When are students formally identified for gifted services?

Students may be formally identified in the fourth grade. Students who show evidence of giftedness any time during the school year or subsequent grade levels may also be considered. The district shall provide a system for continual diagnostic screening.

If a child is identified as gifted in general intellectual intelligence, does it mean he/she is gifted in all areas of giftedness?

No. General intellectual intelligence is one area of possible giftedness. There are five categories of giftedness recognized in Kentucky through regulation. A student identified in one area does not directly indicate identification in another. Students may be identified in one area or several.

What tests are recommended to identify giftedness?

KDE has not made any formal recommendations of any specific tests for any specific area. Presently districts have a choice as long as it follows the GT regulation criteria. Currently Crittenden County uses nationally normed-referenced tests from Scholastic Testing Services tests for specific academic aptitudes, as well as the STAR test given thrice a year. The Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test (KBIT2) is used for general intellectual intelligence. The CogAT is used as a universal screener. The Roets rating scale is used for Leadership and the Williams/Torrance test is used for Creativity.

What is a GSSP (Gifted Student Services Plan)?

A GSSP is an educational plan that matches a formally identified gifted student’s interests, needs, and abilities to differentiated service options and serves as the communication vehicle between the parent/guardian and school personnel.

What is the Primary Talent Pool?

The Primary Talent Pool is a group of primary students (First through Third Grade) informally selected as having characteristics and behaviors of a high potential learner and further diagnosed using a series of informal and formal measures to determine differentiated services during the primary program. The Primary Talent Pool may contain the top 20-25% of a given grade level.

When students become eligible for formal identification in the fourth grade, are PTP students automatically identified as GT?

No, PTP students are not automatically identified as GT once they reach the fourth grade. Specific and more stringent criteria must be met to formally identify a GT student.

What percentage of primary students is recommended to be selected for PTP?

According to 704 KAR 3:285, “high potential learners” are students who typically represent the top quartile (25%) of the entire student population in terms of the degree of demonstrated gifted characteristics and behaviors.

According to 704 KAR 3:285 Programs for Gifted and Talented, what is differentiation?

Differentiation is a method through which educators establish a specific, well thought-out match between learner characteristics in terms of abilities, interests, and needs; and curriculum opportunities in terms of enrichment and acceleration, which maximize learning experiences. Differentiated service options are educational experiences that extend, replace or supplement learning beyond the standard curriculum.

Is it good practice to allow a GT child to tutor another child?

If a GT child has mastered a concept or skill, and is partnered with a struggling student, the GT student will NOT learn anything more by tutoring. However, leadership or other skills may be enhanced but not the mastered concept or skill.