GIFTED SCREENING
The consideration for gifted services may be reported or automatic as defined by the GaDOE Resource Manual for Gifted Education Services. The Fulton County School System screens all students for eligibility for gifted services twice a year and uses a systematic approach to identify highly capable students who may qualify for gifted services.
The gifted teacher routinely reviews available data to refer students for further assessment. Students meeting either the automatic screening OR the classroom screening criteria AND have supporting data gathered from test history, products, and/or advanced content levels are referred for additional testing to determine gifted eligibility.
Automatic Screening-
Identifies students who score at specified levels on a norm-referenced test as defined in the GaDOE Resource Manual for Gifted Education Services, for further assessment to determine eligibility for gifted services. At the beginning of the school year, TAG teachers review existing test data.
Standardized Tests
Students must have minimally a combination of scores that include > 85th percentile and > 90th percentile in two of the three areas on a standardized, nationally norm-referenced achievement test: Total Reading, Total Math, and Complete Battery.
STAR Assessment – (Spring 2017 Assessment)
• Grade 1- 8: Students must score 90% or greater on system’s STAR assessment for Math or Reading. Supporting data is needed.
Acceleration Assessments- Students must score 80% or greater on system’s Acceleration Assessment in:
• Grades K: English/Language Arts and Mathematics. No additional supporting data is needed.
• Grades 1-3: English/Language Arts or Mathematics. Supporting data is needed.
Georgia Milestones End of Grade Assessment-
• Grades 3-8: Students must score at the Distinguished Learner achievement level (4) for English/Language Arts or Mathematics. Supporting data is needed.
Classroom Screening-
Local schools select a two-week period from January-February to review all
students in the school (Grades K-11).
- Classroom teachers use the Characteristics Instrument for Screening Students (CISS) to identify students with superior abilities in five or more of the following areas: motivation, interests, communications skills, problem-solving abilities, memory, inquiry, insight, reasoning, creativity, and humor.
- Students who meet either the automatic screening OR classroom screening criteria AND who have supporting data gathered from test history, products, and/or advanced content levels are referred for gifted placement testing.
- Once referred to testing, parents receive the Parent Notification for Testing Consent Form.
- Students are tested for the gifted program.
- Parents receive test results.
- If state eligibility is determined, students are placed in the gifted program with parental consent.
Reported Referrals- All reported referrals (parent, teacher and/or administrator) are completed through the two system- level screening and referral processes each year.
All referrals are first reviewed by the local Eligibility Team to consider if existing information warrants a formal testing for eligibility.
Parents may request to view their child’s screening results.
For more complete information regarding Fulton County Schools Gifted Services, please visit the Advanced Studies page at : http://www.fultonschools.org/en/divisions/acd/learnteach/Pages/TAG.aspx