Nominations for a student who is not yet identified can be made at any time throughout the school year. The evaluation windows are set by the New Hanover County Academically and Intellectually Gifted Department. Once the nomination is received, the student will be evaluated by the Snipes Academy AIG Match Team during the nearest evaluation window. Nominations begin in third grade.
Nominations considered for this school year may be submitted between 8/7/2025 and 2/13/2026. The Fall deadline is 10/30/2025 and the Spring deadline is 2/13/2026. Any nominations submitted after February 14, 2025 will be considered for the following school year.
Please submit nomination forms to your child's homeroom teacher or to Kelly Griffin, GES. (kelly.griffin@nhcs.net)
CLICK HERE for the AIG Nomination and Identification timeline at our school.
The criteria that is evaluated is as follows:
*Observable Behaviors (frequency and/or intensity)
*Work Samples/Performance
*Student Achievement (standardized test)
*Student Aptitude (standardized test)
A team of teachers and an administrator review all documentation collected for each child who is nominated. A Match Team Record is completed during the Match Team's meeting. Notes are listed for each criteria to explain the Match Team's decision regarding a criteria being met or not met.
This completed form is sent to the nominated child's guardian(s) for:
1) Notification of the Match Team's decision, and
2) a parent signature of acknowledgement that the notification of the decision has been received.
Match Team Meeting
At this meeting, Match Team members will evaluate all nominations made. If a child qualifies for testing, testing will be scheduled to take place following the testing windows given by NHCS AIG and testing departments. The Match Team will meet again right after testing is complete to determine appropriate placement with the new data collected from testing. Students who qualify for the AIG program will have a Differentiated Education Plan (DEP). Service start dates are determined on an individual basis.
Possible Outcomes of a Match Team Meeting
1) Doesn't Qualify: This determination means that the documentation reviewed regarding the student nominated indicated that the regular classroom curricula and differentiation in place in the regular classroom is appropriate for the child's learning needs. Reevaluation in future years may take place if the data indicates a need for reevaluation.
If no such data presents itself to the teacher, a child will not be reevaluated after already going through the evaluation process.
2) Wait and Watch/Continuation: This determination means that the documentation reviewed regarding the student nominated indicated that the regular classroom curricula and current level of differentiation in place is appropriate for the child's learning needs, but there may be reason to revisit the child's data at a later date.
3) More Data Needed: This determination means that the documentation reviewed regarding the student nominated indicated that differentiated services beyond the regular classroom plan may be necessary, but the student needs to take an assessment to solidify the Match Team's decision. The Cognitive Abilities Test (aptitude) and/or the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (achievement) may be administered to confirm and complete the qualification process.
4) Qualifies: This determination means that the documentation reviewed regarding the student nominated indicated that differentiated services beyond the regular classroom plan is necessary to meet the child's learning needs. The Match Team uses the data/documentation to determine how advanced the child's learning capacity is. The Match Team uses multiple data points to determine the appropriate level of service.
Reevaluation After Qualification
A student will never be taken out of the AIG Program in NHCS once he or she is identified. However, a student's level of service may be reevaluated at any point if the data indicates a need for change in level of service. In addition, a student's service delivery method may change from year-to-year and/or be reevaluated if the data indicate a need for a change.
The teachers at Snipes Academy of Arts and Design are continuously aware of students and their instructional needs. Our Match Team strives to match the best level of service and service delivery method to each AIG student's specific need, based on his/her individual data. A student's level of service and service delivery method(s) are initially determined upon qualification of the Match Team. As time goes by, a student's academic needs may change, which means the data has changed. At that point, the Match Team will reevaluate a student's level of service or service delivery options.