GOAL Parent Nomination Form
Submit by 11:59 PM on November 1, 2020
Information for Parents/Guardians
The Kinnelon Public School District is committed to providing opportunities that promote the growth of the skills, knowledge, and understanding necessary for all learners to reach their full potential. Inherent in that commitment is the recognition of the abilities, interests, and needs of students who may benefit from special educational considerations. Specific programs for the academically gifted can be viewed as a continuum from activities that can be arranged in regular classrooms to programs that are exclusively tailored to the needs of the gifted. We are in the process of identifying students who may best benefit from our grades 1-5 Gifted Opportunities for Advanced Learning (GOAL) program. One component of that process is to provide parents and/or caregivers the opportunity to nominate children they believe should be in a pool of students for consideration.
While there is no universal definition of giftedness, the State of New Jersey Department of Education in its administrative code (N.J.A.C. 6A:8-3.1) defines gifted students as: Those students who possess or demonstrate high levels of ability, in one or more content areas, when compared to their chronological peers in the local district and who require modification of their educational program if they are to achieve in accordance with their capabilities. The code requires that school districts identify students as to their potential with respect to giftedness. The regulations require that students be compared to their chronological peers in the local school district. New Jersey does not have state-level criteria such as mandated tests or assessments, grade point averages, or IQ scores. Local school districts must use multiple measures to identify students who may benefit from this type of program.
Students who are best served by this type of learning extension have 3 main characteristics – are well above average intellectual ability, have task commitment and apply a creative approach to problem-solving.
The Nomination Process
- The nomination process is designed to identify a pool of candidates broad enough to include all students with demonstrated or potential giftedness.
- Nominations can be made by a parent/caregiver, a classroom teacher, the GOAL teacher or special area teacher. **Note - nomination does not automatically qualify a student for entrance into the GOAL program.
The Screening Process
The screening process is designed to collect additional information about each student including but not limited to Kinnelon benchmark assessments (writing tasks, running records, math assessments, standardized testing), classroom performance, GOAL teacher observations, and parent and teacher nominations.
Students who are selected through the screening process will be eligible to sit for a cognitive abilities assessment. This is the final step in the screening process.
The Selection Process, Grades 1-5
During the selection process, a review committee determines which nominees qualify for GOAL.
The committee will review all collected information about each student.
Distinguishing Characteristics
Listed below are some differences to help you distinguish between a bright child, a gifted learner, and a creative child (Janice Szabos, Challenge). The list below does not describe all the traits and attitudes of gifted children, as all children are diverse in their characteristics; however, it is a good reference of distinguishing characteristics.
Contact Information
Melissa Coleman, Stonybrook School Assistant Principal - colemanm@kinnelon.org