Screening and Evaluation Process

 

Universal Gifted Screening/Child Find Process 

3rd Grade

 

Phase I

The Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) scores will be reviewed by the District.  Students will be referred to Phase II if they meet one of the following criteria:

• MAP scores fall within the top 5% of District grade level scores in Reading.  

• MAP scores fall within the top 5% of District grade level in Math.

• MAP scores fall within the top 10% of District in both Reading & Math.  

 

Phase II

Building principals will send communication home to families of children who come through Phase I of the gifted screening to obtain written parent permission for students to take the group administered targeted screening assessment. Once parent permission is received, school staff will administer the assessment to the appropriate 3rd grade students. Families will be notified of their child’s scores on the screening assessment. 

Students entering the district after the initial screening will be reviewed and referred for evaluation by the internal data teams and/or parent request. It is important to note that school teams review data and make internal recommendations for students outside of grade 3 throughout the year. Additionally, parents are encouraged to connect with their school team if they suspect their child may be in need of gifted support services.

 

Phase III

The gifted multidisciplinary evaluation is the third phase of gifted child find process. Families of students who are being recommended for a gifted evaluation will receive the following:

• A cover letter 

• A permission to evaluate parent consent form

• A copy of the procedural safeguards 

• A parent input form

• Parent rating scales (SIGS)

Once a copy of the signed gifted parent consent form has been received by the District, a comprehensive gifted evaluation will be completed within 60 calendar days.

Request for a Multidisciplinary Gifted Evaluation

 

A referral for a gifted multidisciplinary evaluation shall be made when the student is suspected by teachers or parents of being mentally gifted and not receiving an appropriate education under chapter 4 (relating to academic standards and assessment) and one or more of the following apply:

(1)A request for evaluation has been made by the student’s parents.

(2)The student is thought to be gifted because the school district’s screening of the student indicates high potential consistent with the definition of mentally gifted or a performance level which exceeds that of other students in the regular classroom.

(3)A hearing officer or judicial decision orders a gifted multidisciplinary evaluation.

Parent Referral

 

Parents who suspect that their child is gifted may request a gifted multidisciplinary evaluation of their child at any time, with a limit of one request per school term. The request can be made orally or in writing to any district personnel, but it is recommended by the MTLSD that the request be made directly to the student’s respective building principal. The school district shall then make the permission to evaluate form readily available for a parent to consider.

 

Teacher Referral

Teachers who would like to refer a student for a gifted multidisciplinary evaluation, given a student’s performance within the classroom and the potential need for specially designed instruction, will complete the following:

-Teacher Nomination/Data Collection Form (Ch 16-604T)

-Scales for Identifying Gifted Students (SIGS)

The respective gifted coordinator will pass along the completed SIGS to the assigned building school psychologist, while reviewing available student data:

-Completed Teacher Nomination/Data Collection Form (Ch 16-604T)

-Scored - Scales for Identifying Gifted Students (SIGS)

-Student Grades

-Available local/State testing data (i.e. PSSA, Keystone Assessments, Measure of Academic Progress data)

If the data supports a district initiated gifted referral for a student, the district administrator will contact the parent(s) while completing and sending home a permission to evaluate consent form to be considered.

Once the district has received a signed permission to evaluate consent form from a parent or guardian, a student multidisciplinary evaluation will be completed by the gifted multidisciplinary team (GMDT). The GMDT will be formed on the basis of the student’s needs and shall be comprised of the following team members:

-The student’s parent(s) or guardian

-A certified school psychologist

-Persons familiar with the student’s educational experience and performance

-One or more of the student’s current teachers

-Persons trained in the appropriate evaluation techniques

-When possible, persons familiar with the student’s cultural background

-*A single member of the GMDT may meet two or more of the above roles

The GMDT shall prepare a written report that brings together the information and findings from the evaluation or reevaluation concerning the student’s educational needs and strengths. The report must make recommendations as to whether the student is gifted and in need of specially designed instruction, indicate the basis for those recommendations, include recommendations for the student’s programming and indicate the names and positions of the members of the GMDT.

The initial evaluation shall be completed and copy of the evaluation report be presented to the parents no later than 60 calendar days after the district received written parent consent for the evaluation to be completed, except that the calendar days from the day after the last day of the spring school term up to and including the day before the first day of the subsequent fall school term may not be counted.

If it is determined by the GMDT that a student meets the criteria of being mentally gifted while demonstrating the need for specially designed instruction, a gifted individualized education plan (GIEP) will be developed within 30 calendar days after the issuance of a GMDT’s written report.