Gifted Education

There are six steps in the gifted identification process.

STEP 1: REFERRAL

Type One-Mass Screening

Meridian Public School District will screen all students at the end of 1st grade and at the beginning of 3rd grade. Students who score at or above the 90th percentile  on the mass screening referral shall move forward in the process.  Students who score between the 85th and 89th percentile shall be subjected to an Emerging Potential for Gifted Referral Checklist.  If the students meet the criteria on this checklist, they shall move forward in the referral process.

Type Two- Individual Referral

A student may be referred by a parent, teacher, counselor, administrator, peer, self, or anyone else who has reason to believe a student might be intellectually gifted.  District personnel shall collect the data required to satisfy the referral criteria for the Intellectually Gifted program.

The child must satisfy 3 of the following measures in order to move to the next stage of assessment:

• A score at or above the 90th percentile on a group measure of intelligence that has been administered within the past twelve months.
• A score at or above the superior range on a normed published characteristics of giftedness checklist
• A score at or above the superior range on a normed published measure of creativity
• A score at or above the superior range on a normed published measure of leadership
• A score at or above the 90th percentile on any of the total reading, total math, total language, total science, total social students or the composite score on a normed achievement test.
• A score at or above the 90th percentile on a normed measure of cognitive ability
• A score at or above the 90th percentile on an existing measure of individual intelligence that has been administered within the past twelve months.
• Other measures that are documented in the research on identification of intellectually gifted students

STEP 2: LSC REVIEW OF REFERRAL DATA

The local survey committee (LSC)* reviews referral data and makes the following recommendation:

• The student satisfies minimal criteria on at least three measures and should move forward to the assessment stage.
• Student does not satisfy minimal criteria on at least three measures but LSC feels strongly that additional data should be collected and the student reconsidered.
• Student does not satisfy minimal criteria on at least three measures and identification process stops.

STEP 3: OBTAINING PARENTAL PERMISSION FOR TESTING

District personnel shall obtain written parental permission for testing. Parents are notified in writing of their rights under the Family Education and Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

STEP 4: ASSESSMENT

Once the LSC has determined that a student has satisfied minimal criteria on three measures from the referral stage, the student shall move forward to the assessment stage which includes the individual test of intelligence.

District personnel shall review and compile all data available on the student.  This data shall also be made available to the licensed examiner.  The assessment stage is the individual test of intelligence, which shall be administered by a licensed examiner.  The examiner shall review all available data on the students and use that information to select the most appropriate test of intelligence.  Standard operating procedures should be followed during the selection and administration of all assessments as reflected in the examiner’s manuals.

STEP 5: ASSESSMENT REPORT

The examiner shall provide a signed and dated report of the test administration to include testing conditions, scores on all subtests, and the strengths and weaknesses of the students.  

A student must score at or above the 91st percentile composite/full scale or the 91st percentile on approved subtests (as per publisher) to satisfy eligibility criteria.

STEP 6: LSC ELIGIBILITY DETERMINATION:

Once the Assessment Report is finalized, the LSC shall meet to review all data and determine if eligibility criteria has or has not been satisfied.  The LSC shall rule that the student is or is not eligible for the intellectually gifted program.

District personnel shall notify in writing the parents of each student tested for the intellectually gifted program about the assessment results.  District personnel shall offer to explain any of the results about which the parents have questions.  District personnel shall also notify parents in writing about their rights under the FERPA.

Once a student is ruled eligible for placement in the gifted program, the parent has the right to agree to placement or withhold placement of the child in the program. Written parental permission must be obtained before the child can be placed in the program.

RE-REFERRAL AND RE-ASSESSMENT FOR EXPLORE:

If a student does not qualify for EXPLORE as a result of the first assessment, he/she may be referred again after the completion of one full calendar year from testing.

As stated in the Gifted Education policy for MPSD, other than 1st and 3rd-grade screenings, students are limited to two additional opportunities to be tested for the EXPLORE Program in grades 2 through 6.