School-based committees meet yearly to review criteria for SAIL Program identification. As recommended by Gorham's Advisory Committee and required by State of Maine Chapter 104 guidelines, the following components are included in Gorham's identification process:

1. In the spring, students who score within the top 10% on the NWEA are selected to take part in our screening process beginning in 3rd grade. Teachers and parents can also nominate students for the program based on other assessment data and/or classroom observation.

2. Classroom teachers fill out the Characteristics and Behaviors of Gifted and Talented Students Rating Scale (a non-biased profile). Students who exhibit 75% or more of these characteristics meet the subjective criteria. 

3. SAIL teachers review the rating scales, Northwest Educational Assessment (NWEA) scores, and the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) scores. Students who have consistent test scores of 95% and above on the NWEA meet the achievement criteria. Students who score at or above 95% on the CogAT meet the criteria for cognitive aptitude. 

General Intellectual Ability

• CogAT- Score of 95 percentile or above

• NWEA- Consistent scores at/above the 95 percentile in both reading and math

• Rating Scale- Exhibits 75% of gifted behaviors and traits 

Specific Academic Aptitude in Reading or Math

• CogAT- Score of 95 percentile or above

• NWEA- Consistent scores at/above the 95 percentile in reading or math

• Rating Scale- Exhibits 75% of gifted behaviors and traits 

Students who meet two of the three above criteria are identified as gifted.