GT Program

Central Independent School District

Program for the Gifted and Talented

Central ISD recognizes that there are those students who, by virtue of their need for a qualitatively differentiated curriculum, can be identified as gifted and/or talented. The United States Department of Education has indicated that three to five percent of all students exhibit achievement or potential for achievement in the areas of creative/productive thinking ability, specific subject matter areas, leadership ability, intellectual ability, and/or ability in the visual/performing arts. Central ISD provides a program entitled GT Program for the educational development of students who are identified as gifted and/or talented.

Definition:

Gifted and/or talented students at Central I.S.D. shall be those who excel consistently or show potential to excel in any one or combination of the following areas: general intellectual ability, specific subject matter, aptitude, creative and productive thinking, and leadership ability. These students require educational experiences beyond those normally provided by the regular school program. Such students shall be identified through a specific screening and selection process and will meet the stated criteria of the district under the state guidelines.

Student Identification Procedures:
A student may be nominated for the Central I.S.D. GT Program by:

• A teacher, a counselor, an administrator, or any school employee
• A community member
• The student himself/herself
• The student's parent

The form for nomination for students in grades 1 through 12 may be found in each campus office and must be completed and submitted by March 1st for the next school year. This timeline will facilitate the gathering of data while the students are still in school. The form for nominating a kindergarten student to the program must be completed and submitted before Christmas Break for the current school year. Students will be identified for the program by March 1st.

Screening:

The screening process is used to collect data from a variety of sources. The campus counselor or a designee will enter this data on a matrix. This matrix will be utilized in considering students for final selection and placement in the GT Program.

The items to be used on the matrix may include, but not limited to:

• SAGES 3
• Torrance Test of Creative Thinking
• GATES 2
• Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT)
• IQ test results
• Achievement test percentiles
• Teacher/Parent Rating Surveys
• SOI-Structure of Intellect
• STAAR/EOC Data
• Student Grades
• Student product or portfolio

Placement:

Final selection of students for the Central ISD GT Program is made by a selection committee of at least three local district or campus educators who have received training in the nature and needs of gifted students.

Transfer Students:

When a student identified as gifted by a previous public school district transfers into the Central school district, the student’s records shall be reviewed by the selection committee to determine if placement in the district’s program for gifted and talented students is appropriate. The committee shall make its determination within 30 days of the student’s enrollment in the district.

Program Placement

Primary and Elementary (K-4)

• Identified students will be placed in a self-contained classroom with additional students who are not identified as gifted/talented.
• The identified students will be expected to successfully complete assignments that are differentiated from the normal curriculum.
• Identified students will be expected to work in groups with other identified students, work independently, and work with other students.

Jr. High and High School (5-12)

• Identified students will be served in the core areas: social studies, language arts, science, and math.
• They will be expected to work in groups with other identified students, work independently, and work with other students.
• Interdisciplinary studies and projects may be assigned by a teacher(s) to meet the needs of identified students in all academic areas.

Exit Procedures:

Procedures and grounds for exiting a student placed in the GT Program may include:

• Teacher recommendation based upon student performance.
• Counselor recommendation based upon student interviews and observations.
• Parental request for withdrawal. Parents may withdraw students from the program by contacting the school principal and submitting written notification. Parents must give written reason for withdrawal and sign an exit form.
• Student request for withdrawal. (with written parent permission)

If a child consistently has difficulty in the program, the teacher, the student, the parent, or the school administrator may request that a conference be held to discuss the problems in an effort to provide intervention strategies, to determine the nature of the problems, and to consider removal from the program.

Furlough from the GT Program

Students who have been identified as GT and wish to be withdrawn for a temporary period of less than three years may request “Furlough” status. Parents should present to the campus placement committee their reasons for wishing to be furloughed. The placement committee should document the furlough and should include such documentation in the cumulative folder for the student. Students who are furloughed for more than three years must be formally identified again for the Central I.S.D. GT Program.

Questions?

If you have questions please call Anita Byrd or your campus counselor.