The Gifted Education Referral Process

1. The Gifted Education Referral Process Created By: Brooke D. Frahn

2. IInitial Referral • Any teacher or the student’s parent(s) may fill out the Gifted Nomination Alert Form. • Forms can be requested from the School Counselor (or RtI Coach) or found on the school’s website • Completed forms should be returned to the School Counselor. • The School Counselor will pass completed documents to the Gifted Program teacher so the student may be screened for gifted services.

3. Screenings That Are NOT Passed • Gifted Program teacher sends a letter home to the parent(s) informing them of their child’s screening results. (Some GP teachers send a letter to the general education teacher as well letting them know the results of the screening.) • The letter will list the required minimum percentile, that child’s earned percentile score, and the statement “No further testing is recommended at this time.” • The screening folder will go in the child’s cumulative folder in the front office. • Students may be screened again after 1 calendar year has passed.

4. Screenings That Are Passed • Student must earn an IQ composite score of 119/90%ile on the screening tool to go on for further IQ testing. • Results are returned to the School Counselor • School Counselor sends home additional paperwork to the parents that must be filled out, signed, and returned giving permission for their child to go on for further testing.

5. Screenings That Are Passed • Once the parent permission packet is signed and returned, it is submitted to the PCSB School Psychologist Department for IQ Testing. • It takes 90 SCHOOL DAYS for the school psychologist to administer an IQ test to that student. That is an entire semester! (They are responsible for testing ALL ESE students and they are tested in the order in which they are received.)

6. IQ Testing • In order to be considered gifted, a student must score a 130 or higher on the IQ Test. • Students who score a 127-129 may be considered eligible for gifted, but 3 quality letters of support must be written by staff members at that child’s school. (They take into account the test may have made an error +/- 3 points.) • Results will be sent to the parent and the School Counselor.

7. Letters of Support • Writing a Gifted Letter of Support: •  If you are asked to write a letter of recommendation for your student, please make sure you put some sincere thought into it and don’t just submit a form letter that you would write for any student being considered for gifted. Feel free to use the purple brochure I created for each of you at the beginning of the year to find gifted attributes that child has and incorporate them into the letter. Honestly tell the team what you see happening in your classroom with that child. The Eligibility Team reads them out loud at the meeting for all to hear, and if they don’t think the letters show support for that child being gifted, or if it looks like a form letter that is not specific to that student, the letters will be returned and asked to be rewritten (delaying the process) or the child will be rejected and determined “Lack of Eligibility”.

8. Eligibility Meeting • School Counselor sends student folder to the Eligibility Team which includes IQ Test, Characteristics of Gifted Checklist, Parent Questionnaire, Parent Permission for further testing, 3 letters of support (if needed) • This team meets twice a month on Tuesdays. • The team will review all the data and make a determination as to whether or not the child is eligible for gifted services. • Results will be emailed to the School Counselor and Gifted Program teacher and the Red Staffing Folder will be sent back to the Gifted program teacher.

9. Gifted Placement Meeting • The Gifted Program teacher has 20 days from the time the student is found eligible for gifted services to host a Gifted Placement meeting. • Required Attendees: Parent(s), GP teacher, General Education teacher, LEA (Local Educational Agency)Representative, Interpreter of Results. • At this meeting, an Educational Placement (EP) document with specific goals will be specially designed for that student and reviewed with the parent(s). • Parents must accept/decline gifted services and sign for it either way.

10. Educational Placement (EP) Document • Is a LEGAL document! • Provides start date of services • Paragraph of strengths, interests, and Present Levels of Performance (PLOPS) • Must include 2 or more personalized goals with objectives that focus on the students’ strengths • Goals are good for 3 years • Outlines that the student will receive services between 3-5 hours per week • Records any additional related services the student receives.

11. Student Programming • The student is placed in the school’s weekly Gifted Program. There is no more busing to another campus to receive services. • Students will be working in an advanced, accelerated, and integrated curriculum that spans all subject areas. • Students will receive both academic and affective lesson support. • Students will have weekly homework, long term projects, and community service to complete on a regular basis.

12. Acceleration • House Bill (HB) 7059 • Available to ANY high functioning student, not just gifted students • ACCEL School Team consists of Principal, School Counselor, Gifted Program teacher, General Education teacher, School Psychologist (and parent) • Formal Referral Process, ACCEL Referral Packet, and Monitoring Program to evaluate success on an ongoing basis • 27 forms of acceleration that can be incorporated into student learning beyond just “Whole Grade Acceleration”

13. Final Thoughts… • Look around your classroom, the hallways, the school…who could YOU refer for a Gifted Program screening?