Gifted Handbook 2023-2024

 

The mission of the Southwest Licking School District is to assure that all students are prepared to be lifelong learners who possess a sense of self-worth, critical thinking ability, and necessary life skills enabling them to solve problems, adapt to change, value beauty, diversity, and cooperation, and be productive citizens. The mission will be accomplished by a skilled and dedicated staff providing personalized instruction with family and community support and participation by students in safe, modern facilities where quality education and technological materials are the standard.

 

Southwest Licking supports the philosophy that giftedness denotes the possession and use of untrained natural abilities (Gagne).  Outstanding abilities are present in students from all cultural groups, across all economic strata, and in all areas of human endeavor. We believe that gifted students’ natural abilities translate to educational needs that require differentiated instructional programming as an integrated part of their regular school day. In addition, the district supports research-based continuing staff development opportunities so that district teaching and administrative personnel may, through their teaching and educational leadership, ensure gifted and talented students learn and achieve at levels commensurate with their exceptional abilities. 

 “Gifted” means students who perform or show potential for performing at remarkably high levels of accomplishment when compared to others of their age, experience, or environment and who are identified under division (A), (B), (C), or (D) of section 3324.03 of the Ohio Revised Code.

 

 

The district accepts referrals, screens and identifies, or screens and reassesses students who perform or show potential for performing at high levels of accomplishment in the areas of superior cognitive ability, specific academic ability, creative thinking ability, and/or visual and/or performing arts. Referrals can be made by a review of a student's data history, a teacher, a parent or guardian, the student, or any individual. The district must follow policy and procedures established in Ohio Administrative Code 3301-51-15.  These rules specify that assessment instruments must come from the list approved by the Ohio Department of Education. 

Gifted Referral Form

Whole Grade Screening: Students in grades 2-4 will be assessed using STAR Reading two to three times a year.  Students in grade 2 will take the Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) in the area of Math in January.  Students in grades 5 - 8 using the Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) will be screened in reading and math two to three times per year. Notification of new gifted identification will occur in October, January, and June. Students in grade 11 will take the ACT. Students in grades 2 and 5 take the NNAT3 in November to screen for superior cognitive ability. Students who score above a 116 on the NNAT3 who currently have an academic identification, will also be screened for creative thinking. Scores are sent home within thirty days of testing. 

 

Alternative Testing: Any student in grades K-12 may be referred for testing in superior cognitive, specific academic, or creative thinking abilities for up to two opportunities per year for testing (including whole-grade screenings). Students referred with permission on file by October 1st will be tested between November 1st and January 1st. Students referred with permission on file by February 1st will be tested between March 1st and May 1st. Students referred with permission on file by June 1st will be tested between June 1st and August 1st. Students referred with permission on file after June 1st will be tested in the fall. Scores are sent home within thirty days of receiving scores.

 

Out of District Testing: Any student in grades K – 12 may submit to the Coordinator of Gifted Services testing done by a licensed psychologist or psychologist if the assessment is on the State of Ohio’s approved vendor list, and the assessment was given in the last twenty-four months. Common testing includes the ACT, SAT, or PSAT. Results of the assessment review will be sent home within thirty days of receiving the documents.

 

Visual and Performing Arts Assessment:  The assessment process for Visual and Performing Arts is a multi-step process. Individual referrals of students in grades K- 12 are accepted between August 1st and October 1st and again from December 1st through March 1st. Parent permission is obtained shortly after the window closes with teachers completing the checklists in October/February and eligible students finishing the process with their audition or display of talent in April for Visual Arts and January/March for Performing Arts auditions.  We offer whole grade level screening in grades 2 and 5 to encourage talent development in students for Performing Arts only.  

 

State Testing: The State of Ohio forbids the use of State Testing (OST Testing) for gifted identification or placement in gifted services. The State Tests measure a student’s achievement in grade-level standards and do not assess if a student has mastered above grade-level standards. 

 

Testing Results for Gifted Identification: To be identified as gifted in superior cognitive ability, a student must score two standard deviations above the norm on any approved assessment. To be identified as gifted in specific academics, a student must score 95% or higher on any approved achievement assessment. 

 

Transfer Students: Gifted identification in another Ohio public school district will be recognized by Southwest Licking Local Schools. Families should provide documentation of identification from the previous district when enrolling the child. Students identified as gifted by a district outside of Ohio may be identified in Ohio if the tests used are less than twenty-four months old and are on the Ohio Department of Education’s approved list of instruments. If the testing does not meet those criteria, the student may be referred for testing within ninety days of enrollment at family request. 

 

Identification and Placement Appeal Process: In the event of a parent concern, parents should contact the Coordinator of Gifted Education. However, if that does not answer the parent's concern, appeals of identification and placement must be submitted in writing within 30 days of parent notification of results. Appeals should be mailed to the Assistant Superintendent at 927 South A Street Pataskala, Ohio 43062. The Assistant Superintendent will issue a written final decision within 30 days of the appeal.

Gifted Referral Form

 

The district will share all test results with families. In the state of Ohio, once a child is identified as gifted the child remains identified as gifted regardless of subsequent scores. However, gifted services placements look at who is currently most in need of services, so students who have recent gifted identifying scores will be most likely to receive the highest need gifted services. It is important that families monitor their child’s progress and discuss any concerns with the child’s teacher. One question useful to ask your child’s teachers is how your child’s test scores compare to students in gifted services and students in general education classrooms. Students should continue to perform in the same or higher percentile on tests from year to year. Teachers will work with the families to help assure our gifted students continue to make a year’s growth and maintain their percentile on standardized tests. It is sometimes difficult for students identified as gifted to continue to make a year’s growth and maintain the same percentiles. This is particularly true of students with average cognitive ability who are identified as gifted at an early age; these students will likely need substantial support at home to maintain a gifted level of achievement. Teachers are an excellent resource for ideas of how families can support students at home.

 

Characteristics of the Gifted

Superior Cognitive Ability

High ability students identified by an ability score two standardized deviations above the norm on a state-approved assessment for gifted ability.

• Advanced vocabulary for age

• Independent reading, frequent preference for adult-level books

• Rapid learning and easy recall

• Quick perception of cause-effect relationships

• High level of curiosity

• Enjoyment of being with older children

• Pursuit of interests and of collecting things

• Long attention span for age

• Preference for new and challenging experiences

• Retention of information

• High level of planning, problem-solving, and abstract thinking compared to peers

• Ability to generalize quickly from principles and to look for similarities and differences

• Possession of an unusually large storehouse of information about a variety of topics

• Tendency to become easily bored with routine tasks

• Concern for ethical issues, questions of right and wrong, and “adult” topics such as religion and politics

• May or may not enjoy school or be considered a good student.

 

Specific Academic Ability

Knowledgeable in a specific area.   Identified with an achievement score of 95th percentile or above on an approved for gifted identification test in reading, math, science, or social studies.

• The long attention span for activities related to a specific academic area

• Advanced understanding of concepts, methods, and terminology of the subject

• Ability to apply concepts from the subject to activities in other subjects

• Willingness to devote a large amount of time and effort to achieve extensive knowledge in the subject

• Competitiveness and motivation in subject

• Rapid learning in subject

• May or may not enjoy school or be considered a good student

 

Creativity

Highly imaginative.  Identified by an ability score above 116 with an academic identification  AND an approved score on a creative abilities checklist.

• Inquisitiveness

• Tendency to do things their own way

• Preference for working alone

• Experimentation with whatever is at hand

• Active imagination

• Ability to think up many ways to accomplish a goal or solve a problem

• Tendency to respond with unexpected, clever, or smart-aleck answers

• Production of original ideas

• Uninhibited expression of what may be non-conforming opinions

• Adventurousness and willingness to take risks

• Possession of a keen sense of humor

• Sensitivity to beauty

• Nonconformity and lack of interest in detail

• Lack of concern with social acceptability

 

Visual/Performing Arts – Music

Unusually advanced talent for a student's chronological age.   Identified by a checklist AND superior performance or exhibition.

• Makes up original tunes

• Enjoys and seeks out musical activities and opportunities to hear and create music

• Respond sensitively to music and move body in accord with tempo and mood changes

• Easily remember and reproduce melodies and rhythm patterns

• Pick out and discuss background sounds, chords, and individual instruments played

• Play a musical instrument or express a strong desire to do so

• Have good pitch

 

Visual/Performing Arts – Art

Unusually advanced talent for a student's chronological age.  Identified by a checklist AND superior performance or exhibition.

• Fill in extra time by drawing, painting, etc.

• Demonstrate extraordinary imagination

• Draws a variety of things – not just people, houses, and flowers

• Remember things in detail

• Take art activities seriously

• Have long attention span for art activities

• Plan the composition of artwork

• Experiment with different media and techniques

• Arrive at unique solutions to artistic problems

• Produce highly original work with distinctive style, balance, and unity

• Demonstrate accelerated development of technical skill in art

• Show adeptness at representing movement

• Ask for explanations and instruction

• Respond to unusual subjects in art

• Are keen observers

• Set high standards of quality and rework their creations to achieve these standards

• Show interest in other children’s products by spending time discussing and studying them

 

*Adapted from Kitano, Margie K., and Kirby, Darrell F., Gifted Education:  A Comprehensive View.  Boston:  Little, Brown, 1986.

Please see the district website for additional resources on the characteristics of children who are gifted.

Comparison of Characteristics of a High Achieving, Gifted, and/or Creative Child     

The chart provides some generalized characteristics of each child. For example, gifted children can be high achieving, but not all gifted children are high achieving, and children can have characteristics from all categories. 

 

High Achieving	Gifted	Creative
Remembers the Answer	Poses unforeseen questions	Sees exceptions
Is interested	Is curious	Wonders
Is attentive	Is selectively mentally engaged	Daydreams; may seem off task
Generates advanced ideas	Generates complex abstract ideas	Ideas overflow, many never developed
Works hard to achieve	Knows without working hard	Plays with ideas and concepts
Answers the questions in detail	Ponders with depth and multiple perspectives	Injects new possibilities
Performs at the top of the group	Is beyond the group	Is in own group
Responds with interest and opinions	Exhibits feelings and opinions from multiple perspectives	Shares bizarre, sometimes conflicting opinions
Learns with ease	Already knows	Questions: What if. . .
Needs 6 to 8 repetitions to master	Needs 1 to 3 repetitions to master	Questions the need to master
Comprehends at a high level	Comprehends in-depth, complex ideas	Comprehends in-depth, complex ideas
Enjoys the company of age peers	Prefers company of intellectual peers	Prefers the company of creative peers but often works alone
Understands complex, abstract humor	Creates complex, abstract humor	Relishes wild, off-the-wall humor
Grasps the meaning	Infers and connects concepts	Makes mental leaps
Completes assignments on time	Initiates projects and extensions of assignments	Initiates more projects than will ever be completed
Is receptive	Is intense	Is independent and unconventional
Is accurate and complete	Is original and continually developing	Is original and continually developing
Enjoys school often	Enjoys self-directed learning	Enjoys creating
Memorizes well	Guesses and infers well	Is an inventor and idea generator
Is pleased with own learning	Is self-critical	Is never finished with the possibilities
Is able	Is intellectual	Is idiosyncratic
Gets A’s	May not be motivated by grades	Is not motivated by grades

 

 

Twice-Exceptional Children

Twice-exceptional children often find school frustrating and may suffer from low self-esteem. They may have difficulty with social skills and not feel as though they fit in with their peers.  

Three types of twice-exceptional students have been categorized:

1. Students who are identified as gifted but also have subtle learning disabilities. For example, a student may use a large vocabulary but have very poor spelling. This category of students tends to perform on grade level.

 

2. Students whose abilities and disabilities mask each other and are thus unidentified. Their superior intelligence, for example, may hide trouble working with numbers. These students often perform at or slightly below their grade level.

 

3. Students identified as both gifted and having learning disabilities. These students stand out in a classroom because they are obviously bright but frustrated with school activities and thus can tend to act out or shut down.

 

Identifying twice-exceptional children is often a challenge. If a parent or guardian suspects their child is twice-exceptional, please notify the Coordinator of Gifted Services and the child’s building administrator. 

 

Underachievement in Students Identified Gifted
 

Underachievement is the unanticipated difference between accomplishment and ability.  Underachievement is a very complex situation with many possible interwoven causes. Among the areas to explore are:

● social issues such as peer pressure;

● psychological issues such as emotional sensitivities or perfectionism;

● undiagnosed learning disabilities;

● lack of interest in curriculum or curriculum is not challenging and engaging;

● low teacher expectations, especially with twice-exceptional, minority, and students from low-income backgrounds.

 

Asynchronous Development

According to the National Association for Gifted Children, asynchrony is the term used to describe the mismatch between cognitive, emotional, and physical development of gifted individuals. Gifted children often have significant variations within themselves and develop unevenly across skill levels. For example, a gifted child may be excellent in math, but poor in reading--or vice versa.  Often, intellectual skills are quite advanced, but fine motor or social skills are lagging.

 

Overexcitabilities

 

Overexcitabilities are inborn intensities indicating a heightened ability to respond to stimuli. Found to a greater degree in creative and gifted individuals, over-excitabilities are expressed in increased sensitivity, awareness, and intensity, and represent a real difference in the fabric of life and quality of experience. Dabrowski identified five areas of intensity:  psychomotor, sensual, intellectual, imaginational, and emotional. A person may possess one or more of these. “One who manifests several forms of over-excitability, sees reality in a different, stronger and more multi-sided manner” (Dabrowski, 1972, p. 7). 

 

Perfectionism

It's not uncommon for children who are identified as gifted to also be perfectionists.   Approximately 20% of children, who are gifted, suffer from perfectionism to the degree it causes problems. Setting personal standards and pursuing excellence is important and healthy in many life situations.   However, perfectionism can become unhealthy when it causes stress, pain, illness, procrastination, and underachievement.  While not inclusive, some causes of perfectionism include a desire to please others, early successes and no failures at a young age, lack of exposure to advanced instruction in early school years, and difficulty setting realistic goals.

Please share any concerns or questions regarding your child with his or her teachers or contact the Coordinator of Gifted Services. 

 

Programming Objectives

The National Association for Gifted Students has published gifted programming standards and student outcomes. Southwest Licking Local Schools has created programming that supports these standards and outcomes. Teachers of the gifted strive to accomplish these objectives and create a learning environment for students to obtain NAGC outcomes. Examples of evidence-based practices for each of these student outcomes and objectives can be found on the district website. 

 

Homework

Students in gifted services at the elementary and middle school levels can expect to complete approximately the same amount of homework as their age peers. Usually, homework will be focused on providing additional practice on skills a student is struggling to master compared to others in the gifted service, on enrichment activities, studying, or reading. Because of the uniqueness of gifted students, they are particularly prone to spending more time on assignments than the teacher expects. Please discuss any homework concerns with your child’s teachers.

 

Written Education Plan (WEP)

Instruction of students placed in a gifted service shall be based on the individual's needs and be guided by a written education plan.  Per state law, students who are counted as served by the school district must have a written education plan (WEP). The district shall provide families with periodic reports regarding the effectiveness of the placement provided in accordance with the gifted child's educational plan, this will be incorporated into the quarterly report card and/or other communication methods.  Families are asked to return the Written Education Plan signing acknowledging receipt of the WEP. The signed WEP will be documented. 

 

Programming Evaluations

It is important that our gifted programs adapt to the needs of our students and the communities. Therefore,  students and their families will be asked to participate in a survey about gifted services from time to time. The survey is anonymous. The results of the surveys are used to improve our programming.

 

Current Gifted Services

Please note: each year we reevaluate our gifted services based on program surveys, current district resources and needs, availability of staff to provide gifted services, and other factors. Therefore, gifted services offerings are subject to change. Please see Placement Criteria for information about who is served in each service. 

 

Elementary and Middle School

Tier One Services

Advanced Classrooms (3rd, 4th, and 5th grades): 

Based on cognitive and achievement gifted testing data from previous years we offer the following gifted service classrooms:

3rd Grade Gifted Cluster classroom: Students are served for cognitive abilities and individual academic abilities.  A district GIS provides weekly pull out services to expose students to higher level content, critical thinking skills and creative thinking experiences.

4th Grade Self Contained Gifted Classroom: A GIS is the active teacher in the classroom, instruction is differentiated to fit the needs of all learners, pacing is evident and stretch and rigor are the top priority for these courses.  Students with cognitive abilities, academic identifications and creative thinking identifications will be served in these classroom settings.

4th Grade Gifted Cluster classroom: Students are served for cognitive abilities and individual academic abilities depending on need.  Exposure to higher level content, critical thinking skills and creative thinking experiences are prioritized.

5th Grade Self Contained Gifted Classroom: A GIS is the active teacher in the classroom, instruction is differentiated to fit the needs of all learners, pacing is evident and stretch and rigor are the top priority for these courses.  Students with cognitive abilities, academic identifications and creative thinking identifications will be served in these classroom settings.

5th Grade Gifted Cluster classroom: Students are served for cognitive abilities and individual academic abilities depending on need.  Exposure to higher level content, critical thinking skills and creative thinking experiences are prioritized.

 

Gifted Courses: WMS (6th, 7th, and 8th grades): 

Upon entering WMS, students are placed in Enriched and Honors courses based on their cognitive ability and academic identifications.   We offer some self-contained courses in Math and ELA; as well as cluster courses in order to meet the needs of our gifted community. The instruction focuses on a deep exploration of topics, interdisciplinary focused instruction, student-led learning, career exploration, and social-emotional needs of the gifted learner. Students who are placed in Enriched courses do not requalify each year, but students who newly qualify for the program based on the placement criteria used for each class are placed after a meeting with a parent to discuss whether the placement is appropriate.

 

Tier Two Services and Tier Three Services:

General Education Classrooms with Gifted Clusters (3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grades): 

Based on cognitive and achievement gifted testing data from previous years, students who are identified as gifted are placed in general education classrooms with gifted clusters. Students are grouped together with other students who share their same gifted identification in a classroom of students performing at average or above levels. When student data supports the need for gifted services and trained staff members are available, students identified as specific academic gifted and have at least one test data in the last three years of 95% or higher for the area being served may be placed in gifted clusters. Deliberate placing of students identified as gifted allows for the teachers to provide targeted instruction for the needs of the gifted learner in the general classrooms. Please note, not all students identified as gifted in a specific academic area may be served and this service is not always offered. 

Enrichment Clusters (2nd):

Based on STAR, MAP and cognitive data, enrichment options will be offered in 2nd grade as needed.  Enrichment can change each year based on the need, data and population.

 

High School

The high school offers a variety of courses including Honors, Advanced Placement, and College Credit Plus classes that are part of our gifted offerings. Students with guidance from families and teachers self-select coursework. Students who are identified as gifted are usually best served in gifted service classrooms. When considering course selections, families and students should consider a student’s future career goals, areas of gifted identification, student interest, student involvement in other activities, and other unique considerations. Typically, a student identified as specific academic gifted usually should take courses in their area(s) of identification to assure the instruction is appropriate for the student’s abilities. Students who are identified as superior cognitive ability should typically take multiple gifted service courses to help assure the instruction is appropriate for the student’s abilities. Students identified as superior cognitive ability are particularly prone to underachieving when not in gifted services. 

High school guidance counselors will meet individually with each student who are identified as gifted and discuss the services offered for them. Guidance counselors will send a course request form home for parents to review and sign. The district advises the students to take gifted service courses based on his or her gifted identification(s). This form serves as notice of the district offering services or not offering services to the student. If a student chooses not to take a gifted service class in his or her specific academic area of gifted identification, the form will serve as the families’ refusal of gifted services. If a student who is identified as superior cognitive ability and chooses not to take available gifted service classes, the form will serve as refusal of services as well.  All families will be notified of gifted services in the Fall of each academic year.

 

 

Elementary and Middle School Placement Criteria

Each year, student data only on state-approved gifted assessments is reviewed to determine placements. Air test results, teacher recommendations, and grades are not used. Students are placed in groupings prioritized for tiered services. Inclusion in a group is based on the history of gifted assessment scores and gifted identifications of all students in the grade level, as shown in the chart below. Students in group one are placed first in the highest tier of service for the grade level, then group two next, then group three, and so on. When possible, a space is left in tier one and tier two gifted service classrooms for newly identified students. 

When more students are in a grouping than there are placement openings, students are sorted by the cognitive score with the student with the highest cognitive score placed until the service spots are taken. 
 

 Students Identified Gifted Not Placed in Gifted Services

Teachers are notified of all students who are gifted in their general education classrooms. Building administrators and teachers work closely together to assure appropriate differentiation occurs for all students including students identified as gifted. Families of students should work closely with teachers to support their children in continuing to further their academic abilities. The child’s teacher can provide suggestions for enrichment at home to increase skills. The Coordinator of Gifted Services and teachers of gifted services are available as resources to general education teachers differentiating for students identified as gifted. Students may want to take advantage of the enrichment opportunities offered throughout the district and community.                                        

Family Involvement

Teachers welcome ideas, questions, or concerns to establish effective communication among parents, educators, and the students.  We recognize the involvement of the parent(s) or guardian(s) is essential in the education of the child; our teachers encourage families to become involved in their child’s education. 

Family members can participate in the education of gifted children in a variety of ways including

1. Keeping abreast of what is happening in the classroom

2. Communicating any concerns directly with the child’s teachers 

3. Becoming aware of and supporting student interests in areas outside the curriculum

4. Encouraging student participation in enrichment activities in and out of school

5. Assisting students with library research, executive functioning skills, and study skills

6. Visiting the class and events to see what is happening

7. Working with students as mentors, sharers of specialized knowledge, presenters on career exploration, and facilitators of enrichment activities

8. Volunteering in the classroom and chaperoning events

9. Becoming acquainted with resources relating to gifted education 

10. Attending the Ohio Association of Gifted Children Conference and other events about gifted

 

Additional Services 

Transfer Students

Students new to the district who have been identified as gifted per the identification process for transfer students will be placed in gifted services if room allows, and if the student meets the criteria for placement for the year. If there is no room in the tier of service the student qualifies for, he or she will be placed in a different tiered service if room allows. If no space is available in gifted services, the student will be placed in a general education classroom.  In those cases, the gifted coordinator and teachers, who are providing gifted service, will collaborate with the classroom teacher to assist with providing differentiation of classroom instruction to help meet the gifted student’s needs. The following school year the child will be considered for gifted services.

 

 

 

If a family wants to remove their child from gifted services, whenever possible a meeting will be convened including the parent or guardian, the classroom teacher, the gifted coordinator, and the building principal to determine whether the student will remain in the service with interventions put in place or a timeline for removal. A student who withdraws from the gifted placement will not be accepted back into the service during that same school year. 

Parents or guardians must complete a refusal of service form every year that service is refused. This form is available from the building principal or Coordinator of Gifted Services. The form will be signed by the building administrator and Coordinator of Gifted Services and placed in the student’s permanent file. A meeting will not be required after the initial withdrawal. 

Acceleration Policy

 

Southwest Licking Schools has adopted the state Model acceleration policy. A copy of this policy can be found at the Ohio Department of Education and on the district website. 

Kindergarten: Students must turn five years old prior to August 1st to be enrolled in kindergarten and six years old prior to August 1st to be enrolled in first grade. Students who do not meet this requirement may apply for Early Entrance under the district’s acceleration policy. 

Policy Highlights

Who can be accelerated?

• Anyone who demonstrates an advanced academic need regardless of gifted identification.

• Also, a four-year-old may enter Kindergarten.

• Also, a five-year-old may skip Kindergarten and enter 1st grade.

Who may make a referral for acceleration?

• Parents

• Teachers and Administrators

• Students

• Physicians and Psychologists

• Special note – if a referral is for Early Kindergarten and the child will be 5 after January 1 of the Kindergarten year or if the referral is for early 1st grade and the child will be 6 after January 1 of the 1st-grade year, the referral must come from an educator or medical professional.

Who decides if acceleration occurs?

• A committee including the gifted teacher(s), gifted coordinator, building administrator, sending and receiving teachers, and parents or guardians make the final decision together.

• The decision is based on information gathered on the Iowa Acceleration Scale.

What is the process?

• For early entrance kindergarten, the parent or guardian completes the early entrance kindergarten packet found on the district website.

• For all other referrals, contact your child’s building principal or the district gifted coordinator.

• The student’s family provides permission for testing.

• The gifted coordinator administers a screener for superior cognitive ability.  If the score is below 115, the process ends.  If the score is above 115, the process continues.

• A school psychologist administers a cognitive abilities test. 

• If the student meets the minimum cognitive score for consideration, the gifted coordinator and/or a district school psychologist will administer normed achievement tests for the grade to be skipped in any subjects appropriate. (Single subject test for single subject acceleration; all subjects for grade acceleration.)  

• The district gifted coordinator will complete the Iowa Acceleration Scales (IAS).

• IAS scores are tallied, and a recommendation is made.

• The committee meets to determine the best placement.

• If acceleration will occur, a written acceleration plan (WAP) is developed to guide the transition. Parents will be included in a meeting to create the WAP. The meeting will include the gifted coordinator, building principal, parent, and teacher who will be providing service. 

 

What is the Iowa Acceleration Scale?

• A rating scale for acceleration reviews.

• Considers academic, cognitive, motivational, physical growth, and social maturity elements.

 

Other notes:

• One person cannot decide to accelerate or not accelerate.

• Decisions may not be made based on available transportation.

• Subject accelerated students will take the AIR test at the level of instruction unless no AIR test exists at the higher-grade level. 

• Appeals may be made to the Superintendent within 30 days of the placement decision.

Acceleration Options and Opportunities:

4th Grade Math Acceleration: Cognitive scores, Benchmark data, State projections and MAP data along with teacher feedback will be utilized to place students in a compacted curriculum in 4th grade where they will learn 4th and 5th grade Math in the course of their 4th grade year.  Students will take the 5th grade state test at the end of the year.  These candidates will be notified by the spring of their 3rd grade year of this acceleration opportunity and will receive a WAP (written acceleration plan).

Algebra Acceleration: 6th and 7th  Grade students will have the opportunity to take an Algebra Readiness test in the Spring each academic year in order to be placed in Algebra.  Cognitive scores, MAP data, teacher feedback and the IOWA acceleration model will all be utilized in order to establish placements.  Students are expected to maintain a B average and score a minimum of a 3 on the state test in order for Algebra to count as a high school credit.  There will be a google form sign up for this test that will be communicated each Spring.  6th grade students who accelerate into Algebra as 7th graders will receive a WAP (written acceleration plan).

Science Acceleration:  6th grade students will have the opportunity to take a compacted 6th and 7th grade Science course (Honors Science 6) as 6th graders.  Cognitive data, Science data and teacher feedback will be utilized to place students.

Honors Biology 9: 9th grade students will have the opportunity to take Biology as a subject acceleration their Freshman year.  Cognitive data, academic identifications, state data, projections will be utilized to place students.

• Board Approved on April 25, 2023.