Gifted & Talented

Vision & Definition of Gifted Children

The Vision of Gifted Services:

All gifted students will receive rigorous, culturally inclusive, evidenced-based academic and affective educational opportunities to develop their exceptionalities, leading fulfilling and productive lives.

Definition of the Gifted Student:

The Exceptional Children’s Educational Act (ECEA) and the Weld RE-5J School District define gifted children as:

Those persons between the ages of four and twenty-one whose aptitude or competence in abilities, talents, and potential for accomplishment in one or more domains are so exceptional or developmentally advanced that they require special provisions to meet their educational programming needs. Gifted children are hereafter referred to as gifted students. Children under give who are gifted may also be provided with early childhood special educational services. Gifted students include gifted students with disabilities (i.e. twice exceptional) and student with exceptional abilities or potential from all socio-economic, ethnic, and cultural populations. Gifted Students are capable of high performance, exceptional production, or exceptional learning behavior by virtue of any or a combination of these area of giftedness:

General or specific intellectual ability
Specific academic aptitude (reading, writing, math, science, social students, world languages)
Creative or productive thinking
Leadership abilities
Visual arts, performing arts, musical or psychomotor abilities

Identification

District procedures have been established to conform with state criteria and to follow a multiple assessment approach. This means that many sources of information are reviewed over a period of time before formally identifying a student as gifted in one or more areas. This evidence must include, at minimum, assessment results from multiple types of measures that demonstrate exceptional ability or potential when compared to peers of similar age, environment and experience. This might include qualitative data, quantitative data, cognitive ability, achievement data, performance, teacher input, parent input, and behavior scales.

Decisions are made collaboratively based on sound reasoning and data interpretation by the district gifted identification team that includes at least one person trained or endorsed in gifted identification and programming per Exceptional Children’s Educational Act rule. Outcomes could include, but are not limited to:

gifted identification
identify for talent pool/development
identify additional tools needed to collect more data
determine that the data does not support gifted identification at this time
determine a need for a Special Education evaluation in addition to a gifted identification (twice exceptional students)

Students who demonstrate certain markers, but do not meet the full criteria, will be monitored through the building talent pool system. They may receive intervention services and support as available, but will not be formally identified unless a robust body of evidence is established.

Portability

Portability means that a student’s identification in one or more categories of giftedness transfers to any district in Colorado. Gifted programming will continue according to the receiving district’s programming options. If the sending district chooses to identify students not using state criteria, the student’s identification is not portable. Weld RE-5J determines if the identification meets Colorado’s requirements. The transfer process may include secure electronic file transfers or mailing of the student’s record to the new district/school.

If the student moves out-of-state, the identification is not portable. If a student moves to Colorado with an identification from a previous state, Weld RE-5J makes a determination if the student’s body of evidence meets the criteria for a gifted determination in Colorado. Criteria for gifted identification varies from state to state.

Weld RE-5J acknowledges the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children. The Compact states:

As long as the program is offered by the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA, acting as the receiving Local Education Agency (LEA), it will honor placement of the child in educational programs based on current educational assessments and placement in like programs in the sending State. Such programs include, but are not limited to, gifted and talented programs and English language learners. The receiving State school may perform subsequent evaluations to ensure the child’s appropriate educational program placement. Continuing the child’s academic program from the previous school and promoting placement in academically and career challenging courses shall be a primary consideration when DoDEA considers the placement of a transferring child.

Universal Screening

Weld RE-5J administers the complete Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) to all second grade students in the fall of each school year and the CogAT screener to all sixth graders. Universal screening is the administration of an aptitude assessment in order to identify students with exceptional ability or potential. The screening, achievement data, and nominations yield a list of students, from which building GT Coaches will begin gathering a body of evidence. Readministering CogAT requires a two-year wait between testing in order to preserve the integrity of the testing instrument. It is the protocol of the Gifted Services Department that students are typically not administered a full battery of cognitive assessments more than twice during their academic career in the district. The CogAT measures learned reasoning skills, which are gained through experiences in and out of school, and which develop throughout a person’s lifetime.

These reasoning abilities are good predictors of a student’s potential to succeed in school. The CogAT does not measure factors such as effort, attention, motivation, and work habits, which also contribute to school achievement. The CogAT measures reasoning skills in three different areas: verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal.

Nomination/referral

Parents, teachers, counselors, community members and students are invited to submit the names of students they view as potentially gifted or talented using characteristic sheets available. They are asked to indicate what they believe to be the student’s particular strength area(s). Giftedness exists within all sub-groups of the population, and continuous attempts to refine the process in the Weld RE-5J School District will be made so that children identified as gifted reflect the diversity of the local community in terms of gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. The goal is for every parent and teacher to have opportunities to nominate students for GT services if they see the need.

Body of Evidence

Assessment means methods, tools, and data collected as a body of evidence (BOE) for use in identification and programming. While some of the data in a body of evidence will be used to meet the criteria for gifted identification, other data or information may be used to build a learner profile for the purpose of developing appropriate programming options defined in the Advanced Learning Plan (ALP). Criteria are the rules for evaluating a level of exceptionality for identification.

Using only one data point, even at the 95th percentile, is not sufficient to determine the need for gifted identification and does not meet ECEA rules. A robust body of evidence with at least one qualifying data point is required.

Weld RE-5J commonly uses the following assessments to support gifted identification.

The CDE has other approved assessments that may also be used.

• Achievement assessment: MAP, CMAS, ACCESS for Multilingual Learners

• Aptitude assessments: CogAT, KBIT, WISC for twice exceptional students

• Behavioral Observation Scales: SIGS School Rating Scales, SIGS Home Rating Scales

Body of Evidence for Specific Talent Aptitudes

In order to qualify as gifted in a content area or a talent area such as art, music, dance, psychomotor, creativity or leadership, a robust body of evidence will include an evaluation of performance. In the areas of specific talent aptitudes, qualifying scores follow the same as Specific Academic Aptitude or General Intellectual Ability, but rely heavily on performance assessment ratings. This can include juried performances, contests/competitions, portfolios and interviews. It’s important to note that students developing these areas may need years of talent development before a robust body of evidence can be collected to determine an identification

Exceptional Children’s Edcuation Act

The Exceptional Children’s Educational Act (ECEA) requires all administrative unites (AUs) in Colorado to identify and serve students between the ages of five and twenty-one, and age four in administrative until with Early Access, whose aptitude or competence in abilities, talents, and potential for accomplishment in one more domains are so exceptional or developmentally advanced that they require special provisions to meet their educational programming needs. ECEA Rules guide Weld RE-5J’s development of procedures and processes for identification assessment and making gifted determinations while still providing opportunities for local decision-making.

Development of advanced learning plans

The State of Colorado mandated that all identified gifted and talented (GT) students shall have an Advanced Learning Plan (ALP). These plans are to be reviewed and updated annually. Each plan consists of information about the whole child, at least one strength-based goal, an affective (social/emotional) goal, programming to be provided, and summary of recommendations. Plans are developed in conjunction with school personnel, the student, and family.

ALPs are written within 45 school days of a new identification.
Plans are 1-4 year plans with an annual review and update.
Teachers, parents, students, and support service providers are invited to participate and contribute to the student’s plan.
Plans are written and stored in Data Dashboard.
Copies are available to school personnel electronically and paper or electronic copies are sent home with students.

Programming

Qualitative and quantitative data is used to determine appropriate programming. Services for all identified students seek to ensure that they continue to make growth with their ability in their strength areas. Types of programming is written in the student’s Advanced Learning Plan and may include advanced and/or interdisciplinary classes, curriculum compacting in the regular classroom, and differentiated instructional techniques, or other targeted services. Services should also include affective (social/emotional) support services. Staff, parent, student and community all share responsibility for encouraging and supporting the student’s continued growth in the identified strength area(s).

The following list outlines some of the services that Weld RE-5J provides that supports gifted learners. This is not an all inclusive list.

Elementary

Targeted Instruction groups
Differentiation in Content, Process, Product or EnvironmentIndividualized learning
Opportunities to work with like minded peers
Curriculum compacting
Affective needs small group pull-out

Secondary

Embedded classroom support
Differentiation in Content, Process, Product or Environment
Acceleration
Individualized learning
Opportunities to work with like minded peers
Curriculum compacting
Counseling and Career counseling
Advanced Placement classes
Dual Enrollment classes
Aims and UNC classes
Mentorships
Career and Technical Education Pathways
Counseling and Career counseling

In addition to programming in school, there are a number of opportunities outside of the school day through clubs, activities and sports that also serve our gifted students.

Grade Acceleration

There are a relatively small number of students who are identified as gifted and talented that may benefit from whole grade acceleration. This must be a thoughtful and systematically planned out decision. Once a student has been referred, then an eligibility determination will be made by a team composed of the district gifted coordinator, principals), classroom teacher, family, and student. Weld RE-5J utilizes the lowa Acceleration Scale (IAS) to assist in this determination. The lAS considers school history, evaluation of student ability, aptitude and achievement, school and academic factors, developmental factors, interpersonal skills, attitude and support.
In order to make an informed decision, the following steps must be followed:
1. Family signs a permission to assess form.
2. Student is given any additional assessments needed to complete the lAS, ideally by the end of April of the current school year.
3. The building principals), gifted coordinator and teacher will hold a meeting to make a recommendation based on the lAS score and considerations.
4. An eligibility meeting will then be held with the gifted coordinator, principal(s), classroom teacher, family and student prior to the start of the next school year.
5. If an agreement can’t be made, then the district gifted procedure for disagreement will be followed

Parent, family and Student Resources

Parents can be the most effective advocates for their children’s education. Not sure where to begin? Start small with things like attending parent conferences, gifted family nights, giving input on your child’s ALP, volunteering and connecting with other parents of gifted children. Becoming involved with our school and district accountability committees is another way to advocate locally, but also joining state and national organizations can allow further influence and connections.
https://www.cde.state.co.us/gt
https://www.cde.state.co.us/gt/about
https://www.coloradogifted.org/
https://nagc.org
https://www.sengifted.org

Procedure for disagreement

1. the Weld RE-5J School District intends to resolve questions and concerns at the level in which they occurred. All questions and concerns regarding Gifted and Talented identification and services should be brought first to the Gifted and Talented coach at your child’s school. The Gifted and Talented coach will work with parents and students to resolve any questions, issues, or concerns by students or parents/guardians. New information and/or data may be introduced by the parents/guardians.

2. If the student and/or parents/guardians are not satisfied with the response by the district Gifted and Talented coach, they should then contact the Gifted and Talented Coordinator. Through collaboration with the student, parents/guardians, and Gifted and Talented coach, the Gifted and Talented Coordinator will resolve the questions, issues,or concerns.

3. If the student or parents/guardians are not satisfied with the resolution within the gifted services department, they may appeal in writing to the Executive Director of Student Services within 10 school days after receiving the gifted services department response. The Executive Director of Student Services will review the process and evidence and respond in writing to the student and/or parents/guardians within 10 school days of receiving the letter of appeal. The Executive Director of Student Services’s decision is final.

Empowering Gifted Minds

Gifted Personnel

Our district sent 15 educators to a state GT conference. They attended sessions to learn how to best meet the needs of our GT learners, and then they shared their learning with the teachers at their school.

Laura Sapinoro

District Gifted Coordinator and Instructional Specialist

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Elwell Elementary School

At Elwell Elementary School, we strive to provide challenging and enriching learning experiences within the classroom. Our unique open concept design lends itself to flexible grouping and clustering for content and projects. Teachers provide differentiated instruction to meet the needs of gifted learners based on their strengths and areas of growth. In addition, technology and adaptive programs help students achieve their goals. We teach the whole child, and work to meet the social and emotional needs of all students.

Sara Willard

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Milliken Elementary School

Gifted and talented children are those who show high potential or ability, whose learning characteristics and educational needs require differentiated educational experiences and/or services. At MES, students who possess these talents and gifts will be challenged to use their potential to develop these skills. This is evidenced through an interaction of high intellectual ability, task motivation, and creative ability. We work to differentiate for these students in their general education classroom. We also support the formally identified students through a weekly pull-out group.

Rachel Morris

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Pioneer Ridge Elementary

At Pioneer Elementary, our gifted students are challenged to reach beyond their capacity and achieve higher levels of thinking. Students receive differentiated learning opportunities within their classrooms, during Targeted Intervention and within one-time pull-out sessions. Our gifted students collaborate with peers in higher-level novel studies and learn advanced content on web-based curriculum platforms. Enrichment opportunities outside the classroom include after school Lego Mindstorm Club, Choir, Yearbook and a Sphero Enrichment session. Students often find leadership roles within Student Council or as a member of our Wellness SWAT team. Interact members at Roosevelt High School meet with our gifted students to provide them additional enrichment opportunities in small groups, and we give our gifted students opportunities to meet with each other via content-rich field trips. Click here for more information regarding GT at PRE.

Becca Reid

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Roosevelt Middle School

Our gifted and talented program identifies students based on a body of evidence that indicates high potential or level of abilities who may require differentiated educational experiences. At MMS, we strive to appropriately address the educational needs of gifted students through supportive classroom environments, appropriate interventions, and effective guidance. We offer a variety of electives and advanced courses that are also supported at the high school level like coding, FBLA, FFA, construction, and digital media.

Megan Curtis

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Chandler Lawrence

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Roosevelt High School

Roosevelt High School’s gifted and talented program ensures that its students’ learn and grow through educational provisions and advocacy. All students have an Advisory class with one of our GT coaches where students review their goals and academic path and work on their affective skills with other GT students. Each student’s academic path is unique, and our staff is committed to providing students with excellent academic and affective support in an effort to ensure our gifted and talented students reach their full potential and achieve their goals. Some of the common strategies used to meet the needs of our gifted students include: Choice Based Assessment/Assignments, Grouping (Individual or Collaborative), Varied Levels of Depth, Complexity, Pacing and Cognitive Skills, Individualized Pacing, Pre-testing, and Alternate ways to demonstrate mastery.

Deborah Gottner-Grant

Karen Buntinas

Luke Thomas