Gifted Education

I. Goal: To provide training for all staff on the procedures for referring and identifying students for gifted services.
 

• Develop training and assemble handouts to include forms, procedures, etc.
• Schedule training annually to update procedures and inform new staff.
• Implement training.
• Maintain documentation of training provided.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of training.

II. Goal: To continue working towards racial equity in the gifted program.
 

• Provide yearly in-service for all elementary and middle school faculties concerning the issues associated with identifying underrepresented groups.
• Utilize appropriate assessments to make screening/eligibility decisions.
• Strive to allocate gifted teachers for schools with high numbers of minority or low socio-economic students to conduct child-find activities and implement enrichment programs to nurture gifted potential.

III. Goal: To continue conducting Child Find Activities

• Implement mandatory Second Grade Child Find Activity.
• Review SAT or other group aptitude test scores and refer any students who have high aptitude or achievement scores.
• Provide public notice in the handbook or Code of Conduct.
• Schedule gifted teachers into second-grade classrooms to conduct lessons that yield gifted behaviors and products.
• Provide yearly staff development for general education teachers concerning the referral process.

IV. Goal: To ensure that there are comparable services throughout the system.

• Communicate with principals and check teachers’ schedules to make sure that students in the same grade level across the system are receiving the same number of hours of service.
• Allocate gifted teachers equitably taking into consideration caseloads and number of schools served.
• Strive to find classroom space for each gifted teacher that is comparable to other programs.

V. Goal: To work towards a true continuum of services for high-end learners.

• Provide pullout services for grades 3-5 or 3-6.
• Provide consultation services for grades K-2.
• Provide advanced courses for grades 6 or 7-12.
• Consult, as time will allow, with general education teachers across grade levels concerning meeting the needs of high-end learners in the general education classroom.

VI. Goal: To provide a curriculum for gifted learners that is concept and problem-based.

• Support gifted teachers in attending professional development in the areas of concept and problem-based learning.
• Support gifted teachers in meeting with other gifted specialists to work on units of study.

VII. Goal: To maintain program evaluation procedures that direct program improvement.

• Use multiple data sources and methods.
• Disseminate evaluation information annually.
• Use information for program development, improvement, and expansion.

VIII. Goal: To develop school and community awareness of the needs of gifted students in Baldwin County Public Schools.

• Continue regular meetings with local school Gifted Education Parent Advisory Committees.
• Schedule annual meetings for the Gifted Education District Parents’ Advisory Committee.
• Offer a range of networking opportunities and training to parents of gifted students at both the local and district level each year.

Gifted students are those who perform at or who have demonstrated the potential to perform at high levels in academic or creative fields when compared to others of their age, experience, or environment. These students require services not ordinarily provided by the regular school program. Students possessing these abilities can be found in all populations, across all economic strata, and in all areas of human endeavor.

Teachers, counselors, administrators, parents or guardians, peers, self, or any other individuals with knowledge of the student’s abilities may refer a student. Additionally, all second-grade students will be observed as potential gifted referrals using a gifted behavior checklist, a screener assessment, and classroom activities.

For each student referred, information is gathered in the areas of Aptitude, Characteristics, and Performance. The information is entered into a matrix where points are assigned according to established criteria. The total number of points earned determines if the student qualifies for gifted services.

To make a referral:

Tell your child’s teacher or the school’s Gifted Education Program teacher you would like to refer your child for the Gifted Education Program.
The Gifted Education Program Teacher will then begin the referral process by sending a Notification and Consent for Gifted Screening home for you to sign. This gives permission for the school system to look at previous test results and achievement information. It also allows the system to administer achievement tests, vision, and hearing screening, and ask the classroom teacher/s to complete an evaluation of gifted characteristics observed in the regular classroom.

Next, a committee at the local school will review all data and determine if there is enough information to continue with the referral. The referral is then sent to Loxley Satellite Office for processing.
If screening scores are at the appropriate level the referral will continue. If screening scores are not at the appropriate level, a letter will be sent to parents.

After testing is completed, parents will receive information on the results and eligibility requirements for the program. For more information on gifted referral procedures and eligibility requirements, please contact Dawn Frenette, Special Services Coordinator at this link.