Shelby County Gifted Programs How it Works

Shelby County Schools follow the Alabama State Department of Education’s guidelines for gifted education. In grades K-2, the resource teacher serves as a consultant to classroom teachers and assists in providing resources and strategies for high achieving students. In grades 3-12, identified students are placed and served in the Gifted Resource Class (GRC) which is taught by the resource teacher, as well receiving classroom accommodations as needed.

Second Grade Child Find Procedures A child can be referred for gifted services in any grade by teachers, parents, administrators, or even by self. However, in second grade all students are screened to determine if they should be referred. The gifted resource class typically does not become an option until 3 rd grade. Therefore, there is a process in place to identify students who need to begin their GRC services in 3 rd grade. That process is called Second Grade Child Find. It is a part of the Alabama State Department Code for Gifted Education.

Here is the process for Second Grade Child Find: In the fall semester, the resource teacher visits all 2 nd grade classes to do higher level thinking skills and to collect sample products from each child. The resource teacher assists the classroom teacher in documenting gifted characteristics observed in each child. In November, the resource teacher and the classroom teacher review the products and notes to decide which students should be referred for GRC. Parental permission is required for referrals to be initiated. Each referral is followed by collection of data including student products, teacher rating scale, and a screening test administered by the resource teacher.

2 nd Grade Process, continued A committee convenes to score the products and place all data and scores on a screening matrix. The committee uses the matrix score to determine if a student is eligible for the gifted program, needs further testing, or currently does not meet screening qualifications for the program. Parents are notified of the committee’s decision in writing. Students who need further testing receive an individual intelligence test from a psychometrist. Parents of students who qualify are invited to attend a placement meeting at the Intermediate School when 3 rd grade begins.

What about 4 th and 5 th Grade Referrals? GRC Teachers screen the OLSAT and SAT scores every year looking at National Percentiles and a student’s school ability index. Teachers/Parents/and sometimes students refer themselves for screening. Permission is sent home to screen a student. The student is given a creative thinking activity and writing activity to be used as a product. These products are scored by the gifted specialist. A TABs Observation form is completed by the classroom teacher as well as an aptitude test selection form. Grades, school ability index and national percentiles are gathered as part of the referral.

What’s next? All of the information is put into a folder and sent to the psychometrist and gifted education lead teacher (GRST committee) The information is plugged into the matrix of multiple criteria to see if the student meets the requirements for the gifted education automatically or needs to be given additional testing. Parents are notified of the committee’s decision in writing via the U.S. Postal Service. Parents of students who qualify for the gifted education program are invited to a placement meeting.

Is that all? Students who require additional testing will be given an IQ test (verbal or nonverbal) or a Torrance Test of Creative Thinking. Those scores will then be plugged into the matrix of multiple criteria.

Gifted Services in Grades K-1 The resource teacher is available to assist Kindergarten and First Grade teachers in meeting the needs of advanced learners. Students in these early grades can usually be well served by regular classroom differentiation strategies. The best practice is for classroom teachers to avoid using the term “gifted” when speaking with parents and students. It is difficult to predict whether or not a student will be referred for GRC testing in 2 nd grade, and we do not want to create unreasonable expectations for them. The resource teacher is always available to talk with parents and teachers should refer them to her when they have questions about GRC.

Your Resource Teacher The resource teacher can assist you in the following ways: Help you to find resources for learning centers and activities that would be appropriate for high end learners. Some materials are available for checkout in her office and others are on the shared server. Provide training to you in differentiating curriculum. Attempt to make rotating visits to your classroom to assist with reading centers for advanced readers (1 st and 2 nd grade) Serve as a referral source for parents who have questions about the gifted program.

Services in Upper Grades In grades 3-5 students are pulled out of the regular class to visit the resource room for 3 (3 rd ) or 4 (4 th ) hours per week. The resource teacher also works with the classroom teacher to assist with classroom accommodations as needed. In grades 6-8 students have a gifted class as part of their normal daily schedule. The class is a literature based class, taught by a certified gifted teacher. Other advanced or pre-AP classes are also available. In high school, a resource teacher is assigned to each school to assist students with scholarship applications, college planning and entrance testing, career planning, study skills, and critical and creative thinking. Advanced placement classes are also available.

Other Information There is a great deal of more in-depth information about Shelby County’s Gifted Programs on the Shelby County website. Follow this link to visit the web site: gifted/gt_services.htm#Middle_School_Gifted_Education_Se rvices

Gifted Education Personnel Shelby County has an Office of Gifted Education located at the Shelby County Instructional Services Center (SCISC) Dr. Lusia MacPherson is Supervisor of all Gifted Programs and Advanced Placement Classes. Jennifer Cleere is the Lead Teacher for Gifted Programs. Kay Cantley and Gail Warren are the Psychometrists responsible for all testing associated with Gifted Programs.