Identification Criteria and Procedures

Students may be referred by teachers/staff members, parents/guardians, administrators, or may self-refer. A notice posted on the HEB ISD website indicates the testing windows.

Identification of academically gifted students is a comprehensive and ongoing process which begins in the second semester of kindergarten. In accordance with the Texas State Plan for the Education of Gifted/Talented Students, multiple criteria are used to identify gifted learners, and these are reviewed by campus committees consisting of trained administrator(s), counselor, and teacher(s),  and the Advanced Academics Specialist (elementary only). By state law and Texas Education Agency guidelines, no single criterion may be the basis for identification, nor may any single person make placement decisions. The following five criteria are used in Hurst-Euless-Bedford schools for GT placement:

• Classroom observation by teacher(s)

• Evaluation of student products

• Observation and evaluation by parents/guardians

• Student self-assessment and evaluation

• Standardized aptitude and achievements tests using both verbal/non-verbal measures

A balanced evaluation of data is used in making identification recommendations; students whose performance on a majority of the criteria within the upper 2-5% range are identified. Students are not denied placement in the gifted and talented program because of classroom behavior or performance, as grades and classroom behavior are not always accurate reflections of intellectual ability; nor should students be recommended solely on the basis of good grades or good behavior without supporting indication of exceptionality based on the data collected. Recommendation for gifted services shall reflect the best professional judgment of the identification committee. The campus committee will consider the following when making this recommendation:

• Evidence of the student’s exceptionality (in the range of two standard deviations from the norm) and need for differentiated educational experiences offered through the GT program;

• The degree to which the student, in the opinion of the committee, demonstrates a need for gifted services.

Grades K-3

Because of the emerging nature of characteristics by which giftedness is determined in very young children, all students in grades K-3 are considered and are included in some screening activities. These include standardized assessments given to all students in second and third grades as well as a series of classroom experiences designed to elicit gifted behaviors and formal observation of each student by a teacher who has been trained in looking for characteristics of advanced learners. Students whose performance on either of these measures indicates a potential need for gifted services are then administered, with parent permission, additional assessments. All of this data is reviewed by the campus committee who will make placement recommendations. Students who qualify are recommended for placement in QUEST, and the school will notify parents. Students must have signed parent permission to participate in the QUEST program.

Grades 4-12

All students who have been identified as gifted in HEB ISD may continue without re-identification through grade 12 unless exiting the program (see Exit Procedures). Students who have not previously been identified, including students new to HEB schools, may be referred for assessment by teachers, parents, administrators, or may self-refer. Identification for the program includes collection of data to meet the five criteria for GT placement. This data, collected by the school counselor, is reviewed by the campus committee, and parents will be notified of the committee’s recommendation. Students who qualify based on performance on at least three of the five criteria in the upper 2-5% range on national norms are referred for the GT program. Students must exhibit scores in the upper 2-5% in either aptitude or achievement measures in order to be identified and must have signed parent permission to participate.

Highly Capable Identification, Grades K-5

Students who do not qualify for the gifted program after extensive screening and testing but who score in the highly qualified range in at least 4 indicators are identified as Highly Capable (High-C). The Highly Capable program identifies those advanced students who need differentiated strategies because they show great potential on GT identification screeners. Parent permission must be obtained before placing a student in the Highly Capable program. Highly Capable students are usually served alongside the gifted students, depending on the staffing and numbers on each campus. Many Highly Capable students, after being consistently exposed to GT strategies, skills, and curriculum, are re-evaluated and may be identified as GT. Highly Capable students are re-evaluated on a regular basis to ensure their qualifications for remaining in the Highly Capable program. Parents may request removal from the Highly Capable designation should the student struggle with the placement.  The Highly Capable designation does not continue past elementary school. The junior high and high schools have Advanced Academics and AP/IB courses for students who are highly advanced but not necessarily identified as gifted.

Transfer Students

New students to HEB ISD who have been identified as gifted in another district are automatically considered for placement in the gifted and talented program but must meet the HEB ISD criteria to be eligible for the program. This is to ensure appropriate placement, as local service models and identification criteria vary from district to district.