1. Identification and Assessment of Gifted and Talented Students
Hope Pierce
Gifted and Talented Coordinator
Ashdown School District
Fall 2014
Adapted from a presentation created by
Terilyn Moore, GT Program Coodinator, Comal ISD; November 2012

2. According to the Program Approval Standards for the Gifted and Talented, the Arkansas Department of Education defines a gifted/talented student as…
…“those of high potential or ability whose learning characteristics and educational needs require qualitatively differentiated educational experiences and/or services. …will be evidenced through an interaction of above average intellectual ability, task commitment and /or motivation, and creative ability.”

3. …between 3% and 5% of the student population is gifted/talented.
Statistically…
…between 3% and 5% of the student population is gifted/talented.

4. Purpose of Identification
To diagnose educational needs
To correlate educational services to a student’s individual needs
NOT to label
STUDENT’S NEEDS
DISTRICT’S SERVICES

5. Success isn’t about labels; it’s about learning. Dr. Carole S
Success isn’t about labels; it’s about learning! Dr. Carole S. Dweck - Mindset

6. Identification Procedures
Referral
Teacher, Parent, Self, Community
G/T Testing
Achievement Assessment
Selection Committee
(Blind Identification)
Notification of Placement in Services

7. Parent Permission to Screen
Assessment / Screening
Parent Permission to Screen
Qualitative
Quantitative
Student placement decisions are based on multiple criteria.
Subjective
Sources
Objective
Sources

8. Assessment / Screening
Quantitative
Test of Cognitive Skills
Naglieri Non-Verbal Ability Test (NNAT 2)
Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT)
**As of 2014, we only use the Test of Cognitive Skills, but I am looking to add a second assessment.
Qualitative
KOI Portfolio Assessment
HOPE Scale
Grade Point Average
No single criterion or cut-off score is used to include or exclude a student.
ARGT Rule 7.05

9. Average Range: 85 – 115
Roughly 70% of scores
Mildly Gifted: 115 – 130
Roughly 25% of scores
Moderately Gifted: 130 – 145
Roughly 3% of scores
Highly Gifted: 145 – 160
Roughly 1% of scores
Exceptionally Gifted: 160 – 180
Profoundly Gifted: 180+

10. Parent Permission to Participate
Placement
Placement is made by committee. GT Placement Committee member must be comprised of at least five members, chaired by a trained specialist in gifted education.
The Placement Committee makes a decision for placement based on the DATA collected. (Matrix, profiles, test scores, portfolio, etc.)
NOT PLACED at this time
PLACED
Option
to Appeal
Parent Permission to Participate

11. Pre-AP / AP / Dual Credit
Participation
Elementary
Middle School
High School
Differentiation
Differentiation
Differentiation
Pull-out
Pre-AP
Pre-AP / AP / Dual Credit
GT Seminar
GT Seminar

12. Examples of Assessment Items
3rd Grade CogAT
Verbal analogy: ring  finger : watch  ____
time b. gold c. hands d. clock e. wrist
Quantitative Relations:
The number of sides of a triangle
The number of sides of a square
I is greater than II
I is less than II
I is equal to II

13. Examples of Assessment Items
3rd Grade CogAT Sentence Completion:
The town kept its special records at the library in acid-free folders that ______ the paper from rotting.
covered
prevented
removed
contained
maintained

14. Examples of Assessment Items
3rd Grade CogAT
Number Series: 
b c d e. 11
Equation Building:
a b c d e. 7

15. Examples of Assessment Items
3rd Grade CogAT
Figure Classification:
a. b c d e.

16. Who Are the Gifted?
What Do they Look Like?

17. Profiles of Giftedness from G. Betts & M. Neihart
Type 1:
The Successful Student
Successful Students are most often identified early.
Liked by adults and peers
School is easy
Know how to “work the system”
May secretly crave challenge, but seldom seek it
Grade conscious
At risk for not achieving potential

18. Six Profiles of Giftedness from G. Betts & M. Neihart
Type 2:
The Challenging Student
Challenging Students tend to appear in middle school.
Not typically identified in elementary
The system doesn’t meet their needs
Often frustrated, even resentful
Think divergently
Often use intelligence as a weapon
Can be the teacher’s worst nightmare
Openly challenge assumptions and processes
Don’t‘ care about grades, but enjoy learning
AT RISK FOR DROPPING OUT OF SCHOOL!!

19. Six Profiles of Giftedness from G. Betts & M. Neihart
Type 3:
The Underground Student
Underground Students hide their gifts and talents.
Tend to be girls
Tend to be insecure
Need to “fit in” and have friends
See their intelligence as a liability
Choose popularity over academic success

20. Profiles of Giftedness from G. Betts & M. Neihart
Type 4:
The Dropout Student
Dropout Students were probably Type 2 students in middle school.
Their gifts/talents exist outside the system
Didn’t receive support within the system
See school as irrelevant and a waste of time

21. Profiles of Giftedness from G. Betts & M. Neihart
Type 5:
The Double-Labeled Student
Double-Labeled Students may be camouflaged by learning disabilities.
Their difficulty with auditory processing may hide their extraordinary ability to visualize systems
May become frustrated
Exhibit Type 2 behavior and/or drop out

22. Profiles of Giftedness from G. Betts & M. Neihart
Type 6:
The Autonomous Student
Autonomous Students understand how the system works.
Don’t use the system
Work within the system to create opportunities for themselves
Intrinsically motivated
Independent and self-directed
Demonstrated leadership
Often succeed at extraordinary levels in adult life

23. Important Info
We will accept REFERRALS for Gifted / Talented placement Testing throughout the year, Grades K – 12. However, our major push for identification testing will be in the Spring.

24. Gifted / Talented Coordinator Gifted / Talented Webpage:
Contact Information
Hope Pierce
Gifted / Talented Coordinator
Gifted / Talented Webpage: