Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Ways to identify gifted students

Our district is looking for new ways to identify students district wide for gifted designation. We currently use the TCS testing. We test all grade 3 students in our district; but the district is finding this too costly and wants to experiment with other effective ways of identifying gifted learners for gifted programming. I want to still be able to identify all areas of giftedness including twice exceptional learners. What works in other districts? Other gifted educators with feedback of what they've used effectively?

Our district doesn't have a specific test to identify gifted. They use the NWEA's and they use teacher recommendations. If the scores warrant it or if a teacher can "feel it in her gut" the testing is done.

What's NWEA? ...and thank you for your response.

hi ....nwea is short for northwest educational assesment. they make an achievement test called the MAP which kids take once or twice a year to measure no child left behind. what makes this particular test so interesting is that the children take it at a computer which adjusts the questions to make them easier if the child gets the answers wrong and makes the questioons more advanced if the child gets correct answers. hope that helps. grinity

personally i thing that the identification instrument should match the potential interventions. a lot depends on your schools vision of what gifted education is for. if you gifted classes are about creative self expression then scoring 99% in math would find some kids and miss other. some of the identified kids might be quite miserable and feel inadaquate. If you are looking for candidates for a gradeskip then nothing beats giving end of fourth grade tests to kids at the end of third grade. So much depends on who you want to find. the cheapest alternative is to ask students teachers and parents which students they think need need harder work in order to learn how to learn best wishes grinity

Grinity, I would be afraid that would lead to a lot of kids not being identified, just because there isn't any sort of program that would fit them? I guess I am thinking of level of giftedness and you seem to be referring to areas of strength such as science or language.


I can't say this is the best way to id gifted kids, but it seems in theory, fairly even handed:
Our county has a rubric of at least 5 categories, and uses it for each area it is able to offer services in*, mainly math or verbal, but I think they can adapt the rubric to science, social studies or general ability as needed. *I guess that would be like what you suggest, Grinity!

If I recall it all correctly, is goes like this:
a. Testing, such as Cogat or other Aptitude testing/down to individualized iq or achievement testing if deemed warranted/requested by parent
b. Grades
c. Specific (teacher driven) assessment in Reading, or Math, probably based on more testing/assessment instruments like PALS.
d. Teacher / Parent input on whether child might be gifted, signs that student exhibits, etc. - parents get a lengthy questionnaire with various questions about ways a child likes to learn, books they are currently reading, etc.
e. Work samples either from school or outside of school

At 3rd grade or higher, they also gather input from the student themselves, questionnaire about what they want to learn, why they like learning, etc.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of schools identifying kids and then saying - Yes you are gifted (you have special eduational needs) but we have no intention of meeting your special educational needs. What's the point of that?

I just don't get it.

I agree with that, it's pretty illogical.
I forgot to add the last bit I know about this rubric. The child needs to be 2 grade levels above peers in a section (a-e) -or 2 stnd deviations above norm if it's a testing section.
They also need to be at least 1 grade levels above peers in two other sections.
I guess this gets pretty broad...

ok, so add a self nomination process where kids and parents can have a chance to say: Yes, in my opinion, this child's academic readiness level is above the current placement in this particular area. Then folks could have a trial period plus support, and a final decision. Wouldn't it be amazing to have a school committed to making all their resources availible to all their students in as full a way as possible?

((shrug))
Grinity

Our district uses referals as a basis to proceed with testing. A referal can be made by parent or teacher. After a referal has been made they give the child a brief IQ test, and based on the brief test results, and achievement results, They decide whether or not to do a full scale IQ test. The full scale score decides if you get placed in special programs.