Screening of the total school population is an ongoing process that provides a pool of potential K-12 students who may or may not be eligible for further consideration. Consideration is given in screening, referring and identifying all high potential/ability students, including those from underserved, culturally diverse, low socioeconomic, limited English proficient, and disabled populations.  

MCPS gifted staff annually provides professional development to faculties regarding screening procedures, screening instruments, and characteristics exhibited in students with gifted potential. Emphasis is placed on understanding giftedness in underrepresented populations. 

A research-based screening tool, is used by classroom teachers, for students in grades K-8, to observe specific traits associated with the gifted population.  

All MCPS students grades K-8  are screened each school year.  During this observation window, the classroom teacher notes student questions, responses, examples of unusual thinking or exceptional creativity, and consistently strong academic performance.  Collaboration between gifted resource and classroom teachers enables both professionals to document anecdotal notes as valuable additional evidence for the referral process.  This documentation is maintained from year-to-year to allow for decision based on longitudinal data. 

District standardized test scores and other available assessment data are reviewed. This may include, but is not limited to:  Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Assessments, The Virginia Language & Literacy Screening System (VALLSS), and Standards of Learning (SOL).

Gifted resource teachers and/or classroom teachers conduct planned experience lessons designed to elicit gifted characteristics and are used as authentic portfolio products when needed. 

Gifted resource teachers collect and present all student data to a building-level referral committee. During this meeting, a holistic approach is used to review all data in order to remove factors such as poverty or twice exceptionality that may disadvantage students from consideration. This committee may then refers students for formal assessment based on all pieces of data reviewed. 

The identification process for referring students for gifted services and includes a thorough and focused screening process using measures already in place within the division.  Students referred by the building-based screening committee will be evaluated at the Spring identification committee meeting with notification by May.

Parents, legal guardians, teachers, professionals, students, peers, self, or others may request that a student be assessed for screening.  The request should be made using the digital MCPS Student Information and Referral Form.  Please send an email to the Administrator of Gifted Programs, Helen Fotinos, helenfotinos@mcps.org and your child's school principal to notify them that you have completed this form.  All students referred through this process are reviewed by the building-based Gifted Identification Committee. 

The identification process will be completed within 90 instructional days beginning with the receipt of a legal guardian’s signed Permission to Evaluate and Parent Information form.

• The gifted resource teacher and/or classroom teacher may administer additional planned experience lessons. 

• Grades, test scores, and other assessment data are collected where available.

• Standardized ability and/or achievement tests will be administered, if no current (within two years) testing information is available.

• Parent Information Form, Scales for Rating the Behavioral Characteristics of Superior Students, and portfolio items are collected and scored by the gifted resource teacher and building based review committee. 

• All information and data is collected and presented at a division-level Gifted Identification Committee meeting.

Students transferring into MCPS with documentation showing formal identification/placement in an accredited school system’s gifted program are referred for formal review. Student information is compiled from the student’s cumulative file and other data is collected by the gifted resource teacher. This data is then reviewed and assessed by a gifted identification committee. After the process has been completed parents or guardians will be provided with the committee’s decision and are notified about next steps for their child. If appropriate, parents will receive a permission to provide services notification.

The gifted identification committee meets annually to determine eligibility of gifted identification and placement.  Data is reviewed, using rubrics and scales to quantify the evidence.  A holistic case study approach is used to determine if there is enough evidence to support gifted identification in the specific academic areas of English and/or mathematics.

Legal guardians, principals, and teacher are informed of the identification/placement decision.  Notification of gifted status will be made in May.

Legal guardians, principals, and teachers have the right to appeal the committee's decision.  A written appeal may be submitted to the administrator of gifted programs within ten school days after receipt of the notification letter.