Student Identification:
Exploring Guiding Principle 1
1. A comprehensive and cohesive process for student nomination must be coordinated in order to determine eligibility for gifted education services.
The exclusive use of standardized tests and other objective measures is not sufficient for appropriate student identification. Multiple sources of information about students provide a more accurate assessment of abilities and needs.
A comprehensive process for student nomination helps to avoid the pitfall of eliminating potentially gifted students from consideration for services. The use of nominations from a variety of sources in the identification process can provide information about students' abilities that traditional testing procedures may overlook. Family members can also provide important information about a child's development and behaviors in a non-school setting. In addition to referrals from adults, research has shown that not only do students express the desire to nominate themselves and other students, but that there do not appear to be detrimental effects in doing so. Peer nominations have specific benefits in that students often have opportunities to observe behavior that does not occur in the classroom setting.
A cohesive nomination process ensures that nominations obtained from a variety of sources are based on common understandings about giftedness and student characteristics. Nominations are most relaiable and useful when potential nominators have received some training in the nature of giftedness and when they have been provided with specific behaviors or characteristics on which to base nomination. Coordinated nomination processes encourage and support nomination rather than inhibit and discourage nomination.
Standards and Sample Outcomes
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1.0 MINIMUM STANDARD
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1.0 EXEMPLARY STANDARD
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Information regarding the characteristics of gifted students in areas served by the district must be annually disseminated to all appropriate staff members.
- All appropriate staff members (i.e., teachers, counselors, administrators) annually receive information regarding student nomination procedures, characteristics of gifted students, and gifted education services. Information regarding the characteristics and behaviors associated with giftedness includes specific examples that will enable informed nominations.
- Staff who work in specialized programming service areas such as special education, should be provided information about gifted learners they might encounter such as students with dual exceptionalities.
- Dissemination strategies include staff development activities as well as written materials.
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The school district should provide information annually, in a variety of languages, regarding the process for nominating students for gifted education programming services.
- Information about student nomination procedures, characteristics of gifted students, and gifted education services is provided annually to a wide audience, including families, community members, students, and all school staff.
- This information is available to families and the community in the languages in which they are most fluent and through modes of communication readily available to the audience (e.g., brochures, take-home materials, website information, library access).
- Information is provided to other instructors in the community such as dance and music teachers, and is free of educational jargon and clearly explains how to nominate a student.
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1.1 MINIMUM STANDARD
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1.1 EXEMPLARY STANDARD
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All students must comprise the initial screening pool of potential recipients of gifted education services.
- Nominations are solicited in such a way as to facilitate access for all students.
- Students are not excluded from potential nomination because of test scores, school performance, special education placement, or other criteria.
- The pool for gifted learners in the visual and performing arts extends beyond students enrolled in courses in this area.
- Special populations of gifted learners are screened, such as students with dual exceptionalities or students who are underachieving.
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The nomination process should be ongoing and screening of any student should occur at any time.
- The pool of students who may be nominated includes all students.
- Once nominated, students are screened within a reasonable time period rather than waiting for a specified, scheduled time within the school year.
- Because emerging talent in the visual and performing arts is related to developmental levels and ages, the nomination process in this area must be open.
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1.2 MINIMUM STANDARD
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1.2 EXEMPLARY STANDARD
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Nominations for services must be accepted from any source (e.g., teachers, parents, community members, peers, etc.).
- Specific procedures are in place for soliciting and accepting nominations for services from multiple sources.
- Information about nomination procedures is widely distributed and easily accessible to non-school as well as school sources.
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Nomination procedures and forms should be available in a variety of languages.
- All written materials regarding nomination (i.e., procedures, forms, characteristics information) are available in the language in which the parent, student, or community member is most fluent and through modes of communication that are readily accessible by the audience.
- Informational meetings, workshops, or seminars for parents about the nomination process involve interpreters as necessary or are transcribed into the appropriate languages.
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1.3 MINIMUM STANDARD
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1.3 EXEMPLARY STANDARD
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Parents must be provided with information regarding an understanding of giftedness and student characteristics.
- Nomination forms include information about giftedness and characteristics of gifted students.
- Additional information about giftedness and characteristics of gifted students is available to parents upon request.
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Parents should be provided with special workshops or seminars to get a full meaning of giftedness.
- Informational meetings, workshops, or seminars about the nature of giftedness are open to all parents.
- Comprehensive examples are provided of how giftedness may manifest itself differently in various cultures and in non-school settings.
- Training opportunities occur throughout the school year and in a variety of settings to encourage attendance and participation.
- School libraries contain materials specifically for parents related to giftedness.
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