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Gifted Education Services FAQ's
If you have questions about gifted services, the eligibility process, or anything else pertaining to gifted education, this may be the place you can find the answers! If your question is not answered here,check the Albemarle County Schools Gifted Education page. There is an abundance of information there, including:
- The continuum of services from elementary through high school;
- The local plan for gifted services filed with the state;
- A brochure providing an easy overview of gifted services; and
- Links to information about enrichment opportunities, gifted websites, Destination Imagination, and other items of interest.
How do I get my child identified to receive gifted services?
It is not actually necessary for a child to be identified to receive gifted services. The Albemarle County model of gifted education includes consultation with classroom teachers, push-in teaching, collaborative teaching, and pull-out activities as appropriate. Every child in the school benefits from the presence of the gifted resource teacher in the school as he works with each teacher to address the individual needs of children for additional challenge. There are no programs or services that require identification to access. Rather, determinations of instructional placements, including pull-out activities, are made based upon classroom performance, on-going assessment, and a child's instructional needs in a particular subject and at a particular time.
For official identification, there are three nomination cycles in each school year. The deadlines are October 1, December 1, and March 1. Because of the stringent requirements to support identification and the need for informed teacher input, it is better to wait until your child's teachers have had a chance to observe your child's class performance before nominating. In some cases, the nomination discussion/process is best undertaken over a number of school years. It is also preferable that you talk with your child's classroom teachers and with Steve Gissendanner before proceeding with a nomination. The nomination paperwork can be obtained from Steve Gissendanner.
Because very young children develop at differing rates, Meriwether Lewis does not generally encourage nominations before 3rd grade. In the spring of the 2nd grade year, the Cognitive Abilities Screening Test (CogAT Screening) is administered to all 2nd graders (and to all 4th graders who do not have a test score on file by the fall of the 4th grade year). This test is a screening instrument that provides a composite measure of intellectual aptitude. The results on the CogAT test, as well as teacher input, help identify children who might benefit from more challenging curriculum. CogAT results are not determinative. They merely constitute another piece of information to assist in determining each child's learning needs.
Does my child need to be identified as gifted in order to enter honors and AP classes in middle and high school?
Absolutely not, nor does gifted identification result in automatic placement of a child in honors level classes. Placement into honors and AP level classes is based upon class performance in preceding year(s), as well as performance on pre-assessments of content in some cases. Teachers make recommendations as to which level would be appropriate for the student based upon the student's instructional needs as evidenced by on-going performance and assessments in their classes.
What types of evidence are required for gifted identification?
Complete information about the eligibility process is available on the county's gifted education website. Briefly, the eligibility committee (composed of the principal or designee, the gifted resource teacher, and classroom teachers who work with the child) looks at a variety of evidence, including aptitude test scores and evidence supplied by teachers, parents, and other sources when available. The committee looks at evidence in four areas--academic performance; creativity (generally meaning creativity of thought, but also outstanding artistic, musical, or other creativity); problem solving ability; and critical thinking. Multiple pieces of evidence are required in the different areas. In addition to strong aptitude test scores, students must generally be performing two years above grade/age expectations in each of these areas in order to qualify for gifted identification. Teachers are asked to provide specific examples and/or student products that are representative of the student's performance level. Parents may also submit a portfolio of the student's work.
My child was identified in another school district. Is she/he automatically identified in Albemarle County?
While it is useful for planning instruction for your child's teachers to be informed that your child was identified as gifted in another school district, Albemarle County does not automatically identify children who were identified elsewhere. This is because criteria differ widely from one place to another. Children coming into county schools from out of the district must be nominated and go through the eligibility process. The exception is students with parents in the military. For these students, eligibility is reciprocal between all school systems. If your child was identified in another Albemarle County school, he/she will remain identified in any school in the county.
My child is identified as gifted. Why is he not receiving instruction from the gifted teacher?
Services are based on performance, not identification.
To support meeting a range of learner needs, gifted resource teachers provide direct and indirect services that support all students, including those identified as gifted. Recognizing the desire and need for gifted learners to work with their intellectual and academic peers, Albemarle County Public Schools employs a range of services for students including pull-out activities.
In heterogeneous classes, pre-assessment data is used to determine flexible grouping arrangements or pull-out opportunities. Opportunities for small group work or extended projects with intellectual peers provide an alternative and a complement to daily strategies of differentiating within the classroom. In addition, co-curricular opportunities such as projects and regional and national competitions create an avenue for students to work with intellectual peers in an area of personal interest and passion.
The gifted teacher does provide some direct instruction. The type and amount of this instruction will differ from year to year, as well as throughout the year. It may be on a rotating basis for a unit, or it may be through team teaching with a classroom teacher for a unit. Instructional groups are always flexible, based upon ongoing formative assessment in the classroom. Students may be placed in a group for one unit and not for the next in order to give other students access to the enrichment activity. Students are placed in instructional groups based on assessments of what content and skill level is most appropriate for each student's need rather than on identification status.
At the primary level, K-2, the gifted teacher acts as a resource to the classroom teachers in providing curriculum materials and consultation to meet the needs of students who need more challenge. Students also participate in regular talent development activities designed to foster creativity and critical thinking.
excerpts from the Geraty Blog
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