Identification of AIG Students

Grades K-3 Identification

Rockingham County Schools delay the formal identification of students for the Academically and/or Intellectually Gifted Program until the end of 3rd grade when testing is more appropriate and accurate for predicting the needs of advanced students.  However, the Rockingham County Schools district recognizes that some students develop cognitive abilities more rapidly than their same-age peers. K-3 students who demonstrate a strong need for differentiation through informal observation in the classroom may be referred to the Identification/Placement (I/P) Team for further screening. Indicators of a stronger need for differentiation include:

• • Reading two or more years above grade placement on the Reading 3D (M-Class) Assessment

  • Performing in math two or more years above grade level on a performance assessment

  • Mastery of skills two or more years above grade level indicated by work samples completed at school.

The I/P Team considers all of the above indicators in addition to the developmental, social, and emotional needs of the student in order to determine the need for further assessment.

Grades 4-7 Identification

Rockingham County Schools’  AIG program identifies  AIG students in grades 4-7 through the use of multiple pathways and multiple entry points. End-of-grade test results are reviewed annually as an entry point for students in grades 3-8. Also, the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) is administered to all third grade students in December and to students who come into the district without having taken the CogAT previously. This testing is part of the initial screening process to determine if further assessments are needed for possible AIG identification. Students in grades four through thirteen may be referred for possible AIG placement by administrators, parents, students, or teachers. However, students may take the Cognitive Abilities Test every two years to be considered for AIG placement.

Each spring, the identification/placement teams at the elementary and middle schools review multiple sources of data to determine the best placement for current AIG students for the next year and to consider new AIG placements for the upcoming school year.  No student is exited from the program unless it is requested by the parent. Any parent, teacher, student, or community member who has academic knowledge of a student can submit a student's name to the school's Instructional Coach for possible consideration as placement in the AIG Program. In order for a student to be placed in the Rockingham County Schools' Academically and/or Intellectually Gifted Program, the placement criteria must be met.