Screening
Screening for gifted education can be requested by parents or guardians, teachers,
or school administrators when students demonstrate they are capable of advanced academic
achievement. Schools usually require written requests.
Identifying gifted kids can be done through many types of tests. Some schools screen
entire grades of students in early elementary years, while others may use a partial
or full-scale IQ test or other aptitude or achievement tests on an individual basis
if students appear to be achieving above their grade level.
Initial screenings may include:
- partial IQ tests
- achievement test reviews
- questionnaires completed by teachers and parents or guardians
- classwork reviews
If initial screenings indicate potential giftedness, then a psychologist administers
a full-scale IQ test or other aptitude evaluation.
If initial screening does not indicate potential giftedness, parents can appeal
the decision and request further testing, or even pay for private testing themselves.
Parents who pay for their own testing should make sure to find out if the results
will be accepted by school officials. In many schools, students who are not deemed
gifted by initial or full screenings can be re-evaluated after a year.
Some schools consider a student with an IQ score of 130 or more to be gifted. Other
schools require students to meet multiple criteria.
Gifted Individualized Education Plans (GIEPs)
If a student meets his or her school's criteria for gifted education, goals are
created for that student in what is usually called a gifted individualized
education plan (GIEP).
Many states require that parents or guardians, teachers, and administrative staff
meet to develop an instruction plan that covers:
- goals based on academic strengths
- how instruction will be modified
- how progress will be monitored
- educational outcomes (expected grades or performance)
In many states, GIEPs may call for parents or guardians, teachers, and administrative
staff to meet annually to review progress and possibly revise the plan.
Each GIEP is customized to each child's individual abilities, because gifted students
can vary greatly in their strengths. For example, some may be gifted in math, but
not in language arts, while others may have strengths in multiple subjects.
GIEPs may include long-term and short-term goals that can include accelerated curriculum
or instruction above the student's grade level.
In states that do not require meetings and instruction plans, gifted students are
usually given opportunities to work on enrichment projects or above-grade-level assignments
outside the classroom, usually with gifted peers. Progress is monitored on through
regular report cards.
In some schools, special teachers are responsible for implementing and monitoring
the education of gifted students in small groups or one-on-one sessions. In other
schools, the regular classroom teacher is the main instructor and confers with students'
gifted case managers, gifted consulting teachers, or other school staff to create
projects that enrich or extend learning.
In middle and high school, gifted students' goals may be met through higher-level
courses or Advanced Placement (AP) or honors courses. Some gifted students can meet
their individualized education goals by advancing multiple grade levels in specific
subject areas.
While all students need to be monitored academically, GIEPs and similar education
plans call for customized monitoring to help ensure that gifted students reach their
learning potentials./p>