Gifted: Assessment
Administrators Online PD-Summer 2020
STUDENT ASSESSMENT
State Plan: What's New: Assessment
2.17
Data collected from multiple sources for each area of giftedness served by the district are included in the assessment process for gifted/talented services (19 TAC §89.1(2)). The assessment process allows for student exceptionalities to the extent possible.
2.20
All kindergarten students are automatically considered for gifted/talented and other advanced level services.
2.29
Student progress/performance in response to gifted/talented services is periodically assessed using standards in the areas served and identified in the written plan. Results are communicated to parents or guardians.
2.4
Families and staff are informed of individual student assessment results and placement decisions as well as given opportunities to schedule conferences to discuss assessment data.
Texas
§89.1 Student Assessment.
School districts shall develop written policies on student identification that are approved by the local board of trustees and disseminated to parents. The policies must:
(1) include provisions for ongoing screening and selection of students who perform or show potential for performing at remarkably high levels of accomplishment in the areas defined in the Texas Education Code, §29.121;
(2) include assessment measures collected from multiple sources according to each area defined in The Texas State Plan for the Education of Gifted/Talented Students;
(3) include data and procedures designed to ensure that students from all populations in the district have access to assessment and, if identified, services for the gifted/ talented program;
(4) provide for final selection of students to be made by a committee of at least three local district educators who have received training in the nature and needs of gifted students; and
(5) include provisions regarding furloughs, reassessment, exiting of students from program services, transfer students, and appeals of district decisions regarding program placement.
NEW: Klein ISD Board Policy Services for Gifted Learners
Referrals
Students may be referred for the gifted and talented program at
any time by teachers, counselors, parents, or other interested persons.
Screening and Identification Process
The District shall provide assessment opportunities to complete the screening and identification process for referred students at least once per school year.
The District shall schedule a gifted and talented program awareness session for parents that provides an overview of the assessment procedures and services for the program prior to beginning the screening and identification process.
Parental Consent
The District shall obtain written parental consent before any special testing or individual assessment is conducted as part of the screening and identification process. All student information collected during the screening and identification process shall be an
educational record, subject to the protections set out in policies at FL.
Identification Criteria
The Board-approved program for the gifted and talented shall establish criteria to identify gifted and talented students. The criteria shall be specific to the state definition of gifted and talented and shall ensure the fair assessment of students with special needs, such as the culturally different, the economically disadvantaged, and students with disabilities.
Assessments
Data collected through both objective and subjective assessments shall be measured against the criteria approved by the Board to determine individual eligibility for the program. Assessment tools may include, but are not limited to, the following: achievement tests, intelligence tests, creativity tests, behavioral checklists completed by teachers and parents, student/parent conferences, and available student work products.
Selection
A selection committee shall evaluate each referred student according to the established criteria and shall identify those students for whom placement in the gifted and talented program is the most appropriate educational setting. The committee shall be composed of at least three professional educators who have received training in the nature and needs of gifted students, as required by law.
Notification
The District shall provide written notification to parents of students who qualify for services through the District’s gifted and talented program. Participation in any program or services provided for gifted students shall be voluntary, and the District shall obtain written permission from the parents before placing a student in a gifted and talented program.
Reassessment
If the District reassesses students in the gifted and talented program, the reassessment shall be based on a student’s performance in response to services and shall occur no more than once in elementary grades, once in middle school grades, and once in high school grades.
Transfer Students-Interdistrict
When a student identified as gifted by a previous school district enrolls in the District, the selection committee shall review the student’s records and conduct assessment procedures when necessary to determine if placement in the District’s program for gifted and talented students is appropriate. [See FDD(LEGAL) for information regarding transfer students and the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunities for Military Children]
Transfer Students-Intradistrict
A student who transfers from one campus in the District to the same grade level at another District campus shall continue to receive services in the District’s gifted and talented program.
Furloughs
The District may place on a furlough any student who is unable to maintain satisfactory performance or whose educational needs are not being met within the structure of the gifted and talented program. A furlough may be initiated by the District, the parent, or the student.
In accordance with the Board-approved program, a furlough shall be granted for specified reasons and for a specified period of time. At the end of a furlough, the student may reenter the gifted and talented program, be placed on another furlough, or be exited from the program.
Exit Provisions
The District shall monitor student performance in response to gifted and talented program services. If at any time the selection committee or a parent determines it is in the best interest of the student to exit the program, the committee shall meet with the parent and student before finalizing an exit decision.
Appeals
A parent, student, or educator may appeal any final decision of the selection committee regarding selection for the gifted and talented program. Requests for appeals must be submitted in writing to the campus principal within ten school business days upon receipt of the selection decision. Appeals shall be made in the following sequence:
- Level One: Campus appeal to principal
- Level Two: District appeal to District gifted and talented committee
- Any subsequent appeals shall be made in accordance with FNG(LOCAL) beginning at Level Two
Program Evaluation
The District shall annually evaluate the effectiveness of the District’s gifted and talented program, and the results of the evaluation shall be used to modify and update the District and campus improvement plans. The District shall include parents in the evaluation process and shall share the information with Board members, administrators, teachers, counselors, students in the gifted and talented program, and the community.
The District’s gifted and talented program shall address effective use of funds for programs and services consistent with the standards in the state plan for gifted and talented students.
The District shall annually report to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) regarding funding used to implement the District’s gifted and talented program.
The District shall annually certify to TEA:
- The establishment of a gifted and talented program by the District; and
- That the District’s program is consistent with the state plan for gifted and talented students.
Community Awareness
The District shall ensure that information about the District’s gifted and talented program is available to parents and community members and that they have an opportunity to develop an understanding of and support for the program.
Klein ISD: GT Furlough and Exit Policies from Program Services
FURLOUGHS
The furlough designation and process was adopted by the Texas State Plan for the Education of Gifted and Talented as a means to address the unique social-emotional characteristics of the gifted. A furlough, or temporary "leave of absence," from receiving Gifted/Talented (G/T) services is designed to meet the individual needs of an identified student. Furloughs can be granted for a variety of extenuating circumstances such as: family problems, illness, social-emotional concerns, or anything that would inhibit a child’s performance while receiving G/T services. Furloughs will not be used as a disciplinary tool, scheduling concerns, or for instructional decisions such as opting out of an assignment.
Anyone may request a furlough: parent/guardian, student, teacher, or administrator. A furlough request form can be obtained from the counselor’s office at the campus where the identified child is receiving services.
If a student and/or parent requests a furlough from services, after submittal of the furlough form, the following process should be completed by the counselor:
Parent/Student furlough process initiated by contacting counselor
Counselor asks these questions of the student if the request is due to scheduling:
Tell me about how [ ------------] course will challenge you?
Tell me how this challenge is a problem.
What options have you considered?
What did you like and/or dislike about your solution?
Have you talked to your teachers and parent?
What might the teacher of the course do to assist you in this challenge?
If student/parent chooses to proceed with the furlough process, the counselor will contact the Advanced Academic campus coordinator for a face to face meeting with parents, teachers, administrator, and counselor.
EXITS
Exit from Program Services Request:
After the furlough period, if the student and their family no longer wish to continue program services, the exit form will be completed and the selection committee (Counselor, AP, AA Coordinator , and/or GT Advocate) meeting will be held to discuss the request to exit. A student does not have to furlough in order to exit program services. Re-entry to gifted and talented services will require re-testing.
Klein ISD Board Policy regarding furloughs and exits can be found here.