Definition & Testing Information
What is "Gifted"? And how do I have my child tested for the program?
What is "Gifted"?
There are many different, often conflicting, definitions of gifted. The Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented notes "it is crucial to emphasize that being identified as gifted and talented is not a badge of honor, not a reason for bragging, nor a reward for good behavior. It is an educational diagnosis. And once diagnosed, the definition is essential in designing the services that permit G/T students to be appropriately challenged."
The chart below was designed to help parents and teachers think about if a child is more likely to be a gifted learner or a high achiever:
The links here are from the Texas Education Agency, defining Gifted and presenting the state plan for gifted education. The current state plan was last updated in April, 2019.
- TEA Gifted/Talented Education in Texas
- 2019 New Texas State Plan for Education of GT Students
- 2019 New Texas State Plan for Education of GT Students (Spanish version)
How do I get my child tested for the Gifted Program?
Parents, teachers, and community members may refer students in grades K-12 for testing for identification for services in the Gifted Program during early Fall of each school year. Parents can request a referral form from the front office of each campus or by contacting their child's teacher. Parents will need to sign the parent permission for testing, as well as complete the parent observation checklist as part of the referral packet.
Assessment and Identification for the Gifted Program
All 2nd grade students are given a screening test in the Fall and are referred for further testing into the program if they qualify. Students in second grade may also be assessed at parent or teacher request, regardless of this initial screening test score. In addition, all Kindergarten students are considered for identification testing, but parents may also request that their child be referred for full testing.
Per state guidelines, students are assessed with a minimum of three criteria in a combination of qualitative and quantitative instruments. They may include nationally normed school abilities tests, nationally standardized normed achievement tests, and Teacher and Parent Rating Scales. These assessments are collected to create a student profile to identify the student's strengths and weaknesses. A student clearly qualifies for Gifted services if the majority of the evidence on the profile falls within the High and/or Superior ranges on the profile.
All 2nd grade students are given a screening test in the Fall and are referred for further testing into the program if they qualify. Students in second grade may also be assessed at parent or teacher request, regardless of this initial screening test score. In addition, all Kindergarten students are considered for identification testing, but parents may also request that their child be referred for full testing.
Per state guidelines, students are assessed with a minimum of three criteria in a combination of qualitative and quantitative instruments. They may include nationally normed school abilities tests, nationally standardized normed achievement tests, and Teacher and Parent Rating Scales. These assessments are collected to create a student profile to identify the student's strengths and weaknesses. A student clearly qualifies for Gifted services if the majority of the evidence on the profile falls within the High and/or Superior ranges on the profile.
How does the testing work?
When a student is referred for testing, they are given three assessments: one is a non-verbal ability test to determine the student's ability to see patterns and make connections, one is a standardized math test, and one is a standardized reading test. Scores for each of these assessments are rated as a National Percentile Rank (referred to as NPR or %-tile), which compares scores among all students of that age/grade throughout the United States. It is NOT the percent of questions answered correctly. For example, a NPR rank of 85 means that the student scored higher than 85% of students in that age/grade who have taken that test. To qualify for the program, the majority of scores are usually in the range of 92 NPR (%-tile) or higher - meaning that the scores are higher than 92% of students across the country. In addition to the standardized tests, observation surveys are filled out by parents and teachers to describe characteristics of the student in question, compared with other children of that age. All scores are entered into a scoring rubric, and the campus Gifted Committee makes the qualifying decisions based on those scores.