This document discusses the identification process for gifted and highly able learners. It outlines the goals of gifted education programs and the purpose of formal identification. It describes the elementary identification process, including screening options, talent pools, and core groups. It provides details on achievement tests, ability tests, and aptitude tests. It also outlines secondary identification services, including high performance classes and advanced offering classes.

1. Using Multiple Data Points to Identify
Gifted and Highly Able Learners
August 5, 2010
Assessment Conference

2. Gifted Education Goals
 Identify academically talented students
 Develop creative, cognitive and productive thinking
skills
 Develop ‘How to Learn Skills’
 Research skills
 Communication skills: written, oral, visual
 Support classroom teachers in providing appropriate
challenge
 Encourage academic excellence

3. Formal Identification Purpose:Formal Identification Purpose:
 To ensure that academically advanced students are not
overlooked
 No one is ever excluded from participating in
opportunities due to identification status
 Identified groups determine order of opportunity
offerings

4. Test Terminology Information
Percentile: a value on a scale of one hundred that
indicates whether a distribution is above or
below it (i.e. 99th
percentile? Your student
scored higher than 99 out of 100 students
taking the test)
 96-99 percentile = 9th
Stanine
 89-95 percentile = 8th
Stanine
 77-88 percentile= 7th
Stanine

5. Elementary Identification Process
 Spring results are applied to fall placement
 Screening Options:
 Pathway 1: SAGES-2: Screening Assessment for
Gifted Elementary and Middle School Students,
Second Edition (WE DO NOT RECOMMEND TESTING TWO YEARS IN A
ROW)
 Alternative Pathways: ITBS/MAP data, Individual
Profile (Full Scale IQ score from a licensed
psychologist)

6. Elementary Identification Process
Talent Pool (typically <10%)-Talent Pool (typically <10%)-
--SAGES-2
Math/Science subtest and Language/Social Studies in the 8th
or 9th
Stanine
& Reasoning Subtest in the 7th
Stanine or higher
--Achievement Test Scores (ITBS)
 Both total math & total reading in 8th
or 9th
Stanine
--Individual Profile (Private IQ testing)
 Full Scale score of 120-129

7. Elementary Levels of Identification
 Core Group (typically <5%)- affective unit beginning and
end of year, choose seminars first (identified until end of
5th grade)
 Talent Pool (typically up to 10%)- teachers asked to
consider first when openings to seminars exist
(identified until end of 5th--must retest for placement
into the Core Group)
 General Population- Selected by teaching staff when
openings to enrichment opportunities exist

8. “9-9” Core Group
 Core Group (typically <5%)- affective unit beginning and
end of year, choose seminars first (identified until end of
5th grade)
 SAGES-2
 Math/Science Subtest and Language/Social Studies Subtest in the 9th
Stanine & Reasoning Subtest in the 7th
Stanine or higher
 Achievement Test Scores (ITBS)
 Both total math & total reading in 9th
Stanine
 Individual Profile (Private IQ testing
 Full Scale score of 130 and above

9. “8-9” Talent Pool
Talent Pool (typically up to 10%)- teachers asked to
consider first when openings to seminars exist
(identified until end of 5th--must retest for placement
into the Core Group)
 SAGES-2
 Math/Science subtest and Language/Social Studies in the 8th
or 9th
Stanine & Reasoning Subtest in the 7th
Stanine or higher
 Achievement Test Scores MAP
 Both total math & total reading in 8th
or 9th
Stanine
 Individual Profile (Private IQ testing)
 Full Scale score of 120-129

10. General Population
 General Population- Selected by teaching staff when
openings to enrichment opportunities exist
 Becomes a key group in secondary programming

11. Elementary Services
:
•Pullout group every two weeks
•Lunch-Bunch (Social Emotional)
•Continental Math League
•Junior Great Books
•Knowledge Bowl
•Math Masters….
•Etc.

12. Secondary Services
:
High Performance Classes:
• Four Core Classes
• English
• Math
• Science
• Social Studies
• Grade 6-10
• Open Application Process

13. Secondary Services
:
High Performance Classes:
Data used on application:
• Application question answers
• Attendance
• Grades
• MAP data, longitudinal (Student
Progress Report)
• Teacher Recommendation
• Student interview if needed

14. Secondary Services
:
High Performance Classes:
Data used on application:
• Application question answers
• Attendance
• Grades
• MAP data, longitudinal (Student
Progress Report)
• Teacher Recommendation
• Student interview if needed

15. Secondary Services
:
High Performance Classes:
Data used on application:
• Application question answers
• Attendance
• Grades
• MAP data, longitudinal (Student
Progress Report)
• Teacher Recommendation
• Student interview if needed

16. Secondary Services
:
High Performance Classes:
Data used on application:
• Application question answers
• Attendance
• Grades
• MAP data, longitudinal (Student
Progress Report)
• Teacher Recommendation
• Student interview if needed

17. :

18. :

19. Secondary Services
:
Advanced Offering Classes:
• AP Classes
• CIC courses
• PSEO
• Self select

20. The “A’s” Have It!!!!
:
Test Types:
•Ability
•Aptitude
•Achievement

21. AbilityTests:
Ability tests evaluate:
 Student’s general ability to succeed
in a school setting
 Tests referred to as intelligence, or
IQ tests

22. • Cognitive Abilities Test
• WISC-IV
• Woodcock-Johnson Cognitive Ability Scale
Ability (IQ)Tests

23. AptitudeTests:
Aptitude tests indicate:
 Student’s potential to learn new
material in a specific subject, typically
which has not been taught in the school
setting (ie. 8th
grade science content—
test taken by a 5th
grader), in a specific
content area.ç

24. • EXPLORE
• ACT
• CAT
• PLUS
• ITBS
• MAP Testing--- using out of grade level norms**
Aptitude

25. AchievementTests:
Achievement tests represent:
 The degree to which a student has
learned specific subject matter
content.
 Provide a comparison to grade level
peers, if norm referenced.

26. AchievementTests:
Individually Administered
• Stanford Diagnostic Mathematics
• Stanford Diagnostic Reading
• Woodcock Johnson III- Achievement
• Other
Group Administered
• California
• ITBS
• MAP- Measure of Academic Progress,
Northwest Evaluation Association

27. • Assouline et al., Iowa Acceleration Scale, 2nd
Edition
Manual, A Guide for Whole-Grade Acceleration K-8,
Great Potential Press, 2003
• Colengelo et al, A Nation Deceived: How Schools
Hold Back America’s Brightest, The Connie Belin &
Jacqueline N. Blank Int’l Center for Gifted Education
and Talent Development, 2004
References:

28. 
Kris Happe