Special Education » Gifted

Gifted

GIFTED (Policy 114/114AG)

The Armstrong School District implements a system to identify students within the district who are thought to be gifted and in need of specifically designed instruction. Each school routinely reviews data such as cumulative records, enrollment records, report cards, work samples and achievement test scores. The District’s multi-criteria gifted screening process is designed to identify potentially gifted students who may need further evaluation because they show evidence of one or more of the following:
  1. Performance or expertise in one or more subject areas
  2. Intense academic interest in one or more subject areas
  3. High rate of acquisition and retention of new information
  4. Scores that are a year or more above grade level in one or more academic areas
  5. Early and measured use of high level thinking skills
  6. Academic creativity
  7. Appropriate leadership skills
  8. Effective communication skills
  9. Foreign language aptitude
  10. Technology expertise
When conducting screening for gifted learners, the school team must consider intervening factors that may mask gifted ability.

The Gifted Multidisciplinary Evaluation (GMDE) will begin with parental permission when further evaluation is needed. This process involves a certified school psychologist who gathers additional information that will be used to determine if the child qualifies for gifted education. If so, the types of services and programming based on the child’s individual needs will be established by the Gifted Individualized Education Plan (GIEP) team. Gifted programming shall be in the form of enrichment and/or acceleration.
For more information, contact: Pennsylvania Association for Gifted Education (PAGE)
P.O. Box 15350
Pittsburgh, PA 15237
www.giftedPAGE.org
1-888-736-644