Gifted Education

This data is collected and reviewed:

• Parents/guardians complete the online home perception inventory.
• Teachers complete the online teacher perception inventory and submit samples of student work in English, math, social studies and/or science.
• Students complete the online student perception inventory, creativity assessment and thinking and reasoning test.
• Academic performance from the three most recent marking periods are also used in the evaluation.

Gifted testing must be administered in person, and all testing occurs in the student’s school. If qualifying assessment data or previous areas of academic strength exist, certain portions of the testing may not be required.

Each component of the CCPS operational definition of giftedness is considered in the holistic evaluation of the child. In order to be identified as eligible for gifted services, students must have two evident gifted indicators and at least one identified area of academic strength.

Students found eligible for CBG services will retain eligibility. If a student does not participate in CBG Services they may choose to do so in a subsequent school year.

• Advanced thinking and reasoning measured by a standardized, norm-referenced measurement of aptitude
• Creative and imaginative expression indicated by a standardized, norm-referenced creativity assessment
• Gifted characteristics apparent in student, parent and teacher perception inventories

Strength in English, math, social studies and/or science evident in academic strength indicators such as subject-area performance measurements, student work samples and perception/interest inventories. Academic areas of strength are determined by two evident indicators present in a particular content area.

Students who are not eligible for gifted services but display notable gifted indicators, regardless of the number of demonstrated academic strength areas, may be eligible for monitor status. This means students are placed in classes with a cluster of identified gifted students, and they are monitored and re-evaluated in two years.

Program placement for identified gifted students is determined at the time of the gifted eligibility decision. To ensure fairness, the review goes beyond test scores to include holistic evaluations.

The following data points are used to determine eligibility for Center-Based Gifted (CBG) Services:

• Recent aptitude test scores
• Recent creativity assessment scores
• Overall grade average that includes available grades in reading, writing, English, math, social studies, science
• Number of areas of academic strength
• Other gifted indicators used in the identification process

Students may enter CBG Services only at the beginning of a school year. However, parents may choose to exit students from CBG Services at any time.

Because a tremendous amount of information is gathered during the evaluation process, it takes time to complete data collection, scoring and processing. Families can expect to receive eligibility results in early February for grades 2-12 and late May for grades K-1.

CCPS families will receive electronic results via ParentVUE. Non-CCPS referrals receive results through the mail. Results include a decision letter and a Gifted Education Eligibility Report (GEER). Learn more about the GEER here.

Parents/guardians with questions about an eligibility decision should contact the school’s gifted identification facilitator using the contact information provided in the decision letter. Parents/guardians with questions about a CBG Academy decision should contact the gifted support staff member at their child’s school.

Parents/guardians may submit an appeal within 10 instructional days from receipt of the decision through the online form linked in the student’s decision letter. Appeals should include specific concerns or circumstances that are believed to impact the eligibility decision. Appeals are reviewed by the Office of Gifted Education and the division’s appeals committee.

The division-level appeals committee reviews all information used in determining student eligibility and considers issues raised in the letter of appeal. A written notification of the decision is provided to parents/guardians and school-level personnel within 15 instructional days after the decision is made. Decisions made by the committee are final.