Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
for
Gifted Education Services
2014 2015
Table of Contents
FOREWARD.. 3
SECTION 1
SECTION II
SECTION III
SECTION IV
SECTION V
SECTION VI
SECTION VII
SECTION X
SECTION XI
REFERENCES... 34
FOREWORD
The State of Georgia has a long history of serving intellectually and creatively gifted students. In the
1950s, Ms. Margaret Bynum, Georgias initial Gifted Education Specialist led the way as Georgia
became the first state to pass legislation that requires all public school systems in Georgia to offer
programs for gifted education students.
Legislative and rule-making initiatives in 1994 and 1995 led to the adoption of Georgias multiple-criteria
rule for the identification of gifted students. The multiple criteria approach allows school districts to look
at students strengths and interests in determining their educational needs. Georgias due process
procedures are an equitable and fair approach to the identification of gifted students. These procedures
offer school districts the opportunity to identify a diverse group of talented students for gifted education
programs. Gifted education programs extend and accelerate the pace and depth of the Georgia
Performance Standards and the Common Core Georgia Performance Standards.
This resource manual is a companion document to State Board of Education Rule 160-4-2-.38
EDUCATION PROGRAM FOR GIFTED STUDENTS which was adopted by the Georgia Board of
Education on May 10, 2012. The guidelines and guidance contained in this document provide assistance
to local boards of education, local schools districts, teachers, and administrators. Additionally, parents
and other interested parties can use the manual as a guide to gifted education in Georgia. The resource
manual is frequently updated and should be looked upon as a living document.
Please check the Georgia Department of Education website for additional information about gifted
education. Persons searching this website for information regarding a particular school or school district
should keep in mind that some gifted education decisions and procedures are left to the discretion of local
school districts so that they may address the unique needs of their students. This is especially evident in
districts that have been awarded IE2 or Charter status by the State Board of Education. It is best to
always check with your local school and school district for additional information.
http://www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/gacode/Default.asp
Relevant excerpts include:
(a) All children and youth who are eligible for general and career education program under Code
Section 20-2-151 and who have special educational needs shall also be eligible for special education services
.. Special education shall include children who are classified as intellectually gifted .. The State Board of
Education shall adopt classification criteria for each area of special education to be served on a state-wide basis.
The state board shall adopt the criteria used to determine eligibility of students for state funded special education
programs ..
(a.1) The criteria adopted by the state board to determine the eligibility of students for state funded
special education programs for the intellectually gifted, Category VI pursuant to paragraph (6) of subsection
(d) of this Code section, shall authorize local boards of education to use:
(1) The criteria used on July 1, 1993, as amended by state board or state
department regulation from time to time; and
(2) Multiple eligibility criteria which include:
(A) Evidence of student work product or performance;
(B) Data from teacher, parent, or peer observation; and
(C) Evidence of student performance on nationally normed standardized tests of mental
ability, achievement, and creativity.
A students eligibility may be determined under either paragraph (1) or (2) of this subsection. The
multiple eligibility criteria shall be implemented no later than May 30, 2012. A student who has been
determined before May 29, 2012, to be eligible for state funded special education programs for the
intellectually gifted shall not be required to satisfy any additional eligibility criteria or information
documentation s a result of this subsection.
(b) Local school systems shall, subject to any limitations specified in this Code section, provide special
education programs for all eligible students with special needs who are residents of their local
school systems, either by establishing and maintaining such educational facilities and employing such
professional workers as are needed by these students or by contracting with other local schools systems,
regional education service agencies, or other qualified public or private institutions for such services.
Click below to view the official SBOE Rule 160-4-2-.38 EDUCATION PROGRAM FOR GIFTED
STUDENTS document
http://www.gadoe.org/External-Affairs-and-Policy/State-Board-of-Education/SBOE%20Rules/160-4-2.38.pdf
Georgia Department of Education
Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent
July 2, 2014 Page 4
All Rights Reserved
2. To be eligible for gifted education services, a student must meet the criterion score on a
norm-referenced test and either has observational data collected on his or her performance or
produce a superior product as described below. Information shall be collected in each of the four
areas: mental ability, achievement, creativity, and motivation.
3. Test scores used to establish eligibility shall have been administered within the past two
calendar years.
4. Any data used in one area to establish a students eligibility shall not be used in any other
data category.
5. Data shall be used for eligibility in the four areas according to the following:
(i) Mental Ability. Students shall score at or above the 96th percentile on a composite or fullscale score or appropriate component score, as defined in the GaDOE Resource Manual for
Gifted Education Services, on a norm-referenced test of mental ability.
(I) Mental ability tests shall be the most current editions, or editions approved by GaDOE, of
published tests that measure intelligence or cognitive ability, which have been reviewed for bias
and are normed on a nationally representative sample with respect to race, religion, national
origin, sex, disabilities, and economic background within a 10-year period prior to
administration.
(II) Mental ability tests that were designed to be administered individually shall be
administered by a qualified psychological examiner.
(ii) Achievement. Students shall score at or above the 90th percentile on the total battery, total
math or total reading section(s) of a norm-referenced achievement test or have produced a
superior student-generated product or performance, where the superior performance is one that
can be translated into a numerical score at or above 90 on a 100 point scale as evaluated by a
panel of qualified evaluators.
(I) Norm-referenced achievement tests shall be the most current editions of tests, or editions
approved by GaDOE, that measure reading skills, including comprehension, and shall yield a
total reading score and/or a total mathematics score based upon a combination of scores in
mathematics concepts and applications. These tests shall have been reviewed for bias and are
normed on a nationally representative sample with respect to race, religion, national origin, sex,
disabilities, and economic background within a 10-year period prior to administration.
(II) Performances and products shall be assessed by a panel of qualified evaluators and must
have been produced within the two calendar years prior to evaluation.
(iii) Creativity. Students shall score at or above the 90th percentile on the total battery score of
a norm-referenced test of creative thinking, receive a score at or above the 90th percentile on a
standardized creativity characteristics rating scale, or receive from a panel of qualified evaluators
Georgia Department of Education
Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent
July 2, 2014 Page 7
All Rights Reserved
Category
Option A
Student must have a
qualifying score in the mental
ability AND achievement
categories.
Mental
Ability
Achievement
Creativity
Option B
Student must qualify in three of the four
categories.
Motivation
STEP I
REPORTED REFERRAL
A student is referred for consideration by
teachers, counselors, administrators,
parents/guardians, peers, self or others with
knowledge of students academic abilities.
STEP II
AUTOMATIC REFERRAL
Students who score at specified levels on
nationally norm-referenced tests. The local
board of education establishes the score(s)
needed for automatic referral.
STUDENT SEARCH/ELIGIBILITY
TEAM
A decision-making team that uniformly considers
information collected on student referrals. The team
decides if it is appropriate
to proceed with formal evaluation.
Formal Evaluation
Student is referred for Gifted Education
Evaluation in Mental Ability,
Achievement, Creativity, and Motivation.
STEP III
STEP IV
Eligibility Team
Eligible
Not
Eligible
Regular Education
Student(s) may need a RTI followup plan
Table 1: Planning Time for Gifted Program Specialist in the Collaborative Teaching Model
Number of classes
within which the gifted
specialist collaborates
Number of segments
counted at the gifted weight
Required collaborative
planning time in minutes
1-3
4-6
7-9
10-12
13-15
16-18
1-24
25-48
49-72
73-96
97-120
121-144
45-60
90-120
135-180
180-240
225-300
270-360
instruction funded through the state's Full-Time Equivalent Funding Formulas. A Full-Time
Equivalent Student (FTE) is defined as six (6) segments of instruction. To view state FTE funding
rates and levels go to http://app3.doe.k12.ga.us/ows-bin/owa/qbe_reports.public_menu?p_fy=2000
and select a school year and a specific report.
Report QBE 001 shows the rate of QBE funding per FTE
Report QBE 003 lists local school system FTE funding
Report QBE 004 lists the QBE Funding at the state level.
Students who are served in an approved gifted education model are reported with the Gifted Education
weight (PROGRAM CODE == "I") for each segment served on the FTE count day. The school system
may claim students for gifted weight who are serviced on the day of the count only. Gifted students who
are not provided with gifted program instruction on the day of the count must be reported according to the
weight that indicates the actual services they receive on the FTE count day. For state funded FTE
earnings, the count dates are the first Tuesday in October and the first Thursday in March. The FTE
count days provide a picture or point in time snapshot of the scheduled instructional services
provided to students on that specific date.
CLASS SIZE
Source: Code: IEC 160-5-1-.08 CLASS SIZE
O.C.G.A. & 20-2-244 (H)
Gifted Education class sizes are established by the State Board of Education. The current
funding ratio for gifted education is 12. The maximum individual gifted education class sizes are
listed below:
GIFTED EDUCATION PROGRAM
Elementary (K-5)
Middle School (6-8)
High School (9-12)
17
21
21
Content The State Board of Education adopted curriculum standards the student is expected to
master and related support materials.
Process instructional strategies designed to ensure that students acquire a deep understanding of
the curriculum standards.
Products - vehicles through which students demonstrate and extend what they have learned
Gifted Education Tier 1,2, 3, and 4 instructional and management opportunities with varying
degrees of preparation might include: (Table 2, page 22)
Homework Options
Multiple Texts
Alternative Assessments
Flexible Seating
Curriculum Compacting
Varied Scaffolding
Tiered Centers
Spelling by Readiness
Design-A-DAY
Varying Organizers
Community Mentorships
Computer Mentors
Stations
Group Investigations
Explorations by Interest
Options for Competition
Tier 3: High
Tier 4: Advanced/Autonomous
Resource Classes
Independent/Directed Study
Socratic Seminars
Internship/Mentorships
(b) Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) the agency charged with the fiscal
and administrative management of certain aspects of K-12 public education including the
implementation of federal and state mandates.
(c) Gifted Student - a student who meets the eligibility criteria as identified in this rule
and as defined in the GaDOE Resource Manual for Gifted Education Services.
The GaDOE describes a gifted student as one who demonstrates a high degree of intellectual and/or
creative ability (ies), exhibits an exceptionally high degree of motivation, and/or excels in specific
academic fields, and who need special instruction and/or special ancillary services to achieve at levels
commensurate with his or her abilities. The abilities manifest in a collection of traits, aptitudes and
behaviors that, when taken together, are indicative of gifted potential.
(d) Local Board of Education (LBOE) agency charged with adopting policies to
govern educational entities within the local educational agency.
(e) Local Educational Agency (LEA) local school system pursuant to LBOE control
and management.
(f) Panel of Qualified Evaluators - experts in relevant fields appointed by the LEA who
evaluate student products/performances to determine gifted program eligibility.
Local school systems are responsible for training qualified evaluators in the application of adopted
observation/evaluation instruments in a culturally sensitive manner. A list of qualified evaluators, the
evaluation guidelines, and documentation of training procedures must be maintained by the LEA.
Examples of a qualified evaluator includes: grade and subject level teachers and scientists from a local
business or college.
(h) State Board of Education (SBOE) the constitutional authority which defines
education policy for public K-12 education agencies in Georgia.
2.2. REQUIREMENTS
(a) Notification. The LEA shall notify parents and guardians of identified gifted students
being considered to receive gifted education services in writing of information related
to the gifted education program including, but not limited to the following:
LEA personnel should consider a variety of ways to make sure all members of the community have
access to information about their gifted education program. Suggestions for the communication
include: (a) system and local school web sites, (b) parent/student handbooks, and (c) school
brochures. The information about the local gifted program should be available in a variety of
languages.
Example: In order to qualify for gifted education services, a student shall meet criteria established
by the State Board of Education in the following four areas: mental ability, achievement, creativity,
and motivation. Any responsible person with knowledge of a students advanced and/or
accelerated educational needs may refer a student for evaluation to determine eligibility for gifted
education. For additional information please contact the Gifted Education teacher at your child's
school or (Name), the Gifted Program Coordinator, at (contact information).
1. Referral procedures and eligibility requirements adopted and applied by the LEA.
Local districts must establish a decision-making process that allows professional staff members to
consider all information collected during the student search stage of the nomination process and
determine whether it is appropriate to proceed with a formal referral and further assessment. This
decision-making process must be applied consistently to all students who meet the districts automatic
consideration criteria, as well as to those who are nominated through a reported referral. Factors to be
considered in this screening process should include the strength of the evidence of the students
advanced learning needs, the recency and performance levels of any previous gifted program referral,
circumstances which would indicate those assessment results are no longer valid, or other criteria
adopted by the local district.
When a Student Search/Eligibility Team or a designated professional staff member evaluates
nominated students, the Eligibility Team chairperson or the designated individual must document the
following:
the date of the meeting/decision,
the committee members present (if an Eligibility Team is used),
the names of the students who were considered,
the source of the nomination (automatic, teacher, parent, etc.), and
the committees/individuals decisions and rationale for those decisions regarding whether
each student who was considered should be referred for formal evaluation.
Student data shall be kept by grade level, gender, and ethnic group. These data shall be reviewed at
least annually as part of the local districts formative evaluation of gifted program services. The
nomination process should be carefully scrutinized for any factors that may be contributing to
underrepresentation of some groups of students in the districts program for gifted students. The
nomination, decision-making, and formal referral data must be summarized and reported upon
request to the Department of Education as part of the districts evaluation report.
5. Performance standards that gifted students should meet to maintain their eligibility and
receive continued services in the program.
6. A description of the probationary period applied to students in jeopardy of losing their
eligibility for services. The description shall include the length of the probationary period
and the criteria.
7. Termination of services when students on probation have failed to meet criteria for
continuation of services.
(b) Referrals. The consideration for gifted education services may be reported or automatic as
defined in the GaDOE Resource Manual for Gifted Education Services.
1. Reported Referral. A student may be referred for consideration for gifted education
services by teachers, counselors, administrators, parents or guardians, peers, self, and other
individuals with knowledge of the students abilities.
2. Automatic Referral. 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 program services.
(i) The Local BOE shall establish the criterion score needed on norm-referenced tests for
automatic consideration for further eligibility assessment.
(ii) The Local BOE shall ensure that tests or procedures used in the referral process and to
determine eligibility for gifted education services meet standards of validity and reliability for
the purpose of identifying gifted students and shall be non-discriminatory with respect to race,
religion, national origin, sex, disabilities, and economic background.
(c) Consent. The LEA shall obtain written consent for testing from parents or guardians of
students who are being considered for referral for gifted education services. The LEA shall
obtain written consent from parents or guardians before providing gifted education services to
students determined to be eligible for services.
Parent(s)/Guardian(s) must be notified when their child is being considered for possible gifted
program placement at whatever point district personnel need to evaluate a students performance in
any way which is not done routinely for other children in that grade. Parental consent to conduct any
group or individual testing or to engage in formal evaluation of student product or performance is
required. Similarly, professionals may discuss and record their observations of a students classroom
performance and other indicators of cognitive or creative strengths, and master lists of all students
standardized test scores may be screened for the purpose of identifying automatic referrals without
parental permission.
(d) Eligibility. The LBOE shall adopt eligibility criteria that are consistent with this rule and
as defined in the GaDOE Resource Manual for Gifted Education Services.
1. To be eligible for gifted education services, a student must either (a) score at the 99th
percentile (for grades K-2) or the 96th percentile (for grades 3-12) on the composite or full scale
score of a norm-referenced test of mental ability and meet one of the achievement criteria
described in paragraph (2)(d) 5.(ii) Achievement, or (b) qualify through a multiple-criteria
assessment process by meeting the criteria in any three of the following four areas: mental
ability, achievement, creativity, and motivation.
2. To be eligible for gifted education services, a student must meet the criterion score on a
norm-referenced test and either has observational data collected on his or her performance or
Georgia Department of Education
Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent
July 2, 2014 Page 26
All Rights Reserved
5. Data shall be used for eligibility in the four areas according to the following:
(i) Mental Ability. Students shall score at or above the 96th percentile on a composite or fullscale score or appropriate component score, as defined in the GaDOE Resource Manual for
Gifted Education Services, on a norm-referenced test of mental ability.
(I) Mental ability tests shall be the most current editions, or editions approved by GaDOE, of
published tests that measure intelligence or cognitive ability, which have been reviewed for bias
and are normed on a nationally representative sample with respect to race, religion, national
origin, sex, disabilities, and economic background within a 10-year period prior to
administration.
(II) Mental ability tests that were designed to be administered individually shall be
administered by a qualified psychological examiner.
Guidelines Related to the Assessment of Mental Ability
For establishing the required standard in the mental ability category of Rule 160-4-2-.38, an age norm
component or age norm composite score must be used in the assessment process (See page 12). It is
appropriate to use a component score to partially establish a students eligibility for gifted program
services if the assessment meets the following circumstances:
The subtest contains enough items and enough variety of items to provide a comprehensive
assessment of the students abilities in a given content domain;
The component battery was normed separately from the total test composite score and the
other subtests;
The test publisher recommends the use of component scores for identifying the abilities of
gifted students;
The preponderance of both test and non-test evidence collected during the assessment
process supports that component score as the best measure of the students mental ability;
and
The local school district is able to provide a match between the students identified strengths
and gifted program curriculum.
(iii) Creativity. Students shall score at or above the 90th percentile on the total battery score of
a norm-referenced test of creative thinking, receive a score at or above the 90th percentile on a
standardized creativity characteristics rating scale, or receive from a panel of qualified evaluators
a score at or above 90 on a 100 point scale on a structured observation/evaluation of creative
products and/or performances.
(I) Norm-referenced tests of creative thinking shall be the most current editions of tests, or
editions approved by GaDOE, that provide scores of fluency, originality, and elaboration. These
tests shall have been reviewed for bias and are normed on a nationally representative sample
with respect to race, religion, national origin, sex, disabilities, and economic background within a
10-year period prior to administration.
Standardized tests of creative thinking should be scored by individuals who have been trained and have
reached a satisfactory level of inter-rater reliability.
(II) Rating scales used to qualify creativity shall differentiate levels such that judgments may
equate to the 90th percentile. If a rating scale is used to evaluate creativity, a rating scale shall
not be used to evaluate motivation.
All teachers who complete rating scales must have training on the concept of creativity, the characteristics of
gifted students, how the particular scale describes those distinguishing behaviors, and how the different items
on the scale should be interpreted.
6. Assessment data that were gathered and analyzed by a source outside the students school or
LEA shall be considered as part of the referral and evaluation process. External evaluation data
shall not be substituted for or used as the sole source of data the school generates during the
initial eligibility process. External evaluations shall have been reviewed for bias with respect to
race, religion, national origin, sex, disabilities, and economic background.
LEAs and local school personnel should review the referral and evaluation data of gifted students entering
their school system. If the referral and evaluation data was completed by a fully accredited private or public
school, the receiving LEA and/or school may use the transferring schools referral and evaluation data to
determine gifted eligibility criteria described in Georgia State Board Rule 160-4-2.38 Education Program for
Gifted Students.
LEAs should establish policies regarding evaluations completed by outside sources. Outside sources are
defined as private and/or for profit evaluators (psychiatrist, psychologist, psychomtrist, etc.)
(e) Continued Participation. The LBOE shall have a continuation policy for students
identified as eligible for gifted services to continue to receive such services. The LEA shall
review the progress of each student receiving gifted education services each year. Any student
who receives gifted education services shall continue to receive services, provided the student
demonstrates satisfactory performance in gifted education classes, as described in the LBOE
continuation policy and stated in the continuation policy.
1. The LBOE continuation policy shall include a probationary period in which a student who
fails to maintain satisfactory performance in gifted education classes shall continue to receive
gifted education services while attempting to achieve satisfactory performance status. The
length of this probationary period shall be determined by the Local BOE.
(f) Reciprocity. Any student who meets the initial eligibility criteria in this rule for gifted
education services in one LEA shall be considered eligible to receive gifted education services in
any LEA within the state. As described in the section on Reciprocity in the GaDOE Resource
Manual for Gifted Education Services, a student transferring from one LEA to another within the
state shall meet the criteria for continuation of gifted services established by the LBOE of the
receiving school system. There is no mandated reciprocity between states unless the student is a
dependent of military personnel as provided in O.C.G.A. 20-2-2140 et. seq.
When an eligible gifted education student transfers from a state funded school or school district in Georgia
the receiving school or district should carefully review the students gifted education records. If gifted
education records are not available, school personnel should contact the transferring district or school to
obtain the students gifted education records before placing the student into the gifted education program.
The receiving district or school should honor the continuation policy of the transferring school. In other
words, if a student was on a continuation or probation plan in the transferring school or school district, then
the student should complete the goals outlined in the continuation plan or probation period before entering
the receiving school or school districts gifted education program.
Georgia Department of Education
Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent
July 2, 2014 Page 31
All Rights Reserved
XI REFERENCE
Cobb County Board of Education. (2012). Resource Manual for Gifted Education Services. (Available
from Cobb County Advanced Learning Programs, 514 Glover Street, Marietta, Ga 30021)
Coleman, M.R. & Hughes, C. (2009). Meeting the Needs of Gifted Students Within and RtI. Gifted Child
Today (32)3, 14-17.
Hall,T., Stangman, N. & Meyer, A (2011). Differentiated Instruction and Implications for
Universal Design for Learning. Retrieved December 14, 2011, from The National
Center on Accessible Instructional Materials Web Site:
http://aim.cast.org/learn/historyarchive/backgroundpapers/differentiated instruction udl
National Association for Gifted Children. (2011). Common Core State Standards: Definitions of Key
Words. Retrieved December, 2011, from http://ascd.org
Tomlinson, C. & Imbeau, M. (Speakers).(20ll). Leading and Managing a Differentiated Classroom.
(webinar). Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. ASCD.org/professions