Many parents and students have questions about how they can participate in the Gifted and Talented program. Programs may be different in different districts and states. This is because Gifted Education is not mandated at a Federal or national level. Each individual state and district designs it's own Gifted and Talented programs. There are National Standards of Gifted Education that are recommended, and many great advocates and programs. The identification Process Described here is for the Little Rock School District.
In LRSD All students receive Gifted enrichment classes in the classroom, with the whole group of students, in what is called a "push in" program. This means the Gifted Specialist goes into the different teacher's classrooms and does enrichment and gifted activities with the students. In Kindergarten through Second Grades, these classes happen weekly. The Gifted specialist gets to know the students and also learns about the different student's learning styles and special needs. The gifted specialist and teachers look for students who show exceptional ability and gifted characteristics. Student's may be referred for the Identification and testing process in Second grade, to start the "pull out" gifted programs in Third grade, and continue through Fifth grade. In some programs, the very top 10% of high achieving and gifted students may begin pull outs in Second grade.
"Pull Out" programs are regular times each week when identified gifted students leave the regular classroom and go to a special classroom with other gifted peers and work with the Gifted Specialist. You may find more about this program on the page "What do We Cover in GT."
Any parent or student or teacher may refer a student for Gifted programs at any time. Once a student is referred they go through a identification process that can take some time. The goal of the team working with your students is to make sure they are best served academically and are in an educational setting that is best for them. Some students are high achievers in the regular classroom, but do not need anything additional outside of the regular classroom. In fact some students may fall behind if taken out of the regular classroom during critical instruction periods. So the identification process is to make sure a student would truly benefit from time outside of the regular classroom and additional challenges. Students will spend 2.5 hours outside of the regular classroom a week, in Gifted programing. For this reason, students need to be able to have a solid grade level achievement before being pulled out for additional gifted levels of instruction.
In the identification process, the Gifted specialist will gather records and documentation on the student from many sources, including grades, standardized tests, class observations, recommendation forms from many sources, interviews with the student, examples of student work, and even parent and community input. For example, a student may be gifted in areas that show up outside of the classroom and have a community teacher or mentor show examples of their work. No single thing is used to determine if someone may enter the gifted program or not. The gifted specialist compiles all of these documents, and does additional testing with the student specifically for Gifted identification purposes. Students need to have above grade level academic performance, a high level of motivation and independence to work and complete tasks, and creative/critical thinking skills to truly benefit from GT programs. Once all the data has been collected it is put into a "profile." A Committee composed of educators and specialists who have been trained in Gifted identification, review the student's profiles, without the student's name being revealed. This ensures that student's are given a fair and equal review.
Committee members determine if a student will be best served in Gifted Programs at that time, and make a recommendation. These recommendations are passed through the Gifted and Talented Department and made official by the Gifted and Talented Department Head. A letter is then sent to the family letting them know the results, and the family must sign that they give permission for their student to start the Program. If the Committee finds that a student would be better served in the regular classroom at that time, then they also let the family know. A student may not be ready at a certain time, but a "NO" does not mean forever, it means "Not Know." A student who has been referred shows exceptional characteristics and the Gifted Specialist and teachers will continue monitoring that student and they may be ready for Gifted programs later on.
Sometimes, there are exceptional circumstances that can affect student's scores and testing. A student may be learning English as a Second Language and not showing on standardized English tests their true skill and ability level. These students can still benefit from a differentiated gifted program if they are gifted, and can work on English Acquisition skills in GT. The gifted specialist is trained and certified in English as a Second Language, and can provide research based second language acquisition skills. Often these students thrive in the gifted classroom, and pick up English even faster than the regular classroom, because they are in smaller groups that are using real world, hands on, experiential and engaged learning, and these are best practices for second language acquisition too.
Students may also have other learning differences, and challenges, such as ADHD or learning disabilities that affect some ares but still excel in other areas that need gifted education. For example a student may be grades ahead in English, but struggle in math, or vice versa. For these students additional data is very important in the identification process. It may be that they can join the GT program during the time their regular classroom is covering the subject they excel at already, or that the GT teacher and the classroom teacher work together to provide accelerated and enriched learning in the student's regular environment. Special circumstances warrant special collaboration. The ultimate goal is to best serve each student.
It is true that some gifted students do not show their gifts or talents on standardized testing. Sometimes students are underperforming, are not motivated, have outside struggles that affect their academic achievement. The gifted specialist is trained to look for and identify these issues, and can assist students, families, and educators in helping all students find the right educational settings and interventions.
Whether a student is in Gifted or not, the team of Educators at your student's school will continue to differentiate the curriculum for all students to make sure they are getting what they need to succeed and achieve their highest potential.
If you believe that your student is performing above grade level and needs additional challenges, and would like them to be considered for Gifted and Talented programs, contact the Gifted Specialist at your school, and speak with your child's teacher.
You may contact us through email below, or call the school.
We are all partners in education our students. Thank you for choosing the Little Rock School District!
In LRSD All students receive Gifted enrichment classes in the classroom, with the whole group of students, in what is called a "push in" program. This means the Gifted Specialist goes into the different teacher's classrooms and does enrichment and gifted activities with the students. In Kindergarten through Second Grades, these classes happen weekly. The Gifted specialist gets to know the students and also learns about the different student's learning styles and special needs. The gifted specialist and teachers look for students who show exceptional ability and gifted characteristics. Student's may be referred for the Identification and testing process in Second grade, to start the "pull out" gifted programs in Third grade, and continue through Fifth grade. In some programs, the very top 10% of high achieving and gifted students may begin pull outs in Second grade.
"Pull Out" programs are regular times each week when identified gifted students leave the regular classroom and go to a special classroom with other gifted peers and work with the Gifted Specialist. You may find more about this program on the page "What do We Cover in GT."
Any parent or student or teacher may refer a student for Gifted programs at any time. Once a student is referred they go through a identification process that can take some time. The goal of the team working with your students is to make sure they are best served academically and are in an educational setting that is best for them. Some students are high achievers in the regular classroom, but do not need anything additional outside of the regular classroom. In fact some students may fall behind if taken out of the regular classroom during critical instruction periods. So the identification process is to make sure a student would truly benefit from time outside of the regular classroom and additional challenges. Students will spend 2.5 hours outside of the regular classroom a week, in Gifted programing. For this reason, students need to be able to have a solid grade level achievement before being pulled out for additional gifted levels of instruction.
In the identification process, the Gifted specialist will gather records and documentation on the student from many sources, including grades, standardized tests, class observations, recommendation forms from many sources, interviews with the student, examples of student work, and even parent and community input. For example, a student may be gifted in areas that show up outside of the classroom and have a community teacher or mentor show examples of their work. No single thing is used to determine if someone may enter the gifted program or not. The gifted specialist compiles all of these documents, and does additional testing with the student specifically for Gifted identification purposes. Students need to have above grade level academic performance, a high level of motivation and independence to work and complete tasks, and creative/critical thinking skills to truly benefit from GT programs. Once all the data has been collected it is put into a "profile." A Committee composed of educators and specialists who have been trained in Gifted identification, review the student's profiles, without the student's name being revealed. This ensures that student's are given a fair and equal review.
Committee members determine if a student will be best served in Gifted Programs at that time, and make a recommendation. These recommendations are passed through the Gifted and Talented Department and made official by the Gifted and Talented Department Head. A letter is then sent to the family letting them know the results, and the family must sign that they give permission for their student to start the Program. If the Committee finds that a student would be better served in the regular classroom at that time, then they also let the family know. A student may not be ready at a certain time, but a "NO" does not mean forever, it means "Not Know." A student who has been referred shows exceptional characteristics and the Gifted Specialist and teachers will continue monitoring that student and they may be ready for Gifted programs later on.
Sometimes, there are exceptional circumstances that can affect student's scores and testing. A student may be learning English as a Second Language and not showing on standardized English tests their true skill and ability level. These students can still benefit from a differentiated gifted program if they are gifted, and can work on English Acquisition skills in GT. The gifted specialist is trained and certified in English as a Second Language, and can provide research based second language acquisition skills. Often these students thrive in the gifted classroom, and pick up English even faster than the regular classroom, because they are in smaller groups that are using real world, hands on, experiential and engaged learning, and these are best practices for second language acquisition too.
Students may also have other learning differences, and challenges, such as ADHD or learning disabilities that affect some ares but still excel in other areas that need gifted education. For example a student may be grades ahead in English, but struggle in math, or vice versa. For these students additional data is very important in the identification process. It may be that they can join the GT program during the time their regular classroom is covering the subject they excel at already, or that the GT teacher and the classroom teacher work together to provide accelerated and enriched learning in the student's regular environment. Special circumstances warrant special collaboration. The ultimate goal is to best serve each student.
It is true that some gifted students do not show their gifts or talents on standardized testing. Sometimes students are underperforming, are not motivated, have outside struggles that affect their academic achievement. The gifted specialist is trained to look for and identify these issues, and can assist students, families, and educators in helping all students find the right educational settings and interventions.
Whether a student is in Gifted or not, the team of Educators at your student's school will continue to differentiate the curriculum for all students to make sure they are getting what they need to succeed and achieve their highest potential.
If you believe that your student is performing above grade level and needs additional challenges, and would like them to be considered for Gifted and Talented programs, contact the Gifted Specialist at your school, and speak with your child's teacher.
You may contact us through email below, or call the school.
We are all partners in education our students. Thank you for choosing the Little Rock School District!