Recommendations (1 May 2025) — ocdsb.ca
- OCDSB, Gifted Program at the Secondary Level — ocdsb.ca
CCAT-7 is a trademark of Nelson Education and OLSAT of Pearson. Cub Climb is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to either publisher or to any school board. Boards change their process from year to year — check what your own school sends home for this year’s dates.