North Brunswick Township School District utilizes two screeners of gifted ability. The CogAT (Cognitive Abilities Test) is a norm-referenced universal screener that is taken in December of 1st and 3rd grade. The SAGES-3 Nonverbal Reasoning Test is taken in December of Kindergarten, 2nd and 4th grade. These assessments as a whole create a unique view into multiple perspectives on student ability. Students are given a more tailored instruction based off of the data collected through these assessments.
In addition, there are a wide variety of tools that North Brunswick uses to get a full picture of our students. Some other forms of assessments considered as part of the multiple measures evaluated include NWEA MAP, teacher rating surveys and more.
Based upon recommendations from the National Association of Gifted Children, the New Jersey Department of Education, and the New Jersey Association of Gifted Children, we utilize local norms as one measure to determine placement into the SOAR continuum of services.
Local Norms can be defined as a set of scores that compares peers using a local (within a child’s own grade and own school in North Brunswick) data sample. This is different from age or grade norms which focus on national data that may or may not be relative to the local setting. Local norms provide a greater insight into our students. Therefore, in order to identify students eligible for SOAR services in North Brunswick, local norms are used to compare students to one another.
Using local norms helps to spot a wider pool of talent and ensures that more students are given the opportunity to receive SOAR services within their schools. Local Norms helps provide equity in SOAR services and are reflective of North Brunswick's diverse population.