The Gifted Identification Process

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The Gifted Identification Process

• December 11, 2008
• Presented by Sarah Whitworth

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Chapter 16What is it?

• There are NO federal standards for gifted
  education.
• Some states do not provide specialized
  instruction for gifted students. However any
  state that is mandated (by state code) to provide
  gifted education creates its own standards.
• Chapter 16 of the Pennsylvania School Code
  provides us with the rules and regulations
  regarding gifted students.
• Chapter 16 requires that public schools provide
  appropriate educational services to students who
  are identified as gifted and in need of a program
  of specialized instruction.

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Definition of Mentally Gifted (From the
Pennsylvania Department of Education)

• Outstanding intellectual and creative ability
  the development of which requires specially
  designed programs or support services, or both,
  not ordinarily provided in the regular education
  program.
• The term mentally gifted refers to a person who
  has an IQ of 130 or higher and exhibits other
  factors that indicate gifted ability. Gifted
  ability cannot be based on IQ alone therefore,
  if the IQ score is lower than 130, a student may
  be admitted to the gifted program only when other
  multiple criteria strongly indicate the need for
  gifted support.

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Multiple Criteria include

• Achievement test scores PSSA Advanced
• Acquisition and retention rates
• Demonstrated achievement, performance or
  expertise in one or more academic areas
• High level thinking skills
• Documented evidence that intervening factors are
  masking gifted ability i.e. ADHD, fine motor
  delay, etc.
• Other Information from the GWR and/or Gifted
  Multidisciplinary Team

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Identifying the Gifted

• Albert Einstein was 4 years old before he could
  speak and 7 before he could read.
• A newspaper editor fired Walt Disney because he
  had no good ideas.
• As a young boy, Thomas Edison was called
  mixed-up and confused by his school teacher.
• Louis Pasteur was rated as mediocre in
  chemistry when he attended the Royal College.

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Could my child be gifted?General characteristics
of the gifted and talented

• They may learn to read earlier and exhibit high
  ability in comprehension.
• They commonly learn basic skills more quickly,
  with less practice, and with high retention.
• They have a high level of curiosity about
  objects, ideas, situations, or events.
• They enjoy learning new things and new ways of
  doing things.
• They are flexible thinkers, able to use many
  different alternatives and approaches to problem
  solving.
• They often have a large storehouse of information
  on a variety of topics, which they can recall
  quickly.

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Misconceptions about giftedness

• If a child says that he or she is bored in
  school that child must be gifted.
• A gifted child always gets good grades.
• Behavior problems are never seen in a gifted
  student.
• A student who gets all As, must be gifted.

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How does a child become identified as gifted?

• Each school district must have a system in place
  in order to locate and identify students within
  the district who are thought to be gifted.
• A parent (in writing) or a teacher can refer a
  child/student for a gifted screening at any time.
  The screening can occur once per year.
• At the end of first grade any student who is
  thought to be potentially gifted (as rated by a
  teacher) is referred to the gifted support
  teacher. The gifted support teacher administers
  the Naglieri Test of Non-Verbal Ability. The
  Naglieri is a test of non-verbal reasoning and
  general problem solving abilities.

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How does a child become identified as gifted?

• Any student who scores above 120 on the Naglieri
  Test is then referred to the School Counselor for
  further screening.
• Your childs School Counselor will then complete
  a screening on your child using the K-BIT2
  (Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test -2nd Edition).
• Students who score a 130 on either the Verbal
  Subtest or the Matrices Subtest OR score a
  Composite score of 125 or above, are recommended
  to the School Psychologist for a Gifted
  Multidisciplinary Evaluation (GMDE). The
  Northampton Area School District is currently
  re-evaluating the Gifted Identification Process
  for NASD.

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Gifted Multi-Disciplinary Evaluation (GMDE)

• The GMDE is a process to gather information that
  will be used to find out if a child qualifies for
  gifted education. Part of this process includes
  an evaluation by a certified school psychologist.
• This evaluation looks at academic functioning,
  learning strengths, and educational needs. This
  process includes information from parents or
  others who know the child. Teachers and Parents
  fill out input forms.

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GMDE (continued)

• Parents must sign a Permission to Evaluate in
  order to begin a GMDE. This Permission form is
  sent out by the district office.
• The GMDE process must be completed within 60
  calendar days after the school receives written
  consent from the parents. The clock stops
  ticking during the summer vacation.
• By the end of the 60 calendar days a Gifted
  Written Report (GWR) must be completed and given
  to the parents.
• If a student obtains an IQ score of 130 or above,
  they are identified as mentally gifted and will
  receive a Gifted Individualized Education Program
  (GIEP) for gifted education.

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GMDE (continued)

• If a students IQ score is between a 125 and 129,
  the School Psychologist administers the SAGES
  achievement test and the Gifted Individualized
  Education (GIEP) Team, which includes Parents,
  Teachers, School Counselor, and School
  Psychologist, will then meet to review the GWR
  and determine whether the student is in need of
  gifted support education.
• If the Gifted Multidisciplinary Team determines
  that the student is gifted and in need of gifted
  support education a Gifted Individualized
  Education Plan (GIEP) is written. The GIEP team
  can consist of Parents, Teachers, School
  Counselor, Principal, and the Gifted Support
  Teacher. This GIEP team meeting must be
  completed within 30 calendar days after the GWR
  is issued to parents.
• If the GIEP team determines that the student is
  not in need of gifted education services a Notice
  of Recommended Educational Placement (NOREP) is
  issued and the student will receive regular
  education services.

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Re-Testing for Gifted Identification

• If a students IQ score is 124 or below, the
  student is determined not to be in need of gifted
  education (non-exceptional).
• One year must pass before the child can go
  through the GMDE process again.
• A child who is found non-exceptional the first
  time he or she is evaluated may be found in need
  of gifted education services at a later time
  through subsequent testing.

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Why should I have my child evaluated for gifted?

• Gifted identification is not meant to be a
  status symbol. It is meant to provide students
  who are mentally gifted with the specially
  designed instruction they need in order to reach
  their fullest academic potential.
• Gifted identification allows your child to
  interact with peers of the same intellectual
  level in a smaller group setting.
• Gifted identification enables your child to
  receive instruction above and beyond the regular
  education curriculum.

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Thoughts on Giftedness

• All of us do not have equal talent, but all of us
  should have an equal opportunity to develop our
  talent. John F. Kennedy
• With regard to excellence, it is not enough to
  know, but we must try to have and use it.
  Aristotle
• The natural trajectory of giftedness in childhood
  is not a six-figure salary, perfect happiness,
  and a guaranteed place in Who's Who. It is the
  deepening of the personality, the strengthening
  of one's value system, the creation of greater
  and greater challenges for oneself, and the
  development of broader avenues for expressing
  compassion. Dr. Linda K. Silverman, Counseling
  of the Gifted and Talented

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For more informationcontact your childs school
counselor

• Col. John Siegfried Elementary Mrs. Kelly
  Waters 610-262-6430
• Franklin Elementary Mrs. Robin Hart
  610-262-6704
• George Wolf Elementary Mrs. Susan DiCrosta
  610-849-9993
• Lehigh Elementary Mrs. Jennifer Borzillo
  610-767-1191
• Moore Elementary Mrs. Sarah Whitworth
  610-837-1859