Frequently Asked Questions

Universal Screening in 3rd Grade: Brunswick County elementary schools administer the CogAT to all 3rd graders (with parental permission) during the fall (October) as a screener for potential AIG programming and services and to provide additional data that teachers can use to help meet the academic needs of each student. The AIG team at each elementary school site will begin a Learner Profile for each student who meets the AIG assessment criteria of 89% or higher on the CogAT in 3rd grade and will begin collecting additional data as part of the AIG identification process. These students will be scheduled in the AIG setting for reading and/or math, a Differentiated Education Plan will be developed for each one, and the AIG identification process may be completed at that time.

Students in grades 4-8 may also be screened for AIG programming and services, using the CogAT or the Iowa Assessments, upon parent/guardian request and/or teacher recommendation with parent permission. Parents/Guardians who would like additional information about AIG testing should contact the AIG Lead Teacher at the school site where the child is enrolled.

With the development and approval of our new AIG Plan in 2022, there are also additional pathways for AIG identification and placement, and those are indicated on the "Roadmaps" included below.

Students who enroll in a Brunswick County School after having been in a charter school or in a private school may be eligible for AIG programming and services if they meet the identification criteria found in the Identification Road Map (see above). 

Prior to being scheduled for the AIG classes appropriate for their grade level, the AIG lead teacher and an administrator shall review the student's academic record and any assessment data from their previous school. Students who do not have standardized assessment data (other than an EOG) may need to take the Iowa Assessments or the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) to determine if they meet the assessment criteria needed for potential AIG identification or AIG Talent Pool placement. 

All AIG testing for enrolled students is administered at the school site by the AIG lead teacher or by a designee of the school's principal. Only currently enrolled students are eligible for the testing administered at the school site.

Brunswick County Schools provides a continuum of services for AIG and advanced learners in the district. Students in the BCS AIG program receive advanced instruction in math and/or English/language arts delivered by teachers who have been trained to work with gifted learners. Service options include, but are not limited to:

Kindergarten - 3rd Grade: Nurturing and Talent Development (students in K-3 are not currently eligible for official AIG identification in Brunswick County Schools)

• • School site nurturing programs

  • Resource support options

  • Curriculum compacting

  • Flexible grouping

  • Differentiated learning centers and tiered lessons

  • Independent study

  • Seminar

  • Acceleration or grade-skipping

  • Peer leader/collaboration

  • Arts integration and interdisciplinary studies 

4th - 8th Grade: Differentiated Core Instruction (in math and language arts, 4th - 8th; high school credit courses - Math 1 and Earth & Environmental Science, 8th) 

• • Resource class

  • Advanced math and/or English/language arts studies

  • Consultative/Enrichment plan

  • Independent study

  • Curriculum compacting

  • Flexible grouping

  • Differentiated learning centers and tiered lessons

  • Problem/Project-based and/or Service learning

  • Socratic/Paideia Seminar discussion

  • Acceleration or grade-skipping

  • Credit by Demonstrated Mastery (CDM) for high school level coursework

  • Selected high school courses for eligible 8th grade students

  • Peer leader/collaboration

  • Arts integration and interdisciplinary studies

9th - 12th Grade

• Honors courses

• Advanced Placement courses

• Independent study 

• Governor's School

• Curriculum compacting

• Flexible grouping

• Differentiated learning centers and tiered lessons

• Consultative/Enrichment plan

• Dual enrollment in high school and college

• Virtual High School courses

• Internships and mentors

• Special academic, artistic, and leadership programs/organizations

• Peer leader/collaboration

• Arts integration and interdisciplinary studies

• Credit by Demonstrated Mastery (CDM)

• Online courses

• Oratory and other competitions and summer training

Students in kindergarten through 3rd grade are exposed to nurturing opportunities through instruction using PETS (Primary Education Thinking Skills) lessons. Students who demonstrate advanced potential receive additional talent development opportunities in small groups with extension and enrichment lessons from such resources as NCDPI's Advanced Learning Labs, Jacob's Ladder lessons, and STEM enrichment.

Students who have the potential for placement and access to AIG programming and services, based on meeting a set of specified criteria, are scheduled in an AIG setting for their math and or reading/English language arts class(es) to complete the identification process. This process involves the development of a Learner Profile and a Differentiated Education Plan (DEP), along with a record of above average academic performance, teacher recommendation, data from observational/behavioral scales, and demonstration of above-grade level mastery in the content area(s).

Students can qualify as AIG with these designations:

• Academically Gifted Reading (AR) 

• Academically Gifted in Math (AM) 

• Academically Gifted in Reading and Math (AG)

• Intellectually Gifted (IG)

• Academically and Intellectually Gifted (AI)

For IG and AI, the student must score 96% on the Non-Verbal section of a standardized aptitude test along with an 77% or higher on reading and/or math composites of the same test. 

Brunswick County Schools utilizes the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) and the Iowa Assessments when AIG testing is requested for students currently enrolled in a Brunswick County School. Students who score at or above the 7th Stanine (77th percentile or higher) on the assessment sections/batteries on one or both of these assessments demonstrate above grade level aptitude and/or achievement and are eligible for talent pool recommendation or potential AIG identification, based on a variety of data points.

Yes and No. If your child scores above the 77th percentile on the CogAT but does not meet the minimum testing requirements for potential AIG-identification then, yes, he/she has the option of taking a second assessment (normally the Iowa Assessments) to determine eligibility for the 4th grade year (this testing is conducted in the Spring of the students' 3rd grade year). They may not retest on the CogAT at that time.

For students in grades 4 – 8, if the student does not meet the minimum score requirements for one assessment (CogAT or Iowa Assessments), the student may take the other assessment (CogAT or ITBS) utilized by Brunswick County Schools or another nationally normed assessment to determine the potential for placement and access to AIG programming and services. Students may be assessed on the same test only once per calendar year. Testing is provided during 4 testing windows spaced throughout the school year.

No. Students who qualify for AIG programming and services are not required to be placed in the AIG setting. Eligible students and their parents/guardians are encouraged to consider all of the available options and make an informed decision based on what is best for the student. 

Not totally. There are several qualifiers for becoming a candidate for AIG placement, but an overall A average in the subject for AIG consideration (math and/or reading/English language arts) is only one of those qualifying criteria. The student also needs to have: 

• a 90% proficiency on selected aptitude and/or achievement tests, OR 

• test composites noting a SEM (Standard Error of Measurement) of 2 points (88%) on a standardized aptitude test, AND 

• a probationary performance period usually for at least a semester with B/80% or higher average on AIG coursework, AND 

• a completed portfolio for each area of identification with a score of 85% or higher for elementary school students or 90% or higher for middle school students.

In addition, the AIG team will meet to review behavioral/emotional scale results and teacher recommendations for the student to complete the identification process. Students with a 130+ IQ will be considered for AIG placement, as well. 

In most cases. All efforts are made to honor AIG classification from outside Brunswick County Schools. The former school (or parent/guardian) must provide adequate documentation demonstrating that identification is based on comparable data as the data used in BCS. In instances where the identification requirements are not comparable with BCS AIG identification requirements, further testing may necessary or students may be placed in the AIG class(s) for a probationary period.

In most instances, the child would be assigned to a regular core class for non-AIG identified subject areas. In some cases, with principal approval and a signed waiver, a student who qualifies in one area may be placed in the AIG class for the other area. For example, a student who qualifies in math but not in reading may be placed in the AIG reading class as a member of the Talent Pool. This does not mean that the student will be identified as AIG, and the placement will be reviewed each year.

No. It is possible that a student might be in the AIG class as a member of the AIG talent pool, with approval of the AIG team and the principal. In order to be identified as AIG, a student must meet all of the identification criteria.

If a student leaves Brunswick County Schools, and that student has already been officially identified as AIG, Brunswick County Schools is not obligated to provide AIG services to that student when he/she is not enrolled in BCS. AIG students who were identified in Brunswick County and are returning to Brunswick County Schools after having withdrawn from the school system for any period of time will return to the AIG setting upon re-enrollment in a BCS school.

Students who were in the process of being identified as AIG at the time of their withdrawal from Brunswick County Schools will need to restart the identification process. This may include testing, depending on whether the student received qualifying scores on the Iowa Assessments or the CogAT and meeting the other academic performance and observational criteria.

All students are encouraged to enroll in rigorous courses at the high school level. AIG/Advanced Studies students should expect to ...

Certainly, earning satisfactory course grades is important in any AP class; however, the only way that an AP student might earn college credit for a course is by scoring a high enough level, usually a Level 3, 4, or 5, on the AP exam for the particular course depending on the specific college's requirements.

If a student begins to struggle in the AIG or advanced setting, it is important to meet with the child, his/her teacher(s), and the parents and work together to develop a plan that will support successful outcomes for that student. Because each student's needs are different, an individualized action plan, detailing what each stakeholder will be responsible for contributing to the steps of the plan, should be developed and carried out to ensure the academic, intellectual, social, and emotional well-being of the student.

Parents and families can support their AIG and advanced learners by encouraging discussion and sharing of the work students are doing in class. Additionally, there is a great resource from the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) that focuses specifically on ways parents and families can help their gifted children be successful.

Helping Your Gifted Child Succeed