Standard 1: Student Identification
The LEA's student identification procedures for AIG are clear, equitable, and comprehensive and lead towards appropriate educational services.
Identification: Formal identification for gifted services typically begins in 3rd grade.
Nominations: A student may be nominated for gifted services at any time throughout the year. Students can be nominated by a parent, a teacher, a peer, or can nominate themselves. If you would like to nominate a child for gifted services, please complete the nomination form and submit it to Mrs. Morrow. Forms are also available to be sent home if needed.
Once nominated for services, data will be collected from the parents, teachers, and student. Once the data is collected, the Match team will meet to determine if gifted services are appropriate or if additional data is needed.
The Match Team is composed of the Gifted Education Specialist, administrators, and teachers. The team uses multiple criteria to evaluate gifted potential.
Important Dates for 2025-2026
Click here: Nomination Timeline 2025-2026
Click here: Nomination Form
Click here: NHCS AIG Formulario de Nominación
CogAT Testing: October 21-23
The following excerpt from the NHCS AIG Plan provides more detailed information regarding student nomination and identification.
Practice B
Establishes a process and criteria for AIG student identification at all grade levels, K-12, that provides multiple opportunities to reveal a student's aptitude, achievement, or potential to achieve. The criteria may include both qualitative and quantitative data in order to develop a comprehensive learner profile.
NHCS employs three criteria for AIG Identification: aptitude, achievement, and artifacts. These three pillars are used to screen and identify students for gifted services in grades K-12. A combination of qualitative and quantitative data is used to build a body of evidence to support gifted identification decisions. NHCS uses the definitions set by the National Association for Gifted Children.
Aptitude: An inclination to excel in the performance of a certain skill.
Aptitude Test: A test predicting a student’s future performance in a particular domain. One
such test is the SAT test.
● NHCS uses COGAT as a universal screening Aptitude test.
● We also have the Naglieri General Abilities Test - NNAT.
Achievement: Academic skill level attained by the student after being taught.
Achievement Test: A test designed to measure what students have already learned, mostly
in specific content areas. An example of an achievement test is the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills
(ITBS).
● NHCS uses multiple achievement tests for identification including ITBS, ACT, PSAT,
SAT, Advance Placement and IB Exams, and state achievement testing such as the
EOG and EOC for grades 3-12.
Artifacts are a collection of evidence used in the screening and identification process.
Artifacts may include qualitative and quantitative data that provide evidence of aptitude or achievement:
● Observable Behaviors checklists (TOPS, KOI, GSRS, etc.)
○ Parent and Teacher checklists both fall under this artifact
● Student Interviews
● Student work samples
● Student extracurricular samples (contests, competitions, awards, etc.)
● Classroom or county-wide assessments
● Statewide assessments (NCCI, EOG, EOC, etc.)
● National assessments (SAT, ACT, PreACT, IB, Advanced Placement, etc.)
Identification Process: Match Teams at each school will make the decisions for gifted identification based on multiple data points and submitted artifacts. Students can be identified as intellectually gifted (IG), academically gifted (reading and/or math), or both academically and intellectually gifted (AIG). To be identified as AIG, students must meet a pathway for both IG and AG as seen below.
The pathways guide the match team process, but are not a guarantee of identification. Match teams should also take into consideration data from the top 15% of a grade level to screen for potentially gifted students who do not yet meet the pathways below.
Aptitude Pathway for Identification in IG
1. Composite score 90th percentile or above on a nationally normed aptitude test
2. Nonverbal aptitude score at or above 95 percentile
Achievement Pathways for Identification in AG (Math or Reading)
1. Subtest score 90th percentile or above on a nationally normed achievement test in math/reading
2. EOG/EOC achievement score at or above 95 percentile in math/reading
3. Top 10% of grade level peers within the school site
Pathway for Identification in AIG
1. Students whose match team identify them for both intellectual and academic giftedness pathways