North Carolina AIG Program Standards
Standard 1: Student Identification
The LEA’s student identification procedures for AIG are clear, equitable, and comprehensive and lead towards appropriate educational services.
AIG New Hanover County Schools' Gifted Education Plan has been rewritten and was approved by the NHC School Board and NC Department of Public Instruction. Please visit our county AIG webpage for the new Gifted Education Plan.
Click here to visit the New Hanover County Schools AIG Parent Wiki.
Each year students in grade three are nominated for participation in the AIG Program. At Bellamy Elementary School, we begin the process of nomination and identification of students by collecting data and work samples. Gifted learners express their talents and abilities in a variety of ways. In order to qualify for AIG, students must meet four out of the following five criteria. At least one must be a qualifying test score.
Our AIG Match Team is a group of professionals who meet throughout the school year to review data on students and determine if placement in AIG is appropriate. The Gifted Education Specialist, an administrator, and grade-level teachers participate in scheduled AIG Match Team meetings during the year, and as required at other times.
The AIG Match Team decides if additional data is required. It may also recommend testing IF NOMINEES DEMONSTRATE AT LEAST TWO OF THE FIRST THREE CRITERIA: Student Performance, Observable Characteristics, and Internet/Motivation.
Students may be tested using the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) which is an approved aptitude examination and/or the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) which is an approved achievement examination.
The State of North Carolina Supports AIG!
Article 9B. Academically or Intellectually Gifted Students.
§ 115C-150.5. Academically or intellectually gifted students.
The General Assembly believes the public schools should challenge all students to aim for academic excellence and that academically or intellectually gifted students perform or show the potential to perform at substantially high levels of accomplishment when compared with others of their age, experience, or environment. Academically or intellectually gifted students exhibit high performance capability in intellectual areas, specific academic fields, or in both intellectual areas and specific academic fields. Academically or intellectually gifted students require differentiated educational services beyond those ordinarily provided by the regular educational program. Outstanding abilities are present in students from all cultural groups, across all economic strata, and in all areas of human endeavor. (1996, 2nd Ex. Sess., c. 18, s. 18.24(f).)
New Hanover County Supports AIG!
Students in New Hanover County are formally identified in AIG in the third grade. Parents, educators, and students may submit nominations during the nomination window. Parents should speak to their child's teachers about nomination.
Bellamy Nomination-Match Team-Testing Timeline
The AIG Match Team is comprised of third, fourth, and fifth grade teachers, 1-2 Grade Level Representatives, the Gifted Education Specialist, Administrator(s), School Counselor, and Itinerant Specialists. The final meeting of the year is held in June.
The AIG Match Team reviews AIG nominations and determines if additional testing is required. It also meets to review AIG placement and services.
2017-18 Timeline
AIG Parent Information Meeting: Tuesday, September 12, 2017,
5-6pm before the PTA meeting at 6:30pm.
3rd Grade Nominations:
Sept. - Oct. - AIG Nomination Requests/Observations
Oct. - Nov. - Work samples/whole class analogies
Fall Testing - Third Grade Screener (CogAT): Nov. 15 -17th
AIG Match Team: Jan. 8 - 12 meetings to review/determine further testing
Third Grade ITBS: Jan. 22- 26, 2018
AIG Match Team: Feb 2018 meeting to review data/"match"qualifying potentials
AIG Match Team: Feb 2018 meeting to review CogAt/ITBS requests.
Spring Testing - March 5 - 12, 2018
Below is a copy of the State of North Carolina's AIG Standards. Many parents and students are not familiar with recent local and state-wide changes to the gifted education program. One place to start is with Standard #2 Differentiated Curriculum and Instruction. The objectives listed under Standard #2 may help you understand what AIG looks like and how Gifted Education Specialists, AIG teachers, and content (classroom) teachers are meant to serve gifted learners.
I work with identified 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade AIG students each week. Students spend most of their school day in the regular classroom and their content (classroom) teachers provide appropriate lessons, differentiated curriculum and materials, and support. This is what we call differentiation for the gifted learner. As the Gifted Education Specialist, I assist classroom teachers with resources and materials.
During "Flextime" when students are NOT taking content classes, significantly gifted students may be selected to work with me in an enrichment environment. This means we work on different activities, units, lessons, and projects than students see in their content classrooms using different materials, resources, and curriculum than the content teachers use. In fact, AIG Enrichment looks very different from what students are doing in the regular classrooms. Please open the pdf and read the AIG Standards for more information on the variety of ways I meet the diverse academic, social, and emotional needs of gifted learners.